Priest keeps away from barbers for over 60 years

The 84-year-old, Guru Swamy Rajaram, vows to continue his resolve till his last breath

March 25, 2014 11:47 pm | Updated May 19, 2016 11:24 am IST - NALGONDA:

Nalgonda (Andhra Pradesh) 25/03/2014 Hair-1,2
Tribal priest Rajaram Guru Swamy showing his long hair at a Temple near Chandoor  in Nalgonda district on Tuesday.  
Photo:Singam venkataramana


Nalgonda (Andhra Pradesh) 25/03/2014 Hair-1,2
 Tribal priest Rajaram Guru Swamy showing his long hair at a Temple near Chandoor in Nalgonda district on Tuesday. 
 Photo:Singam venkataramana
 

In what could be an apt entry for the Guinness Book an 84-year-old tribal priest has not cut his hair for over 60 years now and his tresses have grown to eight feet!

A resident of Chamalapalli village in Nampally mandal in Nalgonda district, the tribal priest, Rajaram Guru Swamy, last visited a barber in the early 1950s.

He never applies oil to his hair and takes no special care but he is still healthy like other youngsters and always sports a turban.

Vows to never cut his hair

He was seen showing off his hair to visiting pilgrims at the Tummalapalli Jatara in Chandur mandal recently.

Speaking to The Hindu , the tribal priest said that he enjoys visiting temples, jataras, dargahs to get a feel of a multi-cultural experience.

Being confident of living more than 100 years, Guru Swamy said that he would never cut his hair until his last breath.

Much to the surprise of everyone, he climbed a hillock without anyone’s support, while many people even half his age, who visited the Ramalingeswara Swamy temple at Tummalapalli, found it difficult to climb the hillock due to obesity and other problems.

A do-gooder

Born in 1930, Guru Swamy at the age of 20 years began believing that he had some sort of a divine mission. He built a small Ramalayam in the village in his two acres of land after he stopped cutting his hair and started performing pujas in the temple.

The priest claimed that he never fell sick in his lifetime and prefers to have jowar roti since childhood.

He celebrates Ekadasi festival in a grand way at his temple by inviting thousands of people every year. Additionally, he turns a doctor whenever a villager falls sick and prescribes herbal medicine to them and also transforms himself into an astrologer whenever any villager seeks advice from him.

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