Cuttack: The slicing of wooden logs for the construction of towering temple-shaped chariots for the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and His divine siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra began here on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami today.
As per the tradition, the logs are sliced at Khapuria sawmill of Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) in Cuttack and the construction of chariots would start from Akshya Trutiya which falls on April 26.
Chariot construction takes place at the front of the royal palace near the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Hundreds of carpenters, helpers, blacksmiths, tailors, and painters work tirelessly to complete the task in time.
Usually, logs of dhaura, phasi, asana, simili are used in the construction of the gigantic wooden chariots.
As per the tradition, 865 logs are used for construction of the three chariots. With 193 logs are already in the stock this year, 672 logs of wood will be required for chariot construction.
This year, the Rath Yatra of the Holy Trinity is scheduled to be held on June 23 and Bahuda Yatra on July 2.