As thousands of devotees across Odisha make a beeline to temples on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, the demand for Ketaki, or screw pine flower, has soared.

As on Wednesday, the thorny flower was selling between Rs 600 and Rs 1,000 near Shri Loknath Temple in Puri and for Rs 600 to Rs 800 near Shree Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar.