Puri: Three sacred wheels from Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra will soon adorn the Parliament Complex in New Delhi. This was announced after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s visit to the Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri on Sunday.
The Temple administration made the proposal to Birla, who approved it, marking a historic moment for both the shrine and the nation. This will go a long way in promoting Odisha’s cultural and spiritual heritage.
Birla visited the Temple with Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Puri MP Sambit Patra. During the visit, the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) presented the idea of installing the wheels, which Birla readily agreed to.
Arabinda Padhee, the chief administrator of SJTA, posted the information on X, expressing gratitude for the Speaker’s approval.
“We are deeply grateful to the Hon’ble Speaker for graciously agreeing to our proposal to install one wheel each from the three sacred chariots of Rath Yatra at a prominent location within the Parliament premises,” Padhee wrote.
The wheels to be transported to Delhi are from the three iconic chariots of the annual Rath Yatra – Nandighosh (Lord Jagannath), Darpadalan (Goddess Subhadra), and Taladhwaj (Lord Balabhadra). These wheels will be placed in the Parliament complex as a lasting emblem of Odisha’s culture and spiritual significance.
Each year, the chariots used during the Rath Yatra are dismantled after the festival, with some parts, including wheels, being auctioned. The chariots are rebuilt every year with new wood, except for some essential components, Bijay Mohapatra, the chief carpenter of Nandighosh, explained.
This marks the second major religious and cultural installation in the new Parliament building after the Sengol, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed near the Speaker’s chair in May 2023 to commemorate the transfer of power at Independence. The chariot wheels from the Rath Yatra will now stand as a permanent tribute to Odisha’s rich cultural and spiritual legacy.
