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| Price rise affects Gods, devotees |
| The UPA government is feeling the heat but everyone's feeling the pinch
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| INDIA
, 24-April-2008
8:50:5 AM |
| The UPA government is feeling the heat but everyone's feeling the pinch.
It is not just people like you and me feeling the pinch of inflation. Even the Gods have to make compromises. Rising prices are also making devotees and even temple priests cut back.
The shivling at a temple in Hyderabad is decorated with colourful paper, instead of the usual fresh flowers.
Goddess Durga has to wear a medium-size garland, minus the almost mandatory jasmine flowers. Priests said they buy jasmine and rose only on very auspicious days.
''We had Rath yatra for the Lord last week. Despite avoiding some very expensive flowers, decoration of chariot cost us Rs 18,000 this year against Rs 12,000 last year,'' said Ranganathan Chary, Priest.
A strand of jasmine, the size of an arm, which cost Rs four last summer, now, costs Rs 8 to 10.
Prices of rose and crossandra have doubled as well. A quarter kg of commonly used chrysanthemum is Rs 30.
''Most customers now buy flowers just once a week, that too one or two strands. Puja is completed with just that,'' said Rekha, flower vendor.
An oil lamp lit 24x7 is becoming history in many temples with the spiraling prices of oil. While some temples have shifted to a cheaper palm oil instead of sesame oil, some others save by putting off the lamp after regular prayers are offered.
The budget for the temple prasadam has been cut down as well and ghee-rich sweet Pongal is no longer the daily prasadam.
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