 "D Gukesh shaves his head at Tirupati Balaji temple as he seeks divine blessings for 2025 season; watch video")
Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju visited the Tirupati Balaji temple in on Wednesday and tonsured his head as an offering for the Hindu deity Venkateswara, seeking divine blessings ahead of major chess events this year. Gukesh shared his thoughts on his visit to the temple, located in the Tirumala hills in Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh, as well as on the journey ahead in a video shared by Daily Culture on YouTube.
“I have to keep working hard. In 2025 there are a lot of important tournaments, so I’m focusing on that. I want to improve in all formats, and hopefully, with God’s grace, good things will happen,” 18-year-old Gukesh said in the video.
Tonsuring one’s head and donating hair is a ritual closely associated with devotees visiting the Tirupati Balaji. Pictures of Gukesh’s clean-shaven look have since gone viral on social media.
Gukesh, however, isn’t the first established sportsperson making such an offering. Former India captain MS Dhoni had shaved his head after leading India to victory in the 2011 ICC World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
‘Captain Cool’ had his head tonsured in his hotel room in the middle of the night, having made a pledge before a deity at a temple situated close to his home town of Ranchi before the tournament. His hair was subsequently donated to Tirupati Balaji, the same temple where Gukesh donated his hair on Wednesday.
After defeating Ding Liren to be crowned the youngest world champion in the sport’s history, Gukesh had finished runner-up at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Netherlands for a second year running, losing to compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breaks.
Also Read | D Gukesh: 'My parents don’t have to think about money anymore'
His most recent appearance was in the opening event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Weissenhaus, Germany, where he finished eighth out of 10 competitors while failing to collect a single victory.
His next appearance will be in the Paris leg of the Freestyle Tour in April, where he will be joined by Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi.
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