It’s been a busy fortnight for the florists of Dhenkanal. The demand for flowers in the town peaked a day before the culmination of Laxmi puja celebrations despite a steep rise in prices. Lotus, offered to Goddess Laxmi, was available in abundance and also the most sought after flower in the last few days.
To cash in on the demand, florists had placed orders for the flowers with Kolkata dealers much in advance. All idols in 38 puja pandals were entirely decorated with lotus flowers as per the tradition and nearly 5,000 lotus flowers were used on Thursday.
Ganesh Bazaar puja committee advisor Raja Kishore Behera and Chairman Biswanath Behera said, “We have a tradition to pacify Goddess of Wealth on Thursdays with 108 lotus flowers and ‘Sodasha upachar’ puja. We spend thousands of rupees on immersion day ceremony with flowers like marigold, lotus, rose and other scented flowers used to welcome guests and others who monitor the procession.”
Besides Kolkata, florists also procure flowers from Bangalore and local gardeners for the 13-day Laxmi Puja. Florists Damodar Moaharana and Rushi Rana said a lotus flower costs between Rs 10 and Rs 20 during puja. The immersion scheduled for Saturday.