Khurda: Construction of chariots at Ratha Khala near Jagannath Temple in Puri is in its fag end and lakhs of devotees are eagerly waiting to pull the three grand vehicles of the sibling deities on Rath Yatra i.e. on Saturday.
While the carpenters are giving final touches to the three chariots, a family of Gurujang Bhoisahi in Khurda district is burning midnight oil to ready bur (Kadam) flowers made of thermocol for decorating them.
The Bhoi family has been supplying these flowers to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) for decorating the chariots since 2004.
“During our visit to the Holy Town on Rath Yatra in 1999, we had sought the permission of SJTA to decorate the three chariots with our crafts. The temple administration allowed us to decorate the chariots in 2004,” said Raj Kishore Nayak.
Their unquestionable devotion to the Lords can be judged from the fact that they are doing so for the last 13 years without any formal remuneration.
Raj Kishore and his brother Bira Kishore collect natural thermocol from water bodies in Astarang, Kanas, Banki, Nimapara and Kakatpur during winter for the purpose.
The family members also follow all the rules of Sirmandir and stick to a special diet to maintain sanctity till the completion of the task.
They start the work on the auspicious occasion of Akhaya Tritiya and put in seven to eight hours a day. For making the flowers more attractive, they also put a ‘chumki’ on each of them.
They have, however, received no training in it.
On the day of ‘Netra Utsav’, the brothers leave the flowers at SJTA office.
“We are blessed for this opportunity to prepare the flowers for Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. It is a great pleasure to watch our crafts on the chariots,” said Raj Kishore.
However, they are making less number of flowers these days due to shortage of raw materials. “Poor financial condition is a reason of it,” he added.
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