600 Barbers shave 20,000 heads a day in Indian temple

Each year, millions of pilgrims display their devotion for Sri Venkateswara, a deity in an Indian temple by donating their hairs to help him offset a debt.

The deity is believed to have taken a loan in order to fund his own wedding, incurring huge debts in the process. But interestingly devotees are happy to see that debt wiped out by offering their hairs.

The local temple, according to The Yale Globalist, receives donations from at least 20,000 devotees each day, leading to the employment of 600 barbers to get the job done. Thousands of pilgrims sit cross-legged on the floor with their heads bent forward, as the barbers work their scissors and razors at lightning speed.

The temple collects 500 tons of human hair each year, which they auction off to hair extension makers across the world. According to several experts, Indian hair is considered one of the most valuable in the world, owing to its naturally silky texture and also because it is unblemished by artificial hair products. This has placed the temple at the center of a very lucrative, high-paying market. Last year alone, they raked in a revenue of $3.6 million.

According to the scriptures, all Hindus are advised to shave their heads at least once during their lifetime. This is usually done shortly after birth, and staunch devotees continue to donate their hair multiple times during their lifetime. Tonsuring is viewed as a kind of sacrifice, and also a way of shedding the ego.

In fact, when devotees are informed of the amount of money their hair brings in, they’re actually happy about it. “For us, hair is not important – for us, God is important,” said one devotee. “We hope they make good use of the money,” said another.

For its part, the temple’s administration uses the funds raised from auctioning hair to maintain the temple and for charitable purposes. “For example, we financed children’s education by building schools, we distributed approximately 30,000 free meals every day for the poor and needy, and we have built hospitals to cure those who, otherwise, could never afford such expensive treatments,” a temple director explained.

They also have anti-corruption measures in place, to make sure that the money isn’t misused. An oversight committee ensures that funds from hair auctions make their way to the local communities.