Srinagar, Jul 8 (IANS): Two days ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha festival, buyers looking for sacrificial animals thronged Srinagar markets and other cities and towns of Kashmir as Eid shopping picked up pace on Friday.

Makeshift sacrificial animal markets have come up at the Eidgah ground in Srinagar city, at different other places in downtown city and elsewhere in the Valley.

Buyers were seen haggling while the sellers demanded exorbitant rates for their animals.

Sellers from Rajouri, Poonch and even Delhi and Rajasthan have brought in their flocks of sheep and goats to sell in the Valley.

Rates fixed for the sacrificial animals by the authorities bothered neither the sellers nor the buyers as no uniformity in rates was noticed between different markets selling these animals.

Muslims all over the World offer animal sacrifices on Eid-ul-Adha to commemorate the great sacrifice offered by Prophet Ibrahim to please Allah.

Ibrahim offered to sacrifice his son, Ismail to please Allah.

Pleased with the devotion of Ibrahim, Allah ordered that a sheep from Heaven should replace Ismail under the slaughtering knife of the father.A

The joy that followed Allah's sparing of Ismail's life is celebrated as Eid-ul-Adha by Muslims.

Children accompanied parents to buy firecrackers, toys and new clothes. Meat shops did not have many buyers as people were seen busy buying alive animals for sacrifice.

Bakery shops, especially the ones known for good quality bakery items, had their queues of buyers while fewer buyers chose to buy bakery items from makeshift bakeries.

Mobile phones and other electronic gadget shops also witnessed more than usual number of buyers as youth went for shopping at these places.

There was no shortage of essential supplies anywhere in Kashmir on Eid eve as authorities had ensured adequate supplies of essential items including petroleum products, cooking gas and other items.

Traffic police was seen taking a lenient view of shopkeepers spreading their merchandise on to the pedestrian malls and motorists parking their vehicles at wrong places.

"After all, Eid comes once and we have to be lenient for a while to accommodate the rush of sellers and buyers at different places", said a senior officer of the traffic department.

Despite being less harsh on violators, traffic cops were seen trying their best to ensure free movement of vehicles at different places in Srinagar city.

Special arrangements of security and sanitation have been made at different Eidgahs in the Valley where devotees will offer congregational Eid prayers on Sunday.