The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2111 page)

sa

1. The sa
sk
ras are the rituals through which high-
caste
or twice-born Hindus mark their transitions through life (and death), and may thus be regarded as
rites
of passage. The sa
sk
ras differ in number, depending on how many of the lesser moments which are marked by ritual (e.g. a child's first outing) are included. However, a fairly standard list of sixteen rites includes

(i) 
Garbh
dh
na
, the securing of conception;
(ii) 
Pu
sav
na
, the securing of the birth of a male child;
(iii) 
S
mantonnayana
, parting the hair of the pregnant woman to secure her from evil spirits (this again has reference to the birth of a male child; in W. India it is known as
Dohada
, and men cannot be present);
(iv) 
J
takarma
, the securing and celebration of safe delivery;
(v) 
N
makara
a
, the giving of the name to the child on the twelfth day after birth;
(vi) 
Ni
kramana
, the making auspicious, by seeing the sun and going to a temple, of the child's first outing;
(vii) 
Annapr
ana
, the first feeding with solid food;
(viii) 
Cau
akara
a
, shaving of the head during the first or third year;
(ix) 
Kar
avedha