From a temple
in Tirupati.
For more than two thousand years, devotees have arrived at the temple of Tirumala — a hill town in Andhra Pradesh — to fulfil a vow. They bring rice, they bring rupees, and the most devout bring their hair. Heads are shaved as a gesture of surrender; the hair becomes prasada, a divine return-gift, gathered by the temple.
The temple, in turn, sells the hair at twice-yearly auctions. The proceeds fund hospitals, schools, midday meals, and the upkeep of the temple itself. Tirumala is one of the wealthiest religious institutions in the world, and a meaningful share of that wealth is attributable to hair.
This is the river we step into.
Auction & Verification
We bid only on lots from our partner temples. Each lot is sealed and certified for purity.
A Two-Week Ritual
Hair is washed in fifteen baths of clay and soapnut. We never use harsh acids.
Auction & Verification
We bid only on lots from our partner temples. Each lot is sealed and certified for purity.
A Two-Week Ritual
Hair is washed in fifteen baths of clay and soapnut. We never use harsh acids.
Auction & Verification
We bid only on lots from our partner temples. Each lot is sealed and certified for purity.
Eight per cent, repaid.
For every rupee paid to acquire hair, we return eight paise to the temple’s community welfare fund.