Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has started dismantling the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra at the Singha Dwara today.
The dismantling of the three majestic chariots of the Puri Jagannath Temple has begun. The process started with Devi Subhadra’s chariot, ‘Darpadalana’, and will be followed by Lord Balabhadra’s ‘Taladhwaja’ and Lord Jagannath’s ‘Nandighosa’ chariots, which will be disassembled in a phased manner.
Interestingly, the dismantling process is the reverse of the construction process. While the chariots are built from the base up (starting with the wheels and axle), the dismantling begins from the top. The process involves removing the kalash, olta sua, khapuri parabadhi, potala, and other components in a specific order.
Before the dismantling began, the horses, charioteers, and parshwa deva-devis (side deities) were carefully removed from the chariots.
Till the last report came in, the dismantling process was underway under tight security, and measures have been taken to ensure that no untoward incident occurs.
A special storage facility has been constructed to store the various parts of the chariots, and the parts will be kept there after dismantling.
It is estimated that the dismantling process may take around 15-20 days for the Bhoi servitors to complete the dismantling process of all three chariots. The temple administration has made arrangements to ensure that the dismantling process is carried out smoothly and safely.
