Tonsure a part of the rite of "pabbajja" and also a part of becoming a monk (Skt. "Bhikshu") or nun (Skt. "Bhikshuni"). This involves shaving head and face. This tonsure is renewed as often as required to keep the head cleanly shaven. The purification process of the "metzora" (one afflicted with "tzaraath") involved the ritual shaving on the "metzorah's" entire body except for the afflicted locations. And as the term tonsure may be used as a broad description for such hair styling of devotees as a ritual symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem, Orthodox Jewish males do not
Tonsure their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem. Tonsure is still a traditional practice in Catholicism by specific religious orders (with papal permission). It is also commonly used in the Eastern Orthodox Church for newly baptized members and is frequently used for Buddhist novices and monks. It exists as a traditional practice in Islam after completion of the "Hajj" and is also practiced by a number of Hindu religious orders. Tonsure is usually the part of three rites of passages in the life of the individual in Hinduism. The first is called Chudakarana (IAST: Cūḍākaraṇa, Sanskrit: चूडाकरण; literally, "rite of tonsure"),