Puri: In a historic decision celebrating Odisha’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage, President Droupadi Murmu has approved a proposal to install the sacred chariot wheels of the annual Puri Rath Yatra at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
The announcement was made by Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Padhee, following his meeting with President Murmu at Lok Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. “The President has agreed to install the three wheels of the Rath Yatra chariots at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This is a moment of pride for all of us,” said Padhee in an official statement, expressing gratitude for the national recognition accorded to Lord Jagannath’s holy traditions.
Under the approved proposal, one wheel from each of the three holy chariots — Nandighosha (Lord Jagannath), Taladhwaja (Lord Balabhadra), and Darpadalana (Goddess Subhadra) — will be ceremonially transported to the national capital and permanently displayed within the presidential estate.
Every year during Rath Yatra festival, master artisans (Vishwakarma Maharana) handcraft three monumental wooden chariots using over 800 pieces of timber sourced from Odisha’s forests. The 42 seven-foot-high wheels carry the deities along Puri’s Grand Road (Bada Danda). Following the nine-day pilgrimage, the chariots are traditionally dismantled. While a portion of the sacred wood feeds the temple kitchen fires (Rosaghar), major sacred components are preserved or auctioned to devotees.
This initiative marks another major step in embedding Odisha’s ancient heritage within India’s prominent constitutional spaces, following a similar proposal to house the sacred wheels in the New Parliament building complex in August 2025 and the inclusion of four sandstone replicas of the iconic Konark wheels at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre and Amrit Udyan October 29, 2024, offering visitors a glimpse into India’s glorious cultural legacy.
