Construction of chariots for Puri Car festival is on full swing
22 June, Puri
The construction work of the three chariots for annual rath yatra of lord Jagannath is on full swing and expected to be completed before the schedule car festival on June 25 next.
The construction began on the auspicious Akshyaya Tritiya day and as per the programmes was scheduled for completion with in fortyfour days, a day prior to the fete.
The construction work was initiated after the temple priests handed over Ajnamallyas (order of the lord) from the lord Jagannath to the Biswakarmas (chief carpenters) in a formal religious ceremony.
The temple administration too presents the three Biswakarmas with turbans (head gears) a symbolical entrustment of responsibility. Rathas would be used for pleasure ride by the holy triads lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister devi Subhadra to their aunt’s house sri Gundicha temple along the Badadabda the venue of the festival popularly called Rath Yatra or Sri Gundicha yatra.
About a hundred traditional carpenters have been working daily to a definite plan to finish the job within the fixed time frame before commencement of the fete. Dozens of carpenters and their assistants work under three chief carpenters assigned to three chariots being under construction at the Ratha Khala the construction yard. Their deputies too supervise the work progress.
They are designated as Saree bandha Biswakarmas, (royal permission holders). A senior member of the carpenter clan shoulders the responsibility of supplying required size timbers to the carpenters at work in the yard. The carpenters come from far flung remote village areas for the service of the lord and get wages from the temple.
They construct Nandighosh rath (13.9 meters height) of Lord Jagannath with sixteen giant wheels, Taladhwaj (13.5 meters height) of Balabhadra with fourteen wheels and Darpadalanrath (12.9 meters height) of devi Subhadra with twelve number of wheels using total 872 pieces of timber of various tree species like Asan, Dhaura and Phasi as per the fixed design, according to Bijay Kumar Mohapatra one of the three chief carpenters.
Specific types tree species and sizes of timber logs are used to prepare the axle, wheel and the spokes besides the other parts of the chariot. All the three chariots are fitted with unique shock absorber systems with manual operated front brakes.
“For our service the then rulers had granted us right to take balance timber as “Khei”(remuneration) which the temple administration have now stopped and compensating in terms of rupees” Mahapatra said.
Carpenters work for nearly 10 hours every day under the supervision of senior Maharanas in the Ratha Khala. Some they had to double up the work in the event of work hampered due to natural calamity like rain and cyclone to meet the deadline.
Apart from these, carpenters a number of roopakaras (sculptors and painter) display their skill by engraving and colouring the images of Parswadevatas (guarding deities) on all four sides of the rathas. While engraved images on detachable wood frames were done by the sculptors the roopkaras paint them with traditional bright lively colours.
A number of black smiths meticulously work to strengthen the weak portions particularly the wheels by reinforcing them with iron clamps and hooks. A set of traditional tailors (Durjees) work for a week to deck the chariots with their assigned coloured cloths.
Soon after construction of the chariots was over, they were veered to the festival site in the midnight and parked in front of the temple main gate for consecration ceremony before the boarding of the deities on the on their respective chariots on the festival day.