Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 3
आबध्यन्तां पताकाश्च राजमार्गश्च सिंच्यताम्। सर्वे च तालावचरा गणिकाश्च स्वलङ्कृताः।।2.3.17।। कक्ष्यां द्वितीयामासाद्य तिष्ठन्तु नृपवेश्मनः।
ābadhyantāṃ patākāśca rājamārgaśca siṃcyatām| sarve ca tālāvacarā gaṇikāśca svalaṅkṛtāḥ kakṣyāṃ dvitīyāmāsādya tiṣṭhantu nṛpaveśmanaḥ|
Banners be fastened and royal highways be sprinkled with water. All actors and beautifully adorned courtesans should reach the second inner apartment of the king's residence and remain seated there.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
Banners are to be fastened and royal highways sprinkled with water. The imagery is festive: flags flying, streets washed clean, the city dressed in its finest. Ayodhya prepares not like a city for a ceremony but like a bride for a wedding.
ध्वजमार्ग