Upanayanam Invitation Wording in Kannada, Telugu & Tamil

An upanayanam invitation names the boy who receives the sacred thread and the elders who invite, gives the muhurat with the panchang date line in your language's own form, and asks guests to come and bless the vatu. The samples use Sunday 11 April 2027 at 10:30 am (9 am on the Hindi card) only to show the date line; your purohit fixes the muhurat from the boy's horoscope.

Upanayana patrike in Kannada

1. From the grandparents

Make this card with your names and date.

What each line means

On the patrike	What it says
॥ ಶ್ರೀ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀ ವೆಂಕಟೇಶ ಪ್ರಸನ್ನ ॥	May Shri Lakshmi Venkatesha be pleased: the family deity's line.
ಆಹ್ವಾನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆ	Letter of invitation.
ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ಕಮಲಾ ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರೀ ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ ನಾವುಗಳು ಮಾಡುವ ವಿಜ್ಞಾಪನೆಗಳು	The request that we, Smt. Kamala and Shri Ramachandra, make. The wife is named first.
ಸ್ವಸ್ತಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಶಾಲಿವಾಹನ ಶಕೆ 1949ನೇ ಪ್ಲವಂಗ ನಾಮ ಸಂವತ್ಸರದ	Hail! In Shalivahana Shaka year 1949, the year named Plavanga,
ಚೈತ್ರ ಶುದ್ಧ ಪಂಚಮಿ ದಿನಾಂಕ 11-04-2027ನೇ ಭಾನುವಾರ	in Chaitra, the bright fortnight, the fifth tithi, on Sunday 11 April 2027,
ಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆ ಘಂಟೆ 10:30 ರಿಂದ 11:15 ರೊಳಗೆ ಸಲ್ಲುವ ಶುಭ ಮಿಥುನ ಲಗ್ನದಲ್ಲಿ	in the auspicious Mithuna lagna falling between 10:30 and 11:15 in the morning. ಗಂಟೆ is the commoner spelling of ಘಂಟೆ.
ನಮ್ಮ ಮೊಮ್ಮಗ ಚಿ॥ ಆದಿತ್ಯ	our grandson Chi. Aditya
(... ಇವರ ಪ್ರಥಮ ಪುತ್ರ)	(eldest son of ...). ಸುಪುತ್ರ, son, if you do not say eldest.
ಇವನಿಗೆ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮೋಪದೇಶವನ್ನು ಕೊಡುವುದೆಂದು ಗುರು ಹಿರಿಯರು ನಿಶ್ಚಯಿಸಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ	The gurus and elders have decided to give him brahmopadesha.
ಈ ಶುಭ ಸಮಾರಂಭಕ್ಕೆ ತಾವುಗಳು ಆಗಮಿಸಿ ವಟುವನ್ನು ಆಶೀರ್ವದಿಸಿ	Please come to this auspicious ceremony and bless the vatu,
ನಮ್ಮ ಯಥೋಚಿತ ಸತ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಬೇಕೆಂದು ವಿನಂತಿ	and accept the hospitality we offer, as is fitting: this is our request.
ತಮ್ಮ ಆಗಮನಾಭಿಲಾಷಿಗಳು	Those longing for your arrival: the heading over the names.

2. From the parents, with one muhurat time

With one time the line ends 10:30 ಕ್ಕೆ ಸಲ್ಲುವ ಮಿಥುನ ಲಗ್ನದ ಶುಭ ಮುಹೂರ್ತದಲ್ಲಿ, "in the auspicious muhurat of the Mithuna lagna falling at 10:30". For the eldest son write ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಥಮ ಪುತ್ರ. ಜನಿವಾರ is also the Kannada word for the thread itself.

Upanayanam invitation wording in English

3. From the grandparents

Make this card with your names and date.

4. From the parents

5. Two brothers on one muhurat

The rest stays as in card 3. Write "Subha Muhurtam" with two times when your purohit gives a window, "Muhurtam" with one. Our munj patrika guide has the Marathi plural; in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, have your purohit word it.

Upanayanam invitation in Telugu

A Telugu card puts the whole muhurat into one sentence ending సుముహూర్తమున (in the auspicious muhurat), then names the boy with కు ("to") joined to his name. Printed cards are titled ఉపనయన మహోత్సవ ఆహ్వానం or ఉపనయన ఆహ్వాన శుభపత్రిక.

6. From the grandparents

The bracket makes him the couple's youngest son; the line under it says the astrologers have fixed the upanayanam. The request asks you to bless the vatu and accept the sandal paste, tambulam and honours offered. ఆహ్వానించువారు is "those who invite", బంధుమిత్రుల అభినందనలతో "with the greetings of relatives and friends". The Telugu maker writes cards 6 and 7.

7. From the parents, for an only son

For an eldest or youngest son write మా జ్యేష్ఠ పుత్రుడు or మా కనిష్ఠ పుత్రుడు. Telugu cards also print వేదమూర్తులు నిర్ణయించినారు ("the Vedic scholars have decided") in place of దైవజ్ఞులచే నిశ్చయింపబడినది, and a shorter request, కావున తామెల్లరు ఏతత్ శుభముహూర్తమునకు విచ్చేసి వటువును ఆశీర్వదించగలరు ("so please all come at this auspicious muhurat and bless the vatu").

Poonal invitation in Tamil

8. From the parents

அன்புடையீர், வணக்கம் is "Dear all, greetings". The request, தாங்கள் தங்கள் குடும்ப ஸஹிதம் வந்திருந்து சிரஞ்சீவியை ஆசீர்வதித்து எங்களையும் கௌரவிக்க வேணுமாய்க் கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறோம், is "we ask that you come with your family, bless the boy and honour us". இப்படிக்கு, is "thus, from". When the grandparents invite, the relation line becomes திரு. ரமேஷ் - திருமதி. சுதா ஆகியோரின் மகனும் எங்களது பேரனுமாகிய (son of ... and our grandson) and the grandparents sign.

Most poonal cards are an Iyer or Iyengar family's, so this one writes the year வருஷம் and asks in the words of their cards. Other Tamil family cards write வருடம் and ask தாங்கள் தங்கள் சுற்றமும் நட்பும் சூழ வருகை தந்து சிரஞ்சீவியை ஆசீர்வதிக்குமாறு அன்புடன் அழைக்கிறோம் ("please come with your relatives and friends and bless the boy"); the Tamil maker lets you change the year word in its date line. An Iyer or Iyengar card may close with இங்ஙனம், and an Iyengar card opens with ஸ்ரீ: in place of உ. Have an elder or your purohit read the Tamil before you print.

Janeu card in Hindi

9. Janeu sanskar card

से आपके आगमन तक says the meal is served from 12:30 until you arrive. विनीत ("humbly") heads the hosts' names, एवं समस्त ... परिवार (and the whole ... family) can go under them, and दर्शनाभिलाषी ("eager to see you") over his brothers', sisters' or cousins' names. For यज्ञोपवीत संस्कार, change the title and the sentence. Have your purohit read the Hindi before you print.

Marathi: the munj patrika

The Marathi munj or vratabandha patrika, with स. न. वि. वि. and the मिती ... शके line, has its own guide: munj patrika majkur, with complete patrikas and WhatsApp messages. The Marathi maker writes the card.

What goes on the card, and who invites

1. A line to Ganesha, often with the family deity under it, or உ on a Tamil card.
2. The rite's name as the title: Upanayanam or Thread Ceremony in English (also Janeu Sanskar, Yagyopavit or Yagnopavit Sanskar, Poonal, Odugu, Brahmopadesham); ಉಪನಯನ, ಜನಿವಾರ (janivara), ಮುಂಜಿ (munji) or ಬ್ರಹ್ಮೋಪದೇಶ (brahmopadesha) over ಆಹ್ವಾನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆ (ahvana patrike) in Kannada; ఉపనయన మహోత్సవం or ఒడుగు (odugu, the everyday name) in Telugu; உபநயனம் or பூணூல் கல்யாணம் (poonal kalyanam) in Tamil; जनेऊ संस्कार, यज्ञोपवीत संस्कार or उपनयन संस्कार in Hindi.
3. The elders who invite. From the grandparents: "our grandson" (ನಮ್ಮ ಮೊಮ್ಮಗ, మా మనుమడు), with the boy's parents in brackets under his name. From the parents: "our son", with the grandparents signing at the end of an English or Kannada card, named before the boy on a Tamil one, and under him on a Hindi one.
4. The boy, after Chi. (ಚಿ॥, చి॥, चि.), short for chiranjeevi, "may he live long" (சிரஞ்சீவி in full on a Tamil card).
5. The date line and the muhurat. Kannada, Telugu and Tamil cards put it before the boy's name, English and Hindi cards after it.
6. A request to come and bless the boy, the vatu (ವಟು, వటువు; बटू in Marathi).
7. The programme with its times, the venue, and the names of those who invite.

The date line in each language

• Kannada: from ಸ್ವಸ್ತಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಶಾಲಿವಾಹನ ಶಕೆ to the lagna, with ಶುದ್ಧ (bright fortnight) or ಬಹುಳ (dark) before the tithi. No nakshatra.
• Telugu: చాంద్రమాన (by the lunar reckoning; సూర్యమాన for a family on the solar calendar), one time, and the nakshatra joined to the lagna. Some cards add పుష్కరాంశ after the lagna, a claim only your purohit can make.
• Tamil: நிகழும் மங்களகரமான, the Tamil year, month and day, the date and weekday, வளர்பிறை (waxing) or தேய்பிறை (waning) with the tithi, the nakshatra, a window and the lagna.
• Hindi: शुभ मिती, the month, शुक्ल or कृष्ण with the tithi, and संवत् 2084, the Vikram Samvat. No nakshatra or lagna. The month is purnimanta, so in the dark fortnight a Hindi card already names the next month.
• English: card 3's line for a southern or western city; for a northern one, "Chaitra Shukla Panchami · Vikram Samvat 2084".

One Sunday, two year names. On 11 April 2027 the Kannada and Telugu cards print Plavanga (ಪ್ಲವಂಗ, ప్లవంగ), with Shaka 1949 on the Kannada one, because their year turned at Ugadi, Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, on Wednesday 7 April. The Tamil card still prints பராபவ (Parabhava) until Chithirai 1, when the sun enters Mesha on Wednesday 14 April 2027 and the year becomes பிலவங்க. Upanayanam season runs through both new years, so a line copied from an older card, or another language's, can carry the wrong year.

The tithi is the one running at the muhurat; some purohits write that morning's sunrise tithi instead (on 11 April 2027 both are Panchami), and his note is final. The lagna depends on the time and the town: a 10:00 muhurat in Bengaluru falls in Vrishabha, which gives way to Mithuna at 10:15. For a muhurat before sunrise, a Telugu card prints the evening before with తెల్లవారితే and the next day's name ("as it dawns, Sunday"), a Tamil card the morning's own date. Show the date line to your purohit before you print; what a muhurat is explains how it is chosen.

The programme

Print the rites guests come for, with their times.

• Udakashanti (ಉದಕಶಾಂತಿ, ఉదకశాంతి, உதகசாந்தி): a peace rite with water, often on the evening before.
• Nandi (ನಾಂದಿ), short for nandi shraddha: the family's ancestors are honoured before an auspicious rite.
• Kumara bhojana (ಕುಮಾರ ಭೋಜನ) or matru bhojana: the boy's last meal as a child, fed by his mother, often with a few boys who already wear the thread.
• Brahmopadesham (ಬ್ರಹ್ಮೋಪದೇಶ, గాయత్రి బ్రహ్మోపదేశం, பிரம்மோபதேசம்): his father and the purohit give him the Gayatri mantra, the heart of the day; Kannada cards, and some Telugu ones, name the rite by it.
• Bhiksha (ಭಿಕ್ಷೆ, భిక్ష, பிக்ஷை, भिक्षा): the boy asks his mother, then the relatives, for alms ("bhavati bhiksham dehi"); relatives who want to give need its time.
• The meal: ಭೋಜನ, విందు, மதிய விருந்து, प्रीतिभोज, or "Lunch to follow".

Other lines: gotra, a late grandparent, gifts

• The gotra. Cards usually leave it off, since it is said in the sankalpa, and from this day the boy says it himself in the abhivadana, the formal greeting to elders. To print it, add a line under his name, as card 3 does: Bharadwaja gotra, ಭಾರದ್ವಾಜ ಗೋತ್ರ, భారద్వాజ గోత్రం, பாரத்வாஜ கோத்திரம், गोत्र: भारद्वाज. What a gotra is explains how to find yours.
• A grandparent who has passed away: Late in English, కీ.శే. in Telugu, தெய்வத்திரு in Tamil, स्व. in Hindi. Kannada cards write ದಿ॥, short for ದಿವಂಗತ ("departed"), which some cards spell out; the maker writes ದಿ॥.
• No gifts: "Presents in the form of Blessings only." in English, ತಮ್ಮ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತಿಯೇ ಉಡುಗೊರೆ. ("your presence is the gift") in Kannada, आपका आशीर्वाद ही सर्वश्रेष्ठ उपहार है। ("your blessing is the best gift") in Hindi.

Thread ceremony invitation messages for WhatsApp

Send the card as an image with a short message, and the location as a message of its own; in Kannada, Telugu or Tamil, the card's own request line can go under the image.

10. From the parents, with the card

11. From the grandparents

12. Save the date

13. A reminder the day before

Making the card

Our upanayanam invitation maker writes cards 1 to 9: choose the language and who invites, type the names and the muhurat date, time and town, and it writes the date line in that language's form. You can add the bhiksha time, the gotra and the programme, and on English, Telugu and Tamil cards the boy's photo. You get a WhatsApp image, a 5 x 7 inch print file and the wording as text for a press.

Our upanayanam guide explains the age and the season. When the date is fixed, you can request a purohit for the upanayanam.