MUMBAI: India gold demand abated on Tuesday afternoon as prices recovered partly and the rupee turned weak after physical offtake saw a slight pick-up in the previous session ahead of a key gold-buying festival, dealers said. "The physical market is quiet today, but yesterday sales were good, I believe most jewellers have already bought their Akshaya Tritiya requirements," said a dealer with a state-run bank in Mumbai. International gold, which guides the domestic market, was trading $1,209.66/1,210.66 an ounce as against the previous close of $1,201.9/1,202.9 an ounce, recovering from an intra-day low of $1,183.85 struck in the previous session. "I have many orders below $1,200," said another dealer with a private bank. The Indian rupee weakened on Tuesday, a day after rebounding 1.4 percent, weighed down by the dollar's rise against the euro and a drop in domestic shares. A weaker rupee makes the dollar-quoted asset expensive. The Akshaya Tritiya festival is one of the two most auspicious days of the year to buy the yellow metal in the world's largest gold market, as Hindus believe they can get lasting prosperity by buying precious metals on the day.

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