Going by the tradition, the process of construction of three wooden chariots of lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and lord Balabhadra kicked offon Monday on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya for the world-famous annual Rath Yatra (Car Festival) in Puri.
This year, the festival of the Trinity is scheduled to be held on July 6. After the temple servitors performed a special ritual at the Rath Khala (chariot making yard) and brought Angya Mala, the chief carpenters of the three chariots symbolically touched the gold axe on the three wooden logs.
Every year, lord Jagannath, His siblings elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra, are taken out of the 12th-century shrine in three separate chariots to the Gundicha Temple in the holy city. Nearly 100 carpenters would be engaged for making the three gigantic chariots, 45-feet-high Nandighosha for lord Jagannath, 44-feet-high Taladhwaja for Balabhadra and 43-feet-high Debadalana for Subhadra.
Meanwhile, the 21-day long Chandan Yatra of deities also started on Monday.
lord Madanmohan, Bhudebi, Sridebi and Ramkrushna would participate in this yatra for 21 days. The deities would be taken to the Narandra pond located near the Jagannath Temple and they would swim in two chapas (boats), namely, Nanda and Bhadra.