Allow Chariots Construction Now, Decide Rath Yatra Later, Puri Temple Managing Committee Tells Govt

Bhubaneswar: The managing committee of Jagnnath temple in Puri has demanded urgent decision by the State Government on starting the construction work of chariots for Rath Yatra.

In the letter to the Government on Monday, Shri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee said if chariot construction does not commence now, it will not be possible to complete the work before Rath Yatra on June 23. As eight days of Rath construction activities have been lost, the Government should take a decision to expedite the works.

The members of the committee also said the decision on holding the Rath Yatra should be taken at the appropriate time. In order to complete the Rath construction within the
stipulated time, the State Government may relax restrictions, if any, regarding the
timing of working hours in the Rath Khala (workshop of construction).

They said after construction of the Raths, if the Government decides not to hold Rath Yatra, the Lords’ chariots can be dismantled and the timber used as firewood in the kitchen of the temple as per practice of previous years.

The letter was sent after an extraordinary meeting of the managing committee under the chairmanship of Gajapati Maharaja Shri Dibyasingha Deb through vedio-conference.