Puri Rath Yatra chariot wheels to be installed in Parliament premises

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has approved a proposal by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to install three wheels from the chariots of Puri’s iconic Rath Yatra in the Parliament premises, a senior official confirmed on Saturday, 30 August.

The SJTA said in a statement, “During Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla's visit to Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, the administration proposed installing three wheels from the Rath Yatra chariots in Parliament, which Birla accepted.”

SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, in a post on X, added: “Hon’ble Speaker, accompanied by other dignitaries, visited Shree Jagannath Temple seeking Mahaprabhu's blessings. We are deeply grateful to him for graciously agreeing to our proposal to install one wheel each from the three sacred chariots at a prominent location within Parliament.”

Birla, accompanied by Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Puri MP Sambit Patra, was welcomed at the Lion’s Gate by Padhee on Friday.

The wheels to be installed will come from Nandighosh (Lord Jagannath), Darpadalan (Devi Subhadra), and Taladwaja (Lord Balabhadra) chariots, symbolising Odisha’s rich culture and spiritual heritage.

Each year, the Rath Yatra chariots are dismantled after the festival, with new wood used for reconstruction except for certain key parts. Dismantled sections, including wheels, are stored or auctioned, according to Nandighosh chariot chief carpenter Bijay Mohapatra.

With PTI inputs