SHRAVANABELAGOLA: It’s raining cash for residents of Shravanabelagola. A month-long stay in a two bedroom house may cost you a whopping Rs 2.5 lakh! The demand is such that for the next fortnight, a single room without a a bathroom, may cost you well over Rs 1,500 for a day.
The temple town in Hassan district witnesses veneration ceremony of giant monolith of Lord Bahubali once in 12 years. The event attracts lakhs of devotees and tourists from across the globe. As the Jain devotees from north India come here for a longer period, they look for houses on rent. Knowing the demand, the residents here are making a killing by calling exorbitant prices.
Rooms-on-rent boards can be found hanging on almost all the streets of Shravanabelagola. A house near Tyagi Nagar, a temporary staying arrangement made for Jain monks and nuns, has been occupied by a family of eight by paying Rs 2.5 lakh for the month. There are at least a dozen houses which have been rented out in Shravanabelagola which have cost the devotees over a lakh per month.
To accommodate tourists, many families in Shravanabelagola, have emptied rooms or built a temporary structures on their terrace. Some have vacated their house to give it on rent.
But there are many devotees who have rented houses for a much cheaper price. For instance, a rented room or a house in Channarayapatna, which is located 12 km from Shravanabelagola, will cost Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 this month.