KENDRAPARA: AGE is not a barrier for 82-year-old Gopinath Moharana as he manages to craft out at least 50 clay idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra in a day during Rath Yatra. These miniature idols of the Holy Trinity have a huge demand during the Rath Yatra and are sold near the famous Baladevjew temple in Kendrapara. Besides Gopinath, more than 50 artisans are busy setting up stalls near the temple to display their creations.
“I have been in this profession for 70 years. I was barely 12 when I took it over from my father,” Gopinath reminisces. Gopinath is the fifth generation of his family engaged in this art form.
“Since decades, our family members have been doing Chitrakar Seba by painting the deities made of stone in the temple and the chariot. Apart from painting the deities for 12 times in a year for the several attires (Bhesas), we also make clay idols of deities to earn money during the Rath Yatra,” he said.
These clay idols of the deities are painted with fabric colours and are sold at a price ranging between Rs 20 and Rs 40. “We spend around Rs 5,000 to make 150 small clay idols of the deities and earn around Rs 15,000 by selling them,” Suprava Moharana (55), an artisan and daughter-in-law of Gopinath Moharana said.
“This is the only time in the year when we manage to make some money. The sale of other idols during Dussehra, Kali Puja and diyas during Diwali are dismally low as compared to the sale of the trinity idols during Rath Yatra,” said Gouranga Moharana (45), an artisan.