MUMBAI (Reuters) - India gold buying eased on Thursday after picking up in the previous sessions, as most traders turned their backs on the market, waiting for prices to fall further, dealers said. "There were a few deals, but volumes-wise they weren't sizeable," said Pinakin Vyas, chief manager-treasury with IndusInd Bank in Mumbai. The most-traded October contract was 0.23 percent lower at 15,801 rupees at 2:46 p.m. Prices are still down 1 percent from a seven-month high of 16,009 struck last week. International spot gold traded at $1,010.60/1,011.45 an ounce as against $1,007.05/1,009.05 on Wednesday. Dealers said they are hopeful of a pick-up in demand as traders look to stock up for upcoming festivals, after a decline in sales in the earlier part of the year. "There is appetite but traders are not getting the right levels to enter," said another dealer with a state-run bank in Mumbai. "I have plenty of orders below $995 (an ounce)," said IndusInd's Vyas. India, the world's largest consumer of the yellow metal, is in the midst of the festival season, with Dussera on Monday and Diwali and Dhanteras next month, which is expected to revive sagging gold sales. The World Gold Council's January to June figures show India's gold imports fell 55 percent to 126.7 tonnes from 282.3 tonnes a year earlier.

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