Sitting in a cave: An analysis of ritual seclusion at Menarche among Brahmans and Chhetris in Nepal

Gupha Basne (literally 'sitting in a cave') is a rite of passage among Brahmans and Chhetris of Nepal that marks the transition of a girl at menarche from a presexual to a sexual being. The author's study of these rites in the small Brahman-Chhetri settlement of Narikot revealed a feature of gupha basne rituals that appears curious at first sight: in these rites there is a clear ritual focus on the girl's consanguineal male relatives. First, it is from these males that the girl must maintain the utmost distance and seclusion. Thus is her menarch occurs while she is at her maita (parent's house) the gupha basne rituals are more elaborate and the duration and degree of her seclusion are greater than if she is married and settled in her ghar (husband's house).