Light showers and rising prices did not deter the people from thronging the market to bring home Gowri and Ganesha idols on the eve of the festival on Sunday. Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated across the country on September 2 (Monday).
People thronged Devaraja Market, Vani Vilas Market and Mandi Market in the city to purchase fruits, flowers and vegetables.
The shops selling puja items were crowded and vendors did brisk business.
With Gowri and Ganesha festival falling on the same day on Monday, women were thronging the fancy shops to buy bangles.
Gifting bangles along with ‘Bagina’ is a custom followed on Gowri festival day.
‘Mora’, a bamboo tray, is an integral part of the Gowri festival, which is used to offer ‘Bagina’ for women. There was a huge demand for the ‘Mora’, sold on the roadsides by the people belonging to Medar community. The farmers selling banana stem and mango leaves also did doing a roaring business.
The vantage points in the city were occupied by the Ganesha idol sellers. Idols of all sizes and prices that suit each individual were sold by the sellers.
Some of them were seen purchasing the Gowri-Ganesha idols well in advance on Sunday morning and taking them to their respective places.
Idols distributed
A few organisations also distributed eco-friendly Ganesha idols among the people.
The district administration has already warned against the use of idols painted with chemicals and has urged the people to buy only eco-friendly clay Ganesha idols. This has brought the desired results as the number of people demanding eco-friendly clay Ganesha idols are on the rise. However, the idols containing chemical paint were displayed at many places and were also sold.
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