Wooden sandals losing charm in Ayodhya

Ayodhya: Wooden sandals, popularly known as `khadau` are losing their charm due to deteriorating quality. Most of the Hindu monks as well as priests here are refusing to wear them.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ram Kumar Das, a priest, said the wooden sandals were famous among people because of their traditional appeal, but owing to their falling standards, people were not using them. "The business of wooden sandals is satisfactory but because of its poor quality, it is less used by Hindu monks and priests in Ayodhya," Das said. Another priest, Mahant Somnath, highlighted the significance of the wooden sandals. "Although the priests in Ayodhya do not wear these wooden sandals, the sale of these sandals is high in the city. Wherever there is ``yagna``,``anushthan`` and ``poojan`` large numbers of wooden sandals are being purchased," Somnath said. He added the wooden sandals are still being used because of cultural norms, which attract people to wear them, especially in cities like Patna, Ballia, Muzaffarnagar and Chitrakoot. The wooden sandals are made of mango logs and teak wood. ANI