The legend comes from South Indian temple tradition and local oral lore connected with Tirumala Venkateswara Temple (Lord Balaji’s shrine). It explains why devotees still offer their hair (tonsure / mundan) to Lord Venkateswara today.
🌸 Who was Nellai Mangai?
A deeply devoted woman from the Tirunelveli (Nellai) region of Tamil Nadu
Known for absolute surrender (śaraṇāgati) to Lord Venkateswara
Lived a simple life — no wealth, no ornaments, only devotion
She desired to see the Lord at Tirumala but had nothing valuable to offer Him.
🙏 The Incident on the Hill
One day she climbed the sacred hills of Tirumala after a long and difficult journey.
When she finally reached the sanctum, she felt ashamed:
“Everyone offers gold, jewels, silk… What can I give my Lord?”
In despair and devotion, she chose the only thing she truly possessed — her beauty and pride: her hair.
So she shaved her head and offered the hair to Lord Venkateswara as a symbol of ego-sacrifice.
💫 The Divine Miracle
According to tradition:
Lord Venkateswara was deeply moved
He declared her offering the purest form of surrender
He blessed that from then on:
Whoever offers hair with devotion shall receive His grace and removal of ego and karmic burden
From that day, the ritual of tonsure became sacred at Tirumala.
✂️ Why Devotees Still Shave Their Head
Today millions of pilgrims perform mokku (vow tonsure) because hair represents:
Symbol
Meaning
Beauty
Attachment to body
Pride
Ego
Identity
Individual self
Hair Offering
Surrender to God
So the act means:
“I leave my ego at Your feet.”
🕊️ Spiritual Meaning
The story teaches:
God values devotion, not wealth
The smallest offering made with sincerity becomes divine
True bhakti = surrender of ego, not material donation
If you want, I can also tell the related story of why Lord Venkateswara himself has a small patch covered with camphor paste — that legend connects beautifully with this one.