Prices of puja items skyrocket

Vizianagaram: Price of puja items like betel leaves, fruits, flowers sky rocketed in market as the women are going to perform Varalakshmi vratham on Friday. Women perform special puja to Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi, on the first Friday in the month of Sravana. As part of it, the markets witnessed huge rush on Thursday and the prices of puja items and other articles touched roof.

A coconut is being sold at Rs 30, which in normal days sold at Rs 15. Even the flowers like marigold and others are sold at higher price.

The traders are selling four flowers at Rs 10 and even the bananas are sold at Rs 60 per dozen. Apples, pomegranate are being sold at Rs 100 per kilogram.

Apart from these, the gold and cloth shops are doing good business. Consumers are rushing to shops to purchase ornaments and gold coins to offer them to Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi on the auspicious day of Sravana sukravaram.

They are purchasing gold or silver articles as per their financial status and offering them to Goddess seeking divine blessings. P Vijaya, a resident of Natraj colony, said “The price of puja items become costly than normal days. I don’t think that each flower costs Rs 4. Anyhow, I have to purchase them to offer to Goddess. It is a sentiment to perform small puja at my home and invite neighbours and offer fruits.”

Indupuru Gunneswara Rao, owner of jewellery shop at Parvathipuram, said: “The celebration of Varalakshmi vratham became common nowadays even in villages.

So everybody is purchasing some items from the market and offering to Goddess. Only some families used to follow the customs in olden days but nowadays it has become common for even middle and lower middleclass families too. Anyhow, it became a boon to the traders like us. We are selling good number of gold coins and ornaments this month.”