Bhubaneswar: Wheels of the three chariots used in Puri’s annual Rath Yatra will be installed at Rashtrapati Bhavan, an official said Tuesday.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said he met President Droupadi Murmu at Lok Bhavan in Bhubaneswar and placed the proposal.
“The President agreed to install the three wheels of the Rath Yatra chariots at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This is a moment of pride for all of us,” he said in a statement.
The wheels of Lord Jagannath’s ‘Nandighosh’, Lord Balabhadra’s ‘Taladhwaja’, and Goddess Subhadra’s ‘Darpadalan’ chariots will be sent to New Delhi and installed as a lasting symbol of Odisha’s cultural and spiritual heritage, officials said.
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The three chariots used during the annual Rath Yatra are dismantled after the festival every year. While part of the wood is used in the Jagannath Temple kitchen, important components of the chariots are auctioned among devotees, they said.
Fresh timber is used each year to build new chariots for the festival, they added.
This is not the first time Odisha’s heritage has found a place at the presidential estate.
On October 29, 2024, four sandstone replicas of the iconic Konark wheels were installed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre and Amrit Udyan to showcase India’s rich cultural legacy to visitors, officials said.
The Konark Sun Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Odisha, was built in the form of a colossal chariot dedicated to the Sun God, with its intricately carved wheels regarded as enduring symbols of India’s architectural and cultural heritage, they said.
