Mundan Muhurat 2026 — Auspicious Dates for the First Haircut
The right age, auspicious nakshatras and months, and the rules for the first-haircut ceremony.
Significance
Mundan, also called Chudakarana, is the Sanskar of the child’s first ceremonial haircut, removing hair carried from the womb to mark a fresh, healthy beginning. The Grihya Sutras place it in an odd year — at the end of the first, third or fifth year. A correct muhurat with an auspicious nakshatra is believed to support the child’s health and growth.
How the Muhurat Is Chosen
Right age for Mundan
- Performed in an odd year — at the end of the 1st, 3rd or 5th year.
- Always cross-check against the child’s janma (birth) nakshatra before fixing the date.
- Many families perform it at a family deity’s temple or a tirtha on the chosen muhurat.
Periods to Avoid
- Even years of age — Mundan is done in odd years (1st, 3rd or 5th).
- The child’s own birth month and birth nakshatra.
- Doing it when the mother is more than five months pregnant.
- Dakshinayana / Chaturmas, Rikta tithis, Amavasya and eclipses.
This Year (2026)
Mundan is timed to the child’s odd-year age rather than to a fixed season, but is best kept within the Uttarayana/spring months and outside Chaturmas. Within the right age, pick an auspicious nakshatra and tithi and confirm the muhurat for your city with a Vedic Panchang (IST).
Tips & Vidhi
- Perform a Ganesh and Navagraha puja before the first lock of hair is cut.
- Offer the shorn hair at a river or temple as per family custom.
- Pick a forenoon muhurat free of Rahu Kaal and Bhadra.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Shubh Muhurat?
A Shubh Muhurat is an auspicious window of time chosen with the help of the Vedic Panchang so that an important act — a wedding, housewarming, naming or purchase — begins under a supportive combination of tithi, nakshatra, weekday (vaar), yoga and lagna, and clear of inauspicious periods like Rahu Kaal and Bhadra.
Why do muhurat timings differ by city?
Muhurat windows are calculated from sunrise, sunset and the Moon’s position, all of which change with longitude and latitude. A muhurat that begins at one clock time in Delhi will begin a few minutes earlier or later in Mumbai, Chennai or Kolkata — so always confirm the timing for your own city.
What are Rahu Kaal and Bhadra, and why avoid them?
Rahu Kaal is a roughly 90-minute period each day ruled by the shadow planet Rahu, considered inauspicious for starting new work. Bhadra (the Vishti karana) is a period associated with obstacles. Even within an otherwise good day, a muhurat is chosen to fall outside these windows.
What is an "abujh" muhurat?
An abujh (or swayam-siddha) muhurat is a self-auspicious day on which the whole day is considered pure without consulting an astrologer — for example Akshaya Tritiya, Vijayadashami, Gudi Padwa and Vasant Panchami. These are ideal when there is no time to compute a personal muhurat.
What to do next
- 🕐 Check today's Choghadiya for the auspicious hours of the day.
- 🪔 Generate your free kundali to match muhurats with your own chart.
- 🗓️ Browse all 2026 muhurat dates — vivah, griha pravesh, gold purchase.
