Maithil Upanayan

Maithil Upanayan is a ceremonial upanayan sanskar practised in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent by the Maithil Brahmins and Maithil Kayastha in the region. It is a Vedic religious ceremony. In the Mithila region, Upanayan is also known as Jenaoo Sanskar. The tradition of Upanayan sanskar in the Mithila region among the Maithil Brahmins and Maithil Kayastha varies from the other part of the subcontinent. It has some unique and special rituals. In the tradition of the Maithil Brahmins community, a child is not considered as a Brahmin from his birth. Only after the completion of the upanayan ceremony, the child is confirmed as a Brahmin status. Before it, he has status of Barua or Batuka. During the upanayan rituals, sevaral folk songs in Maithili language are sung by the women of the family, relatives and neighbours. The Maithil Upanayan takes more than a week to complete its ceremonial rituals. It initially starts with Baskatti and Marabthatthi rituals and end with Jenau and Jaga rituals. It is conducted only on an auspicious day (Subh Din) as suggested by the Mithila Panchang published by the Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University in the Mithila region.