KENDRAPARA: Construction work of wooden chariot for the annual car festival in the 400-year-old Baladevjew temple in Kendrapara, also known as Tulasi Khetra, is moving at a snail’s pace due to non-supply of sufficient timber by the forest department.
The 64-foot-high wooden chariot of Lord Baladevjew is the biggest chariot in the state as its height is more than that of the chariots of Jagannath temple in Puri.
“Though the construction work of the three chariots in Puri started on the auspicious day of Akshya Tritiya which fell on April 7, we began chariot making on June 5 due to shortage of wood,” said Balabhadra Patri, Executive Officer of Baladevjew temple.
“We had written a letter to the Divisional Forest Officer of Keonjhar to provide us 726 cubic foot of Sal wood to build the chariot two months back. The forest office of Telkoi under Keonjhar division had assured us to provide the wood soon. Due to non-availability of sufficient wood, we are now using the old timber from the last year chariot. We are trying our best to complete the chariot construction work soon,” he said.
All the 40 temple carpenters have been engaged in chariot construction work.
Out of 14 wheels of the chariot, only four new wheels will be constructed this year due to shortage of timber, he added.
A priest Rabinarayan Patri said the temple authorities are the owner of around 5000 acre of agricultural and other lands in the district and outside.
It was decided to plant trees on few acres of land 17 years back, but the plan is gathering dust in the office file, he added.
A 64-year-old carpenter Hemant Moharana said, “As the Rath Yatra approaches, chariot makers here entered a busy season. Two decades back, we used to get good quality of wood to build the chariot. But now-a-days, we are not getting timber for chariot making.”