Ketaki price shoots up on Shivratri

BERHAMPUR: The price of ketaki (screw pine or umbrella tree) skyrocketed on Shivratri day as people thronged markets to buy the flower that is traditionally offered to Lord Shiva on his big day.
One flower was selling between Rs 300 and Rs 500 depending on its quality in the Berhampur market on Thursday, Maha Shivratri. Ketaki is a variety of kewra.
While the kewra grows abundantly in at least six coastal blocks of Ganjam district, ketaki is sighted very rarely in the area, said Sushant Kumar Nayak, a kewra grower in Golantara near here.
Products such as kewra oil and essence are produced from the kewra flower after processing, but ketaki cannot be processed to produce these products, said another kewra grower.
Most of the kewra-growing areas were damaged badly in cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods in October last year. Cultivation of ketaki suffered as well.
"Since ketaki was not available in nearby areas, we procured them from neighboring Andhra Pradesh," said a of a flower seller here. The price of the flower was naturally higher than the previous year because of the high demand for it and the low supply, he added.
This is the only day in the year when this flower is offered to Lord Shiv. Devotees believe that their wishes will be fulfilled if they offer ketaki to Lord Shiv on Shivratri.
"I have offered this flower to Lord Shiv on the occasion of Maha Shivratri for the past several years. This year I could not do so because of the high price of the flower which is also not of very good quality," said Sanjukta Panigrahi, a devotee.