Tirupati is in the news now especially after Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani made a visit and tonsured his head at the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.
Anant Ambani offered prayers at Tirupati, donated his hair as an act of devotion, and announced a ₹27.5-crore contribution of 25 electric buses for the temple.
His visit reflected deep faith, humility, and immense respect for India’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage… pic.twitter.com/zAnW0ySabr
— Viक़as (@VlKAS_PR0NAM0) June 28, 2026
This seems to have riled up some rabidly anti-Hindu characters on social media.
Among those posting irrelevant and ignorant comments is R.S. Nilakantan, better known by his online alias Puram.
Quoting the video, he wrote, “The purpose of shaving off one’s hair as an offering is to not have stylised features that attract attention on oneself. How does someone claim to be Hindu, not know that, and retain a stylised beard when offering hair at Tirupati of all places?”
He further claimed, “Also Tirupati is where the Hindu who knows least about Hinduism goes. It’s neither religiously important nor does it have great architecture. It’s the closest thing Hinduism has to the American version of Christianity: a personal God.”
He further went on to attack Ambani by saying, “It’s remarkable how illiterate almost all Hindus are on their own theological tenets. Or ritual practices. This guy grew up in a household that could afford books. Or a library. Surely at least one bored Sunday he would have flipped through S Radhakrishnan’s work?”
Why Puram’s Statements Do Not Hold
Puram’s assertions, however, overlook both the theological significance and historical standing of the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple.
His claim that Tirupati is “where the Hindu who knows least about Hinduism goes” is a sweeping generalisation unsupported by any evidence. Every year, the temple attracts millions of devotees from across India and the world, including Vedic scholars, acharyas, monks, spiritual leaders, philosophers, public figures and ordinary devotees. The current seer of the Kanchi Math in Kanchipuram, Pujyashri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, makes routine annual pilgrimages up the mountain. There is no basis to conclude that devotion at Tirumala reflects ignorance of Hinduism.
The assertion that Tirupati is “neither religiously important” is also contrary to centuries of documented Hindu tradition. The Tirumala temple is among the most sacred shrines in the Sri Vaishnava tradition and is revered as one of the 108 Divya Desams. Over the centuries, it has received patronage from Pallava, Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagara rulers, with philosophers such as Ramanujacharya playing an important role in shaping its rituals and traditions. Saints including Annamacharya composed thousands of devotional hymns dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, underscoring the temple’s enduring place in Hindu religious life.
Puram’s suggestion that Tirupati resembles “the American version of Christianity” because of its emphasis on a “personal God” also reflects a misunderstanding of Hindu philosophy. The worship of a personal deity (Saguna Brahman) has been a central feature of several Hindu traditions including Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism for well over two millennia. Bhakti, or personal devotion to God, is deeply rooted in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavata Purana, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the devotional literature of the Alvars and Nayanmars. It is therefore inaccurate to portray devotion to Lord Venkateswara as a modern or Westernised phenomenon.
His criticism of Anant Ambani for retaining his beard after tonsuring his head also overlooks the actual practice followed at Tirumala. The offering of hair (mokku or kesha samarpana) is an act of surrender and gratitude to Lord Venkateswara. Temple customs require the shaving of the head; they do not prescribe the shaving of facial hair. Thousands of male devotees undergo tonsure while retaining moustaches or beards, and there is no requirement in the temple’s established ritual practice that facial hair must also be removed.
Finally, the insinuation that someone who visits Tirupati or expresses devotion to Lord Venkateswara is theologically illiterate confuses scholarship with faith. Hinduism has always accommodated multiple paths – bhakti (devotion), jnana (knowledge), karma (action) and yoga, none of which is regarded as inherently superior to another. Visiting one of Hinduism’s holiest pilgrimage centres is not evidence of ignorance; for millions, it is an expression of faith rooted in a tradition that spans centuries.
Who Is Nilakantan RS (‘Puram’)?
Nilakantan RS is a polarizing figure whose rhetoric frequently targets Indian national symbols, communities, and leadership. His commentary includes:
Caste Hatred: In 2015, he called for violence against upper castes, tweeting, “If everyone picked up a gun and shot the nearest upper caste person, they’d be doing society a favor.”
Anti-National Sentiments: He has advocated for India’s military defeat by China to cure “ugly jingoism” and made derogatory remarks about the Indian Army.
Extreme Rhetoric: His posts have included calls for the assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the bombing of North Indians.
Misogyny: In a previous online avatar as ‘Nilu’, he was associated with deeply misogynistic and perverse blog posts.
Despite this record, Nilakantan has been courted by sections of the political and media establishment. He has written for outlets like The Wire and The Caravan, been hosted on podcasts by The News Minute’s Dhanya Rajendran, and was publicly endorsed by DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, who promoted his book South Vs North: India’s Great Divide.
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