Tulabharam is an act of giving one’s weight’s equivalent in gold, fruit, sugar, rice or other grains, to the almighty. It is a famous ritual that was followed in many temples and also in Mutts like Mantralayam Raghavendra Swamy Mutt, and this system was in practice since the previous Dwapara Yuga. Tulabharam is done in the temples like Tirupathi, Guruvayoor, Dwarka and Udupi etc. Tulabharam is an act of showing our gratitude to the Lord, and it would be usually done after our wishes are fulfilled by the god.
Once, when Ma Satyabama wanted to attract Lord Krishna through her richness, had kept all of her jewels and ask the Lord to sit on the other side of the weighing machine. But though Satyabama had kept her entire jewellery, it didn’t match Krishna’s weight. But Ma Rukmini took a Tulsi leaf and put it on the weighting pan. Then it was the perfect equivalent.
As per Mahabharata, once Lord Indra took the form of an eagle and Lord Agni Dev took the form of a small dove and stood before King Sibi. When King Sibi tried to save the Dove from the eagle, the eagle asked him to offer his flesh in order to release the dove. Though the king had given his flesh, but it didn’t weigh to the equivalent of the dove. Hence, when the king finally offered his entire body, and sat in the weighting machine, it was correctly balanced, and Indra and Agni appeared in their original forms and blessed him, and granted boons to him.
Once there was a Shiva devotee, with the name Amaraneethi, and he lived in Tirunelloor. One day, Lord Shiva appeared before him in the form of a saint, and gave him a loin cloth, and asked him to keep safely, until he takes bath in the river. The Nayanmar agreed. But, when the saint returned after finishing his bath, the loin cloth was not found anywhere. Hence when Amaraneethi Nayanmar, decides to offer gold equivalent to his weight, and sat on the weighing scale, Lord Shiva appeared in his true form and blessed the Nayanmar for his selfless devotion on him.