Bengaluru: Flower prices soar on Varamahalakshmi eve

Bengaluru: The second festival of the season, Varamahalakshmi vruta, will be celebrated across the city on Friday. Special pujas, celebrations are being organised in all the city temples.

The festival is associated with Goddess Lakshmi and this vruta is performed seeking blessings of the goddess with regard to prosperity and well-being of the family.  According to mythology, praying Goddess Lakshmi on this day is equivalent to worshiping Ashtalakshmi, which includes the goddess of wealth, earth, learning, love, fame, peace, pleasure and strength.

On Thursday city markets witnessed heavy demand for flowers, banana trees and plantain leaves, which are all an integral part of the prayers and celebrations.

The red Kanakambara flower was the most sought-after flower and were selling Rs 1,500 per kilo. On other days, a kilo of Kanakambara flowers would cost just Rs 300 to Rs 400. “Even a small piece of Kanakambara flower mala was costing Rs 25 ,” said Sunandamma, a resident of Malleswaram.

Plantain leaves, which are available for Rs 5 on other days, was going for as much as Rs 12 to Rs 15. A pair of lotuses was being sold for Rs 60 to Rs 70.
Jasmine cost Rs 850 to Rs 900 per kilo, which was around Rs 400 till Wednesday. Sevanthige (Rs 600), Kakada jasmine variety (Rs 600) were the other major flower varieties which were in high demand.

Rates of various fruits, including banana and apple, also saw a steep increase.
According to the vendors, it is not surprising to see a sudden spurt in the rates due to the increased demand.

“There was not much increase in the extent of supply of flowers or fruits. But due to the demand in the city, even the farmers were not ready to sell for an average rate,” said Mani Kumaran, a flower vendor from Wilson Garden.