PM Modi Purchases Hemp Sandals for Priests of Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Pays ₹12,000 from personal account to women self-help groups in Himachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again purchased traditional hemp sandals, known locally as pulla, for the priests of the Kashi Vishwanath temple. These handmade sandals, crafted in the villages of Mandi and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, are considered pure as they are made from hemp, unlike other footwear that is not permitted inside the temple premises.

Modi had requested Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur to arrange for these sandals, especially for the priests to use during the winter months. The prime minister paid ₹12,000 from his personal bank account, with the amount transferred directly to the bank accounts of two women self-help groups that make the pulla.

This is not the first time Modi has placed such an order. In January 2022, he had procured similar sandals for the priests after first coming across them during his December 27, 2021 visit to Mandi, where they were displayed at a stall in the Paddal Maidan exhibition.

Neha Devi of Kandihar village in Mandi’s Chhatri tehsil said, “We were asked to prepare the pulla on the Prime Minister’s request, and the payment has been received.” Rameshu Devi of Sandocha village in Mandi added, “It is a matter of pride that the Prime Minister asked again for sandals made by us, after having purchased them earlier in 2022.”

Thakur confirmed that he had reached out to two self-help groups in Mandi that specialize in making pulla. “The Prime Minister personally paid ₹12,000 to these groups. The consignment of hemp sandals has since been dispatched to him,” he said.