The chariot of wonder

Admired for their intimidating frame and beauty, the raths have been a fascinating slice of history and a remarkable feat of human ingenuity and engineering, writes Madhulika Dash

It would be the first time in the 284-year-long history of Rath Yatra that the annual procession of the Holy Trinity — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — to Gundicha Temple would not happen.

The Supreme Court decision has left many Odias feeling an inexplicable sense of void. Even the close to 200 skilled Biswakarma Sevayats — carpenters — who this year too, came together to build what British officer William Hunter called the “majestic feat of human mind and engineering” at a war footing, have been left disappointed. But as the ready chariots await their fate — of being dismantled and the wood sent to the holy kitchen — with many ruing over the sheer quantity of wood and effort gone wasted, one cannot stop admiring the absolute epic structures that have baffled many for centuries.

Even Hunter, who had a rather flawed view of the Rath Yatra, is said to have been smitten by the way these chariots came to life. It is said that he exclaimed once that the grand thing didn’t have a nail or a bar of metal, and yet, could roll beautifully on the tug of a rope. His reference was the 42 ft (of Puri) Chariot with a real-life version of a temple set over a chariot with 14 to 16 wheels. Unable to resolve the workings, Hunter and his successor eventually accepted the idea of divine intervention and left Rath Yatra — the oldest chariot festival that remained undisturbed by the many policies of the Crown — alone. But the fascination continued to attract many to the annual ritual. After all, there was not one, but six grand structures that belied the conventional engineering of the time. None of the chariots used glue, nor had nails hammered in and didn’t even have a blueprint or manual.

A family secret

Much of the know-how of the chariot-making has been passed on by one generation to the other verbally — and is a secret that only the Sevayata community is privy to. Even amongst them, there are a few
families who are adept at making a certain facet of the chariot. And yet, such is the excellence that when the 4,000-odd pieces of woodwork are brought together, each fit into the other like a hand in glove to create a structure that is both majestic and adorable.

Incidentally, most chariots across Odisha follow the same pattern of the chariot, including that in Baripada which is second only to Puri in terms of grandness and was inspired by the Puri Rath Yatra and the one in Ahmedabad. The only exception to this is the 72 ft tall chariot of the Baladev Jew Temple in Kendrapara which, owing to its size, gets to keep its core structure intact year after year.

Clearly, the makers of the past knew a thing or two about the fine art of chariot making even when chariots faded into oblivion. Luckily, when it came to designing the rath, there was expertise at hand thanks to the Buddhist and Jain tradition of hosting Uthsava, a festival where the idol of Buddha was taken around towns and villages to propagate Buddhism. Chinese traveller Fa-Hien in his account Fo Kuo-ki mentions the elaborate Chariot Festival — also called Rath Yatra — of the Buddhist community of Khotan and Pataliputra.

He narrates the existence of chariots made with bamboo covered with colourful silken clothes and banners that rode on four wheels with a raised platform for the idols of Buddha and Bodhisattva. In fact, in Pataliputra, there were as many as 20 such chariots, each created 40 to 50 ft tall.

Research behind the art

This, many believe, became the worksheet on which the chariot’s blueprint was built further. Not ready to just adopt a successful design, the then rathadhyaksha (seasoned chariot makers), under the tutelage of
the Maharaja of the respective kingdoms, began work on not only honing the art of putting together a massive chariot that could carry a life-size temple but also display elements of our rich culture with references to all the epic scriptures, Vedas and Puranas that were the foundation pillars of our society.

The makers turned to Arthashastra and Puranas to understand what worked for most chariots, and finally zeroed in on 12 varieties of forest wood that could help them put together a formidable structure. Of course, preference was given to Phansi, Dhaura, Mai Simili for the main component of the rath like the wheel and the main platform.

The reason for this was that both Simili and Phansi are not only resilient but malleable enough to be shaped into a load-bearing component like wheels.

In fact, according to ancient documents, these varieties of wood were preferred to create the aksha (axle) and wheel of a sangramika (battle chariot) and the footrest of the sarathi since it would be flexible, yet sturdy enough.

Given the intensity and speed that a battle chariot needed, eventually, metal and hide were introduced to this version of the rath, but for the rest, it was purely kept wood. Similarly, for the temple structure, especially the pillar, the sarathi and the ashwas, bhanura and asana are used that not only yielded into the hands of an expert craftsman but could take colours beautifully. After all, the colours used on each rath even today are made using flowers and spices, much like in Pattachitra with milk often used to give it that shine.

Another fascinating aspect of the chariot-making are these hooks that work like glue in bringing the chariot to life. Crafted by some of the most skilled Sevayats, these little hooks work like locks that not only hold the massive structure together but give it enough flexibility to move well.

In fact, these little hooks play a vital role when the chariot is on the move. It is believed that the design of this hook-like woodwork was inspired from the Sakta’s car festival done in honour of Goddesses Maheswari or Durga.

Chosen ones

Since the beginning, pulling such a massive structure needed people who were not just strong but good at the art of chariot pulling and could also maintain their speed. This was the reason that 4,200 Bethias or chariot pullers from Rahang, Limbyie, Sirani Parganas were called for pulling the chariot, which came sans a break or an accelerator. Even today, while many devotees join in as chariot pullers, the onus of steering a wooden structure is on these traditional chariot pullers who not only keep the tempo in control but ensure that the rath reaches the destination with minimum damage.

In fact, thanks to them, over the years, the need for the three extra chariots have almost diminished. Alas, this year much of the euphoria will be missed.