Mysore/Mysuru: Ahead of Bakrid festival celebrated by Muslims across the country on Monday (June 17), the Millennium Circle in front of LIC Divisional Office, Bannimantap in the city, is chock-a-block, with the people thronging to buy sheep.

The traffic islands around the Circle have turned into a make-shift sheep fair, with the vendors including sheep-rearers, making a brisk business like every year.

The vendors from various parts of Mysuru district like Nanjangud, Bannur and T. Narasipur, Srirangapatna, Pandavapura, KRS and Maddur from Mandya district, Chamarajanagar and Holenarasipura in Hassan district are bringing the live-stock belonging to various breeds, only to make a fast buck.

Sheep belonging to the native breeds like Bandur, Bannur and Yalaga from Ameengad in Bagalkot district are much in demand, especially for those pairs together weighing 30 kg to 40 kg being sold in the range of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh.

Manjunath, a sheep vendor from Nanjangud said “We have been trading sheep at this Circle from the last one week. We pitch for Rs. 75,000 and about 40 sheep of Yalaga breed have been sold so far. Even during the previous year, we had sold 50 sheep. We also take part in the fairs organised at Bengaluru, Srirangapatna and other places.”

 According to Manoj of Kaggalipura “The business so far has been okay, as we had invested Rs. 10,000 on the lambs before rearing them. The Bandur Sheep is being sold at Rs. 45,000, while the rate varies from Rs. 65,000 to Rs. 70,000 for a pair of sheep.”

Another merchant Babu was disappointed to note that it has rather become an exhibition of sorts, with most of the visitors only enquiring about the price of sheep, rather than buying them.

The breed of Ram from Shravanabelagola are attractive and asking price is between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 16,000 per sheep, said Gopi from Chinakurali, who showered filial feelings towards Muslims, who have been preparing for Bakrid festival.

Mahesh, also a sheep trader from Mandya was feeling down over 8 Kenguri breed of sheep brought by him for the first time, remaining unsold yet. We have been pitching them for Rs. 27,000 to Rs. 28,000, but the buyers have been demanding for Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 21,000.

If that was all about sheep, the temporary fair has been severely inconveniencing the motorists. The area around has also turned into a temporary parking lot, with the buyers parking their vehicles in a haphazard manner, adding to the traffic woes.