The first lot of logs for construction of chariots for lord Jagannath’s next Rath Yatra arrived at the Rathakhala (the site where the chariots are constructed) in Puri on Sunday.
The trucks carrying as many as 71 logs reached the Rathakhala on the Grand Road. The logs comprise 30 Asan, 26 Dhaura, and 15 Phasi pieces.
In the first phase, three trucks carrying the logs were sent from the Daspalla Forest Division in Nayagarh district. Prior to dispatch of the consignment, servitors performed rituals at Daspalla.
A total of 685 pieces of Dhaura, Asan and Phasi logs would be brought from the Daspalla forests this year for making of the chariots.
According to tradition, three logs from the Asan variety are consecrated on the Saraswati Puja day while construction of the chariots begins on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya.
As per the Rath Sanhita (the manual for construction of chariots), 865 pieces of logs are required for construction of the three chariots. Various parts of the chariots are carved out of these logs.
The sawing of the logs begins on the Ram Navami.