The grand anointing ceremony of the Gomateshwara statue atop Vindhyagiri has offered an opportunity for local residents to earn well in a short time.
Several residents of Shravanabelagola and nearby villages have offered their dwelling places on rent to the visitors. The money they earn in a month in this manner varies from ₹40,000 to ₹80,000, depending on the facilities they offer to the guests.
Kavya, a resident of Hosahalli, told The Hindu, that a team of 12 people from Bengaluru had taken their two-bedroom house for ₹50,000 a month. “We have let our house for a month. We, a family of three, have shifted to a room in the first floor, temporarily,” she said.
The team of engineers looking after CCTV cameras installed in the townships, chose this house to stay as it works out cheaper for them when compared to hiring rooms in a hotel or a lodge.
“Even if the charge is calculated at ₹500 per person in a hotel, the team has to spend a huge amount in a month. If they hire a house, it works out cheaper,” said Harish, a villager.
The owners normally take care of providing hot water to the guests. Houses with solar water heater facility charge more. Many devotees from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who spend weeks in Shravanabelagola during the mega event, book houses well in advance with the help of local contacts. “Only those with alternative arrangements for their stay can rent out their houses. Some people have got houses on their farms. They shift to their farmhouses, renting out their house in the town,” said Chandru, a resident of Shravanabelagola.
Less cooking
A majority of the visitors barely cook food as the Jain Mutt has made arrangements for food as part of the event. “They come home to sleep at night and leave the place in the morning to take part in religious programmes,” said Manu, a resident of Hosahalli.
The Jain devotees choose houses of people from their community to stay during the celebrations. However, those who come here as part of their job, are more free in choosing owners.
