Three towering temple-shaped chariots — that carry the three deities of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple during the nine-day long ‘Ratha Yatra’ festival — are an architectural marvel. As many as 300 carpenters, helpers, blacksmiths, tailors, and painters come together to make these chariots every year.

These three chariots are the main attractions of the festival which is being held at the southeast seashore town of Puri in Odisha every year in the month of July and this year it will be held on July 18.

The festival this year is called ‘Nabakalebar’, which takes place every 12-19 years based on Hindu calendar. What sets it apart from the regular Rath Yatra is that on this occasion, the wooden images of the deities are replaced with the new ones.

“The making of the chariots takes place in various stages, each coinciding with an auspicious festival based on the Hindu calendar. But for Nabakalebar, the whole process takes around four months. It begins with looking for Daru (wood), and it continues with the making of deities to that of the chariots,” Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration told thestatesman.com in a telephonic interview.

“Around 300 carpenters, blacksmiths, tailors, and painters work tirelessly to give the perfect touch to the chariots,” he added.

Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, the head carpenter for Nandighosh Rath, the chariot of Lord Jagannath, said “We start the construction work of the three chariots on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya and complete it a day prior to the festival. We do it within a strict 58-day deadline. But for Nabakalebar, we had more time and more work too”.

“Over 75 carpenters – 25 carpenters for each chariots – are engaged to construct the chariots of the deities within a strict schedule,” he said, adding, “We get 832 pieces of timber of various tree species like Asan, Dhaura, Simili, Mahi and Phasi for the construction of the chariots, which are being provided by the temple administration.”

Explaining in detail, Bijay said, “Bhoi sevaks collect the wood from the temple administration and bring it to Ratha Khala (construction yard) and then we start working on it.” He then said, “First we make different parts of the chariot such as wheel and rim and then join all parts together to erect the chariots.”

Besides these carpenters, a number of roopakaras (sculptors and painters) engrave the images of Parswadevatas (guarding deities) on all four sides of the chariots.

The frames and wheels of the chariots are colourfully painted with traditional designs and each of the chariots is attached with four horses in different colours – white ones for Balarama, dark ones for Jagannath, and red ones for Subhadra.

After the works get completed, the chariots are taken to the Lions Gate entrance of the Jagannath Temple in the afternoon on the day before the festival begins and the next morning, the deities are taken out of the temple and placed on chariots for the procession.

Every year, the nine-day festival witnesses millions of devotees from all over India and abroad thronging the Jagannath Temple to have a glimpse of the deities with the belief that their sins will be forgiven and the seashore town of Puri becomes a religious hub during this time.

This year too, devotees are getting ready for a darshan (glimpse) of the new deities on the newly made chariots to quench their religious thirst. And it is hoped that the festival would be a time of spiritual enlightenment for all devotees and visitors.