With economists and market analysts watching the Federal Reserve and global geopolitical tensions to gauge gold’s future course, one man in Karnataka takes it to a greater power. In the well-known Chimnalli Durgamma Devi Jatra (fair) located at Hagaribommanahalli taluk, a devotee, K. Nagaraja Ulavatti petitioned the deity for gold once again for the simple person.
"Banana Petition"
Ulavatti chose to do the traditional offering at the Goddess’s chariot festival (Rathotsava) in what went viral on social media. He wrote a prayer on a banana: “Let the price of gold decrease; let the angered gold be appeased.” He threw the fruit at the moving chariot a process believed to direct the devotee’s most intimate wishes directly to the deity.
Performing this prayer, Ulavatti told onlookers he was not praying for personal wealth he was praying for millions of middle-class and poor families whose lives are growing increasingly disrupted because they cannot afford to buy gold for weddings or traditional celebrations.
Gold as a Growing Burden
This prayer has nothing to do with monetary stability; prices for gold are literally going up; prices soar during early 2026, led by global volatility and a weaker rupee. For many people living in rural India, gold isn’t just an investment; it’s also an obligation.
Societal Impact: The high price of yellow metal has resulted in delaying weddings and increasing the financial pressure on rural families with added debt burdens.
Desire of the Devotee: “I want the poor and the common people to be able to buy some kind of gold, with no debt,” Ulavatti said.
A Fair of Faith and Discussion
The Chimnalli Durgamma fair is a great festival with thousands of worshippers from the Vijayanagara and Ballari districts. Although most pray on behalf of health, rain or prosperity, Ulavatti’s “commodity-focused” prayer sparked a buzz and conversation among the gathering. His words were echoed in other pilgrims who said the “glitter” of gold had turned from happiness into anxiety.
When the chariot sailed past the streets of Chimnalli village, people began discussing the "Gold Prayer" in the town. As for whether the markets respond to divine intervention, that will be a question soon, but the move testifies to how global economic developments have impacted the daily fabric of the country and the religious expressions of rural India.
