With just four days left for the Kadlekai Parishe, Bangalore’s date with groundnuts, Bull Temple Road has already become a hotspot for groundnut vendors from neighbouring districts and states.
Heaps of fresh, cooked and roasted groundnuts are dotting the pavements around the temple.
Groundnut vendors said that they arrive two weeks earlier just to find the right place to display and sell their produce.
Those selling groundnuts at places closer to the Bull Temple make nearly 10 times more profit than those located 50 yards away, said Nagaraj, who has come from Malur.
“There is a huge competition to occupy the spots right outside the temple entrance and the platform across because people tend to stop and purchase groundnuts right there,” he observed.
For B Ponnusami, the fair which starts from December 10 will be thirtieth in a row. With groundnuts shipped in from Magadi, Mandya, Kolar as well as Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu, he expects to make a minimum of `10,000 over the two-day fiesta.
“We come with over 150 sacks of groundnuts. Each sack weighs 40 to 50 kg and we sell it at `25 per kg. At the end of two days we are not left with a single pod,” Ponnusami said.
Ganesh from Attibele said, “We are coming here from 15 years and the only way to get profits is by sitting close to the temple. We don’t mind coming three weeks early for this reason.”
Kadlekai Parishe is one of the oldest annual events in the city.