Bhubaneswar: The process for construction of chariots for the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and siblings in Odisha’s Puri commenced on the auspicious occasion of Saraswati Puja on Friday.
Priests of Shree Jagannath Temple consecrated three logs for the construction of the chariots for the annual festival by performing the traditional rituals on Basant Panchami. The preparations began with the observance of Adya Parva, the inaugural ritual for the grand annual festival.
The priests offered prayers before Goddess S
araswati and sanctified the three logs with ‘Panchamruta’ before performing other rituals in front of the office of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri.
Three logs were consecrated for the construction of Nandighosa chariot of Lord Jagannath, Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra and Darpadalana chariot of Devi Subhadra for Rath Yatra.
The ritual was attended by SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Puri District Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida, Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh, senior officials, and servitors traditionally associated with chariot construction.
Padhee sought the blessings of Lord Jagannath for the smooth and successful conduct of Rath Yatra 2026. He also expressed confidence that with the collective cooperation of the temple administration, district authorities, servitors and devotees, the festival would be conducted peacefully and in accordance with tradition.