Upanayana

Upanayana (Sanskrit: उपनयन upanayana), also known as janai or janea, poita/paita, Yagnopavita, Bratabandha,Bratopanayan is one of the traditional saṃskāras (rites of passage) that marked the acceptance of a student by a guru (teacher or tutor) and an individual’s initiation into a school in Hinduism

The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism and varies regionally

The sacred thread (yagnyopavita, janeu, or poonal) is received by the boy during this ceremony, which he continues wearing from the left shoulder to the right crossing the chest thereafter

Generally, this ceremony should be performed before the advent of adulthood

Vedic period texts such as the Baudhāyana Grihyasutra encouraged the three Varnas of society to undergo the Upanayana, viz

, the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas

In the 21st century, however, it is performed almost exclusively by the Brahmin community