Chandigarh witnessed a surge in demand for Shri Ram and Hanuman saffron flags as excitement build up for Ayodhya’s Pran Pratistha ceremony on January 22.
The fervour is palpable across India, with locals adorning their vehicles with these flags.
Shops around Chandigarh’s temples report a bustling crowd seeking to procure these symbolic emblems.
Lalta Kumar Pandey, a flag seller, noted the extraordinary demand, even in the chilly weather.
“People have great demand for these flags and a lot of crowd is being seen for these flags even in the cold season,” Lalta Kumar Pandey, a flag seller, said.
“The price ranges from Rs500 to Rs200,” he added.
Meanwhile, with the much-anticipated ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Shri Ram Lalla on Monday, Ayodhya is set to make history.
The ‘Pran Pratistha’ of Ram Lalla is scheduled on Paush Shukla Kurma Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2080, which falls on Monday, January 22.
The ceremonial journey leading up to the Pran Pratishtha included a seven-day ritual that commenced on January 16, 2024, Tuesday, following the classical traditions.
Earlier, on Friday, January 19, the idol of Shri Ram Lalla, carved by renowned Mysuru sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Covered with a veil, the first photo of the idol was revealed during the placement ceremony in the sanctum sanctorum on Thursday.
Several purported images of the idol, with the eyes uncovered, went viral on social media platforms.
However, Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple, claimed the viral images were not of real idols.
“As per our beliefs, the eyes of the idol cannot be revealed before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ is completed. The images showing the eyes are not of the real idol. All procedures and rituals will be conducted as per our scriptures and beliefs. The eyes of Ram Lalla will not be revealed till the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ has been done,” the seer said. (ANI)
