Indian hair for the Gods ends up on heads abroad

The donation of hair at Hindu temples across India is considered an act of devotion by millions, symbolising a ritualistic purification and a repayment of the debt to the gods. This sacrifice on the part of the devotee also translates into big bucks for the Indian and international fashion and wig making industries.

An Indian Hindu devotee gets her head shaved at the Thiruthani Murugan Temple in Thiruthani, Tamil Nadu. One legend has it that the Hindu preserver god Vishnu took out a loan for his wedding and found the sum so large that his devotees have been aiding the repayment of that debt with the only offering they have - -the hair from their heads.

An Indian worker sorts and arranges human hair according to its length and texture at Raj Hair International's processing centre in Alinjivakkam, on the outskirts of Chennai. India has long been the world's biggest exporter of human hair -- in money terms -- and businesses say the country earns several hundred million dollars a year from its high quality locks.

Workers at one of the hair processing plants sort and segregate hair on the basis of quality and cut. Indian hair is considered more valuable in foreign markets due to its higher quality and a lack of chemical dyes and processing done by the wearer.

George B. Cherian, managing director of Raj Hair International, explains different hair products at the company's display centre in Chennai. While hair products manufactured from temple hair is often sold internationally, a part of the finished product also makes its way back into India, ironically branded as imported wig and extensions sourced and produced ‘ethically’.