A flower seller near the Kalighat temple threads a lotus garland
Lotus, a bulkier flower, is sold for Rs 2-Rs 3 apiece, while a packet of 100 hibiscuses costs around Rs 50.
Some are asking for dalas of mostly lotuses,” said Sanjay Dutta, a dala seller at the temple. Anuradha Banerjee, who visited the Kankalitala temple in Birbhum recently, said she was surprised to see worshippers carrying stacks of lotuses instead of hibiscus garlands, which is a common sight at the shrine. “We are advising devotees to offer lotus because gods and goddesses like it,” said Bapi Banerjee, a priest.
Among the temples where the change is visible is the one in Dakshineswar. “With higher production, lotus prices have fallen. Demand has increased, prompting us to make lotus a permanent part of our offering. It gives the dala (the offering) a voluminous look. In Bishnupur, priests are recommending lotus to devotees.
Known till 2025 as former Trinamool MLA Sabyasachi Dutta’s puja, it will be inaugurated this year by CM Suvendu Adhikari and state panchayat minister Dilip Ghosh .
Asim Mukhopadhyay, a priest at a Kali temple in Tarakeswar, said the practice of worshipping Kali with red hibiscus started during the time of Ramprasad Sen, the 18th-century Shakta poet and devotee. “Later, many pandits advised the use of lotus,” he said. Samarendranath Khara, former joint director of horticulture in Bengal, said the state is the highest producer of lotus in the country. We will stick to all rituals here,” said Raja Chakraborty, an organiser of the Salt Lake BF block Kali Puja.
The changing preference, however, has triggered a debate among priests over whether the shift is purely religious or has a political overtone. Many priests linked the growing emphasis on the flower to a willingness to align with Bengal’s new governing party. The economic significance of Bengal’s lotus trade extends beyond the state’s temples. With many pujas now being controlled by BJP functionaries, lotus is set to be a vital offering at a number of community Kali pujas. “Lotus has always been an important item in any sanatani puja.