Indian sacrifices keep the world supplied with human hair

Strong religious belief and spirituality,
coupled with sky-rocketing demand from western
women, have made India the world leader in the hair
extension trade.
The country has long been the world's biggest exporter of
human hair, and companies involved in the sector
estimate that the business is worth up to 8.5 billion
rupees (Dh735 million) a year.
Hair is offered as a sacrifice to the hundreds of
thousands of gods in the Hindu pantheon for reasons as
diverse as seeking to ward off ill-health to wanting to
bring luck and fortune.
Human hair is a lucrative business in India. Companies
export long hair to the West where it is used for wigs and
hair extensions, whilst the shorter hair is mainly sold to
Chinese firms who extract amino acids from it.
For large temples, where it is considered auspicious for
pilgrims to have their heads shaved, the clippings are a
major source of income.
At the Venkateshwara Temple in south India more than 75
tonnes of hair are sold annually, raising nearly £4 million
for the temple's charities. Crispin Thorold reports for The
World Today .
Devotees
The Venkateshwara Temple, at Tirumala in the south
Indian State of Andhra Pradesh, is thought to attract more
pilgrims than Jerusalem, Rome or Mecca.
Over 18 million devotees visit every year to pay their
respects to an incarnation of Vishnu; the God that Hindus
believe protects and sustains all that is good in society.
The temple is India's richest; something that P
Krishnaiah, the executive officer of the temple's managing
committee, attributes to extraordinary faith:
‘People believe that this Lord represents Lord Vishnu.
Normally people feel that Gods cannot be seen. But
people believe here is a God that is seen. That is how
people are willing to donate large sums of money,
because they have that faith.’
Some estimates put Tirumala's annual income at a billion
rupees, which is a staggering £15 million ($23 million).
Most of this comes from direct donations, but a significant
proportion is raised by the sale of human hair as even the
very humblest visitor can offer as much as his wealthier
neighbours.
‘The pilgrims come to Tirumala and donate their hair. The
reason they do this is when a head is shaved the person
loses their beauty.'
'So the devotees who come here want to donate their
hair, because a Hindu feels giving hair to the Lord is
more important than giving money.'

Now the question is how many are sure of what the really use this hairs for before transporting it down to us? May God save us.