As per the mythology a loan of one crore and 11.4 million gold coins was sought by Balaji from Kubera for his marriage with Padmavathi. To pay back the loan devotees from all over India visit the temple and donate money. The temple receives as much as Rs 22.5 million in a day as donation! Gold is offered as a token of love for the god. In April 2010 3000 kg of gold was deposited with SBI bank by the temple. Around 50000 to 100000 devotees visit the temple daily and during festivals or special days the number of devotees increases up to 500000. The temple is the most visited religious place. One of the important rituals followed by the devotees and another income-generating activity is hair tonsuring. Many pilgrims have their heads shaved which is known asMokku' at the temple as an offering to the god. According to a story a shepherd hit Balaji on his head and a small part of Balaji's head became bald. A Gandharva princess Neela Devi noticed this and thought that an attractive face like his should not have any flaw. So she cut a portion of her hair and implanted it on Balaji's head with her magical power. He was touched by her sacrifice and promised her that all his devotees will offer their hair at his abode and she will receive the hair. Over a ton of hair is collected daily and the temple organization sells this hair to international buyers a few times a year through public auction. The hair is used in cosmetics and as hair extensions.