Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): The sacred festival of Rakshabandhan brought vibrant celebrations to Neemuch markets on Friday, as sisters prepared for Saturday's festivities.
Tagore Marg, Naya Bazaar and Mithai Bazaar witnessed a surge of crowds eager to purchase rakhis throughout the day.
Over 60 temporary rakhi stalls lit up the Tagore Marg. The shops offered a diverse collections from Spiderman and cartoon themes to elegant Bhaiya-Bhabhi sets.
However, the star attractions were rakhis inspired by Ayodhya's Shri Ram Temple and Ram Lalla.
Stone-diamond designs, Rudraksh-Chandan varieties and Khatu Shyam Morpankh rakhis also drew considerable attention.
Shopkeeper Harsh Sahu said that this year he observed a remarkable shift toward indigenous products, with Chinese rakhis nearly disappearing from the market.
"Traditional rakhis, especially those inspired by Ram Lalla and Ayodhya temple, are being readily accepted by consumers," he said. Rakhi prices ranged from ₹5 to ₹500, ensuring affordability across all economic segments.
Sweet shops too experienced a good business with increased demand for kesar peda, chocolate barfi and special dry fruit packaging. Beauty parlors and mehndi artists also witnessed long queues of women preparing for the celebration.
Rakshabandhan's special astrological significance
According to astrologer Pandit Arun Sharma, this year's Rakshabandhan holds special astrological significance. Giving information, he said the Bhadra period begins at 2:12 pm on August 8 and ends at 1:52 pm on August 9. The most auspicious time for rakhi tying spans from 5:47 am to 1:24 pm on Saturday.
