AYODHYA: A day ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, the streets and the skyline of Ayodhya have turned saffron with flags flying atop buildings, small and big, across the temple town. On the tastefully decorated Ram Path and Dharm Path here, devotees can be seen walking or going on horseback waving saffron flags. Sale of such flags bearing images of Lord Ram, the new temple and Lord Hanuman have also increased manifold lately.
Nearly all buildings and shops along Ram Path, near the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk, are decked up with flags of different sizes.
Even houses, dharamshalas, mutts, shops and hotels along the inner streets of the city bear large saffron flags on their rooftops.
The skyline of the temple town is now dominated by these flags, especially the ones bearing the image of Lord Ram and the Ayodhya temple.
The iconic Asharfi Bhawan, an old temple favourite among visiting devotees, bears flags on top of its ornate facade, and so does the building located around the street intersection named after this temple.
Raghubir Dharamshala, Ramay Palace Hotel, small and big office buildings, grocery stores, and even small single-storey tenements have all been imbued in this colour.
Thematic streetlights bearing designs depicting a 'mashal' or a bow and arrow add to the religious fervour of the city which has been revamped ahead of the 'pran pratishtha' on January 22.
Beerchand Manjhi, a former three-time councillor from a ward near Asharfi Bhawan, said flags are also being distributed to people while many have bought their own.
Manjhi, who bears allegiance to the ruling BJP, said, "About 5,000 people live in this ward, and we have distributed about 500 flags in the last few days."
"If a house or a building is bigger in size, we have given multiple flags to the residents there," he told PTI.
In the streets, people can be seen walking around with saffron flags and chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'.
Shailendra Gupta, who runs a shop set up originally by his grandfather along Ram Path, said the sale of flags has shot up big time.
"These saffron flags come in size 'zero' (smallest) to '10' (largest), and the demand for size 'three', bearing images of Lord Ram and the Ram temple, is the highest at my shop," he told PTI.
Next to him is an over 100-year-old bookshop selling Ramcharitmanas, Ramayana and other religious books.
"Earlier, saffron flags were not in such huge demand, and only some shops were selling them in limited numbers. But in the last few weeks, in view of the consecration ceremony, there has been a surge in its sale," said Ram Kishore Trivedi, whose family runs the store.
He lamented that people are buying more flags than "religious books" and clicking 'selfies'.
"Those coming to Ayodhya must endeavour to understand its ethos and culture deeply, visit its spiritual places and get the real feel of Ayodhya, whose urban fabric has now changed but the essence is the same," Trivedi said.
The 'Pran Pratishtha' at the Ram temple here will take place on January 22 and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.
The streets of Ayodhya are filled with strains of songs such as 'Ram Aayenge' and 'Awadh Mein Ram Aayen Hain'.
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