Sale of saffron flags, religious books, models of Ram Mandir up in Bengaluru ahead of temple inauguration  

Ahead of the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Bengaluru is seeing increased sales of saffron flags, Ramayana books, and models of the Ram Mandir, besides elaborate arrangements for bhajans and rituals at some residential complexes on January 22.

Ahead of the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Bengaluru is seeing increased sales of saffron flags, Ramayana books, and models of the Ram Mandir, besides elaborate arrangements for bhajans and rituals at some residential complexes on January 22.

“There is a great demand for saffron flags which have writings like ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’ in the last few days. Many are also purchasing saffron shawls. Additionally, idols of Rama, Lakshmana, and Seeta are also sought after,” said a staff member from Bhakti Shringar store at Shantinagar. Similar patterns have also been observed in other areas of the city. “The ‘Jai Sri Ram’ flags are going off the shelves and so have books of Rama Raksha Stotra,” said the manager at Satish Stores in Gandhi Bazaar. 

Booksellers have also noticed that there is a sudden surge in demand for literature around Lord Rama with many bookstores also planning to help people with the distribution of such books in the neighbouring areas.  “Rama Raksha Stotra and Rama Kathe, which have around three variations, are in sudden demand in the last few days. We had hardly seen customers coming to buy those books earlier,” said a staff at Pooja Pustaka Bhandara on Avenue Road.

Apart from these articles, models of the Ayodhya temple are also being bought by many, even from online stores. “I checked at a few stores near my house and could not find a model of the temple. So, I placed an order online which will arrive just in time for the inauguration,” said Parimala R., a resident of Sahakarnagar.

While the akshathe distribution campaign has been taken up by many devotees in the city, in some apartment complexes, “Ayodhya kits” which contain items such as oil for the lamp, a photo of Lord Rama, and a brochure on Ayodhya’s history and developments are also being distributed. On January 22, several complexes have arranged events such as a special screening of the inauguration, continuous chanting of Rama Raksha Stotram, Hanuman Chalisa, devotional songs, and food drives.

This kind of zeal has left some uncomfortable. “There is immense peer pressure and many organisers are insisting that we attend such events. Some people may be against this politically. Some others may be religious, but may not like such celebrations. This kind of pressure is not good,” a resident of an apartment complex who did not wish to be named said.

Lokesh Talikatte of the Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association has requested the State government to take a stand on declaring a holiday for schools on January 22 as many parents have put forward the demand.