Post News Network
Puri: Wheels and spare parts of the three chariots of the deities of Srimandir are on display at the Srigundicha temple here for sale by the Shree Jagannath temple administration (SJTA), but apparently there are no takers.
The wooden parts after dismantling chariots pertaining to festivals in the past four years are accumulating dust at Gundicha.
The temple administration, hitherto, traditionally dismantled Nandighosha, Taladhwaja and Darpadalan chariots belonging to Lord Jagannathath and his siblings Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra after the annual car festival for utilising the wood for cooking prasad at the temple. The then revenue divisional commissioner and SJTA chief administrator Aravind Padhee had decided to sell the wooden wheels and other chariot parts to interested parties in 2012.
The SJTA had then argued that sale of chariot parts would fetch an additional revenue for the 12th century shrine and help propagation of Jagannath culture. The temple administration had fixed `50,000 as price for a chariot wheel while it had proposed to sell other parts of the cars between `10,000 and `25,000, sources added.
The SJTA had put on display the wooden parts of chariot at an open place in Srigundicha for sale in 2012. The temple authorities are yet to dispose of 16 wheels of Nandighosha, 53 wheels of Taladhwaja and 43 wheels of Darpadalan piled up for the last four years, sources said.
According to sources, many unsold chariot wheels have started decaying. “A few unsold wheels have been partially destroyed by white ants. The temple caretaker has sought SJTA approval to use the wheels as firewood,” said a servitor.
A few servitors have blamed the high price and lack of awareness among devotees for the huge glut of chariot wheels. “The temple administration should slash the prices for chariot parts and take steps to generate public awareness about the novel initiative,” said a social activist.
Srimandir public relations officer Laxmidhar Pujapanda said people show interest to buy the wheels of Nandighosha chariot only. “The temple administration will take steps to speed up the sale of chariot wheels,” he said.
