Chapter 12: Hair, devotion and trade in India, written by Eiluned Edwards, from Hair: Styling, Culture and Fashion.
In this article, Eiluned Edwards explains how hair has various important roles in the beliefs that surround India and the religions within the country. There is a lot of history and myths that surround hair in India, with these concepts being manifested symbolically through stories and worship.
Hair in India plays an important role in presenting yourself. Men keep their hair very neat, representing their fertility, where as women tend to keep their hair very long, tying it back into either a plait or a bun. According to Indian mythology, it is said that if a woman wears her hair loose it shows that she is menstruating, though this also indicates her fertility. However, more recently women have begun to cut their hair and sell it on to be used with the high demand for hair extensions in the west. This started with the 'Trade in Hair at Tirumala', which is a popular ritual where people would go to get their heads shaved so that they can donate their hair to the Tirumala temple in India.
Hair has an important role within all religious devotional practices within India. Muslims mark their completion of the Haj with the removal of hair; men shave their heads completely whereas women cut an inch or so from the length of their hair. Sikhs, oppositely, practice not cutting their hair as a symbol of purity and devotion to their faith. And for Hindus the ritual of hair removal is seen as an act of purification, representing the abandonment of the ego, helping them to move towards achieving 'eternal bliss'. The ultimate ascetic for hair within Hinduism is Lord Shiva, as the River Ganges is believed to flow from his matted dreadlocks.
Hair, according to the Hindu belief, is polluted, just as all emissions of the body are, and if it is left uncontrolled it can contaminate the person and their soul. This is why Indians, Hindus especially, tend to shave their head when they are mourning, as it is believed that the hair can present a route for spirits to enter the body, therefore causing pollution to the.
Barbers in India are considered to be low in the caste system (social hierarchy) of India, as they are constantly in contact with people's polluted and impure hair, even though it is also a ritual duty. Barbers provide a useful grooming service in a ritual manner, making them ritual specialists like the Brahmans (priests). However, because they are constantly in contact with hair and not scared scripts, it is seen that they are then polluting themselves and pushing them all the way down the cast system and level with the Shudras (servants or untouchables).
I found it very interesting to learn about various practices within India, and especially Hinduism, in relation to hair. I knew that hair held important concepts within religious beliefs, however I never really knew the full extent behind them and their meanings. It was also interesting to learn that it is Indian women who are donating their hair for our use of extensions.
Hair in India plays an important role in presenting yourself. Men keep their hair very neat, representing their fertility, where as women tend to keep their hair very long, tying it back into either a plait or a bun. According to Indian mythology, it is said that if a woman wears her hair loose it shows that she is menstruating, though this also indicates her fertility. However, more recently women have begun to cut their hair and sell it on to be used with the high demand for hair extensions in the west. This started with the 'Trade in Hair at Tirumala', which is a popular ritual where people would go to get their heads shaved so that they can donate their hair to the Tirumala temple in India.
Hair has an important role within all religious devotional practices within India. Muslims mark their completion of the Haj with the removal of hair; men shave their heads completely whereas women cut an inch or so from the length of their hair. Sikhs, oppositely, practice not cutting their hair as a symbol of purity and devotion to their faith. And for Hindus the ritual of hair removal is seen as an act of purification, representing the abandonment of the ego, helping them to move towards achieving 'eternal bliss'. The ultimate ascetic for hair within Hinduism is Lord Shiva, as the River Ganges is believed to flow from his matted dreadlocks.
Hair, according to the Hindu belief, is polluted, just as all emissions of the body are, and if it is left uncontrolled it can contaminate the person and their soul. This is why Indians, Hindus especially, tend to shave their head when they are mourning, as it is believed that the hair can present a route for spirits to enter the body, therefore causing pollution to the.
Barbers in India are considered to be low in the caste system (social hierarchy) of India, as they are constantly in contact with people's polluted and impure hair, even though it is also a ritual duty. Barbers provide a useful grooming service in a ritual manner, making them ritual specialists like the Brahmans (priests). However, because they are constantly in contact with hair and not scared scripts, it is seen that they are then polluting themselves and pushing them all the way down the cast system and level with the Shudras (servants or untouchables).
I found it very interesting to learn about various practices within India, and especially Hinduism, in relation to hair. I knew that hair held important concepts within religious beliefs, however I never really knew the full extent behind them and their meanings. It was also interesting to learn that it is Indian women who are donating their hair for our use of extensions.
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| DICK VERTON, 2010. Shaving on the Ghats [digital image][viewed 2 October 2014]. Available from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68976178@N00/10648170433 |
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