The construction work of the three chariots for the July 10 Rath Yatra of Shree Jagannath is in full swing and expected for completion before the scheduled time. The construction began on the auspicious Akshay Tritiya and is scheduled for completion a day prior to the festival.
The construction work was initiated after the temple priests handed over Ajnamallyas (order of lord Jagannath) to the Biswakarmas (chief carpenters) in a formal religious ceremony. The temple administration too presented the three B Biswakarmas with turbans (headgears), a symbolical entrustment of responsibility.
The Raths will be used for pleasure ride by the holy triads lord Jagannath, his elder brother lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra to their aunt’s house, Shree Gundicha Temple, along the Bada Danda (Grand Road), the venue of the annual festival popularly called the Rath Yatra or Sri Gundicha Yatra.
About a hundred traditional carpenters have been working daily to a definite plan to finish the job of chariot construction within a timeframe before commencement of the fete.
The carpenters and their assistants are working under three chief carpenters assigned to the three Raths under construction at the Rath Khala, the construction yard.
Their deputies are also supervising the work. They are designated as Saree Bandha Biswakarmas (royal permission holders). The Amina Maharana, a senior member of the carpenter clan shoulders the responsibility of supplying the required sized timbers to the carpenters at work in the yard.
The carpenters come from far-flung remote villages for the service of the lord and get wages from the temple. They construct the Nandighosh Rath (13.9 meters of height) of lord Jagannath with sixteen giant wheels, the Taladhwaj Rath (13.5 meterst) of lord Balabhadra with fourteen wheels and the Darpadalan Rath (12.9 meters) of Devi Subhadra with twelve wheels using a total of 872 pieces of timber of various tree species like Asan, Dhaura and Phasi as per the fixed design.
Specific types tree species and sizes of timber logs are used to prepare the axles, wheels and spokes, besides the other parts of the Raths. All the three Raths are fitted with unique shock absorber systems with manually-operated front brakes.
“For our services, the then rulers had granted us right to take the balance timber as “Khei” (remuneration), which the temple administration has now stopped and is compensating by cash,” a chief carpenter, Mahapatra, said.
Carpenters work for nearly 10 hours every day under the supervision of senior Maharanas in the Rath Khala. Sometimes, they have to double up the work in the event of work being hampered due to natural compulsions like rains and cyclone to meet the deadline.
Apart from these carpenters, a number of Roopkaras (sculptors and painters) display their skills by engraving and colouring the images of Parswa Devatas (guarding deities) on all four sides of the Raths. While the engraved images on detachable wood frames are done by the sculptors, the Roopkaras paint them with traditional bright lively colours.
A number of blacksmiths meticulously work to strengthen the weak portions, particularly the wheels, by reinforcing them with iron clamps and hooks. A set of traditional Durjees (tailors) work for a week to deck the Raths with their assigned coloured cloths.
Soon after construction of the Raths is over, they are veered to the festival site in the midnight and parked in front of the temple’s main gate for a consecration ceremony before the boarding of the deities on the Raths on the festival day.