As the Tihar festival approaches, ordinary residents in Mahottari have found a new source of income—selling flowers grown in their own home gardens. Local traders searching for marigold (sayapatri) and globe amaranth (makhamali) flowers have started offering advance payments, delighting the locals. What were once planted to beautify home courtyards are now becoming a means of earning money, especially for homemakers.
“There might be about 50 marigold plants around my house. A trader came and gave me Rs 1,000 in advance,” said Haripriya Mahato, a homemaker from Bhanga-5, Rajpur. “If we plant flowers to bloom during Tihar, it seems we can earn a decent income.”
According to her, traders have offered up to Rs 1,000 more for the coming harvest. “I never thought flowers could make money, but now traders are coming right to our doorsteps with cash,” said her neighbor Ramwati Chaudhary, adding, “My purse is fuller now because of these flowers.”
From about 60–65 marigold plants and 15–16 globe amaranth plants in her garden, Chaudhary earned Rs 2,000. She now plans to grow 200 flower plants for next year’s Tihar festival.
In the Mithila region, Tihar (known locally as Deepawali) is celebrated with garlands made of various flowers and dazzling lights. The festival includes Kag Puja, Laxmi Puja, Govardhan Puja, and Bhai Tika, all of which create high demand for floral garlands. As traders go door-to-door in villages ahead of the festival, offering higher prices than expected, locals are thrilled to earn easy cash.
Although large-scale flower farming has not yet expanded in the district, agricultural experts see strong potential. Aviral Mahato, Information Officer at the Mahottari Agriculture Knowledge Center, said, “If commercial flower cultivation is started with a focus on festivals like Deepawali and Chhath, as well as year-round religious and ceremonial events, it could open a reliable new source of income for the district.”
