Anant Ambani Shaves His Head In At Tirupati Temple: What Is This 100-Year-Old Ritual?
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The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, aka the Tirumala temple, is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara and is nestled in the Seshachalam Hills.
Anant Ambani at the Tirupati Temple
Anant Ambani recently visited the famous Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. To show his devotion, the entrepreneur shaved off his hair following a ritual that is a centuries-old practice.
The Reliance Industries executive director visited the Tirupati Temple alongside his family, where he was dressed in simple all-white traditional attire, a dhoti and was wrapped in a white shawl featuring a golden zari border. There, he made the decision to donate his hair as part of the temple’s long-standing tonsuring (mundan) tradition.
According to reports, he participated in the early morning Suprabhata Seva and had darshan of the deity before undergoing the traditional tonsure ritual. This practice has been observed by millions of devotees who visit the temple annually.
Videos and photographs from the temple also showed Anant Ambani spending some time with the temple’s sacred elephant. He is known for his love and affection towards animals, having spearheaded Vantara (Star of the Forest), a 3,500-acre animal rescue, care, and rehabilitation initiative by the Reliance Foundation.
After the ritual, according to report, vedic scholars from the temple blessed him with Veda Ashirvachanam at the Ranganayakula Mandapam within the temple complex. Temple authorities also presented him with Srivari Theertha Prasadam and honoured him with a ceremonial silk shawl.
Where does this ritual stem from?
The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara (Balaji, who is a form of Vishnu. This ancient shrine is nestled in the Seshachalam Hills at an elevation of 853 meters. It is a very common sight to see men, women and children at the temple offering their hair as a sign of their devotion. Pilgrims voluntarily offer their hair as an act of humility and devotion, believing it signifies complete faith in the deity.
But why do devotees offer their hair at Tirumala Temple?
According to the temple legends, there is a beautiful and emotional story that explains the origin of this custom. It is said that during a battle, Lord Venkateswara lost a portion of His hair. To heal Him, Goddess Lakshmi and the Gandharva princess Neela Devi offered a lock of their hair as a gift of compassion. Moved by their gesture, Lord Balaji blessed Neela Devi, declaring that devotees would offer their hair at Tirumala in remembrance of her devotion—and that their offerings would bring them immense merit. Thus began the tradition of “mokku”, a vow fulfilled through tonsure.
Taking it a step further, it is believed that hair is the most visible aspect of a person’s identity, and it is said to represent ego, attachment, vanity and even a person’s past karma. So, by your hair at the feet of the deity, the devotee is said to be symbolically discarding things like their emotional burdens, desires, attachments and negative past tendencies.
About the Author
Abigail Banerji is a Senior Sub Editor with News18’s English desk. She brings 6 years of experience across both print and digital newsrooms, spanning editorial planning, reportage, copy editing, conte…Read More
