Puri: The process for construction of the world famous Rath Jatra in Puri this year has begun with the arrival of logs from Nayagarh district on Monday evening.
According to sources, three truckloads of logs, consisting of 90 of Asan and Dhaura trees, collected from Chadheiyapalli and Banigochha forest sections under Daspalla Forest Range on Sunday evening arrived at Daspalla range office on Monday morning. Later, two truckloads of logs were taken to Puri after being worshipped at Lord Mahavir temple.
Talking to mediapersons, Daspalla Forest Range Officer Somnath Nayak said of the 90 logs, 57 Asan logs of 20 feet and 12 feet in length have been sent to the Rathakhala (place where the logs are cut to size) in Puri while the remaining 33 Dhaura logs of 12 feet in length will be sent to a sawmill in Cuttack.
Every year, the logs for construction of the temple chariots in Puri are brought from the Daspalla forest range.
According to tradition, the rituals for the Rath Jatra begin in Puri in the Odia month of Magha (February in English calendar). While the construction of the chariots starts on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, the processing of the logs to different sizes begins in February.
