This looked like a market town; after looking around several times, it was probably one of the towns around the Capital.
The closer they got to the town entrance, the more crowded it became. The shops along the road had already taken down their shutters early, the shopboys shouting themselves hoarse, and the stream of incense customers was so dense there wasn't even room to squeeze through.
The thick scent of sandalwood clogged the air. By the stone-arched bridge leading toward the temple, the flow of people was almost at a standstill. Both sides of the bridge were lined with temporary stalls. A girl selling embroidered sachets, her voice sweet and clear, was showing the lotus patterns on them to an old madam who had paused there: "Old madam, look how finely this lotus is embroidered. It's most suitable to offer before the Buddha as tribute."
