The Construction of the Puri Chariots Begins: Gold Axes Cut Wood as Per Lord’s Command
Friday marks the beginning of the first proclamation festival on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya. In front of the temple office, the chariots of Nandighosh, Taladhwaja, and Darpadalana are being constructed in the classical banajaag style. After receiving the order from Lord Jagannath for the three chariots, the temple priest began construction by cutting three pieces of wood with a golden axe. The Brahmin priests then presented the ceremonial cloth (veil) to the principal craftsmen (Vishwakarma) of the three chariots, and the tradition of Saribandha (tying the sacred thread) was observed. The wooden parts were then further trimmed before the construction of the chariots began.
According to classical rules, before the auspicious day of chariot construction, a sacred fire ritual (homa) was performed in the Banajaag tradition in the afternoon. The temple priests, royal priest (Rajguru), and Brahmin scholars (Shrotriya Brahmins) jointly conducted the yajna on a specially constructed altar (yagnashala). Lord Narasimha, the chief god of the banajaag community, was worshipped and invoked at the altar using the Narasimha mantra. Later, deities such as Madanmohan, Sridevi, Bhudevi, Rama-Krushna, and the five primary deities (Pancha Mahadevs) – Jamweshwar, Loknath, Kapalmochan, Markandeshwar, and Nilakantheshwar – were symbolically put on the chariots using a unique procedure (Mani plane).
Around 6:00 p.m., the puja attendants transported the deities of Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath, and Maa Subhadra from the temple to the chariot area in front of the temple office, where three wooden poles were prepared for the ceremony. According to the particular traditional rules, the holy priest struck the three small golden axes, which had been consecrated with Mother Dakhinakali’s mantra, on the three wooden poles of the chariots. The Vishwakarma (craftsmen) then began constructing the chariot.
It is worth noting that the construction of the chariot on Akshay Tritiya is auspicious after the breaking of wood on the Shri Ram Navami, choosing the wood of the chariot on the Saraswati Puja festival. The work of attaching the wheels (Chakdera) will begin on the day of Bhaunri and will be completed by Sitalsasthi. On Narasimha Chaturdashi Konguj is favorable, and the chariots will be ready for the Chariot Pulling (Ratha Yatra) on the full moon day of Snanapurnima. On the morning of Sri Gundicha Yatra, the chariots will be set up in the traditional Banjaag manner.
