Pitrapaksh Mela boosts economy of Gaya through diverse businesses

Gaya: Spirituality apart, the fortnight-long Pitripaksh Mela gives a boost to the local economy at Gaya. Besides the Gayawal Pandas, the beneficiaries of economic gains from the event include hoteliers, transporters, fruit and vegetable sellers, those engaged in the flower business, professional photographers, barbers, and even autorickshaw drivers.According to Kaushalendra Pratap, former chief of the Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce, the economy remains one of the less focused aspects of the event.The 2,000-plus strong Gayawal pandas mostly live on the offerings made by the pilgrims during the two-week period. Besides offerings for obtaining ‘suphal’ (certification of the successful conduct of the rituals), pandas also provide accommodation to many pilgrims in premises owned by them in the Andar Gaya locality of the town. For that, they are required to obtain a licence from the Lodging House Committee. This time, 527 pandas have been given licences to host pilgrims in their premises.The profile of the beneficiaries of the event has also undergone a change, said Brajnandan Pathak, the organiser of the Falgu Maha Aarti programme. Earlier, barbers benefitted greatly from the event as almost all the male pilgrims used to get a head shave.Now, a sizeable number of pilgrims skip the head shave and instead engage professional photographers for recording the ritual performance. According to Rupak, an amateur photographer, besides local professionals, hundreds of photographers from other places like Patna and Kolkata make good money during the event.Hoteliers of Gaya as well as Bodh Gaya benefit during the period, and most of them charge above normal tariffs to provide accommodation to the pilgrims. As many as 132 hotels and guest houses have been identified for providing accommodation to the pilgrims.The pandas, enjoying monopoly over ritual performance, besides cash offerings, receive utensils, clothes, and in some cases, jewellery as gifts. Utensil shops located in the Vishnupad temple locality do thriving business during the period.Quite a sizeable number of pilgrims also buy mementos like footprint images of Lord Vishnu, replicas of the Vishnupad temple, and images of the deities. In a sense, it has a multiplier effect on the economy, said the business body’s former chief.Agreeing that the offerings made by the pilgrims remain the main source of livelihood for the 2,000-plus community of pandas belonging to 14 different clans, another senior panda observed that the level of spirituality of the pilgrims has gone down compared to the past.Even affluent pilgrims make smaller offerings compared to the past, but this loss is effectively compensated by the increase in the number of pilgrims, said a well-known Gayawal panda preferring anonymity.Quantification of the number of pilgrims as well as value addition to the Gaya economy during Pitrapaksh was not possible, and official estimates in this regard are significantly exaggerated, said Anup Kedia, who is known for his statistical expertise.