Hyderabad’s Ganesh Chaturthi shopping rush has crowded major markets and slowed traffic across key city routes, with residents buying idols, flowers, fruits and decorative items ahead of the festival. Heavy pedestrian movement and the movement of vehicles carrying idols have affected areas including Erragadda, Mehdipatnam, KPHB and Kothapet.
The major Rythu Bazars in these areas witnessed heavy crowds from the early hours of Sunday. Ganesh idols of different sizes, ranging from 9 inches to 10 feet, were displayed for buyers, while hundreds of vendors set up stalls along major roads, colony lanes, market areas and open spaces.
Several vendors used pushcarts and occupied pavements and bus stops to sell idols and other festival supplies. The concentration of temporary stalls and shoppers added to pedestrian movement around the markets, while trucks, lorries and small goods vehicles transported idols through the city.
Markets in Begum Bazaar, Abids, Ameerpet, Kukatpally, Miyapur and Secunderabad also reported large crowds. Stationery shops and street vendors saw increased demand for decorative items used for pandals, while flower and fruit markets experienced a surge in customers preparing for the festival.
Vendors stocked 21 traditional varieties of biodegradable leaves and materials, commonly known as Pathra, for festival rituals. The range of supplies being sold included flowers, fruits, decorative materials and idols, reflecting the spread of festival shopping across formal markets, roadside stalls and neighbourhood lanes.
Consumers told Telangana Today that flower and fruit prices had risen sharply, reaching nearly double their usual levels. The increase was reported as demand rose ahead of the festival, while customers continued to visit markets despite the congestion.
Traffic slowed to a crawl on several main roads as shoppers, pedestrians and goods vehicles converged around commercial areas. The congestion was linked to the combination of heavy market footfall and vehicles transporting Ganesh idols to different parts of Hyderabad.
The latest rush places the city’s market streets, pavements, bus stops and connecting roads at the centre of the festival’s immediate logistical demand. Markets and vendors are expected to remain busy as residents complete purchases of idols and ritual supplies before Ganesh Chaturthi.
