Every festival celebrated in Hindu tradition carries its own distinct beliefs, customs, and significance, with Chhath standing out as a premier festival of folk devotion. Celebrated with immense fervor and deep reverence across Jharkhand and Bihar, the festival brings families together in elaborate preparations. Markets in Medininagar have witnessed large crowds of devotees and their family members gathering from early morning hours to purchase essential ritual items, including bamboo soup, doura baskets, new garments, and various worship materials. Amidst this bustling marketplace activity, a significant surge has been observed in the demand for agrauta, the wooden mould essential for shaping the festival's most iconic sweet offering, the thekua.
The preparation of thekua is a central ritual during Chhath, where family members unite to craft the traditional prasad using wheat flour, jaggery, and clarified butter. To give this revered offering its characteristic shape and intricate traditional designs, special wooden moulds are employed, locally referred to as agrauta. These carved wooden tools allow makers to imprint various traditional patterns onto the thekua dough, making the utensil an indispensable household item during the autumn festival and driving up its market demand significantly as the dates draw closer.
In Medininagar, the bustling Lohapatti market has transformed into a vibrant hub adorned with shops offering traditional bamboo baskets alongside racks of agrauta moulds. Local merchant Raju Kumar Gupta shared insights into the seasonal trade, noting a remarkable acceleration in the sale of these wooden instruments. Customers visiting the stalls are presented with various designs priced between 30 rupees and 60 rupees, allowing buyers to select tools matching their precise aesthetic preferences and household requirements.
Elaborating on the daily commercial turnover, Gupta noted that market conditions this season are noticeably stronger compared to the previous year. Operating his stall daily from 6 AM onwards to accommodate early shoppers, he observed that while bamboo soup and doura baskets remain the highest in demand, agrauta sales are contributing steadily to the revenue. The daily business turnover has climbed to between 12,000 rupees and 15,000 rupees. The lively footfall and robust commercial activity across the marketplace have left local traders beaming with renewed enthusiasm and satisfaction.
