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Chariots better off sitting still!

Staff Reporter

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

An idol being mounted on a wooden chariot in Berhampur on Saturday.

BERHAMPUR : Decorated chariots or `Rath' showing artistic skills of different neighbourhoods are part of festivals in the city but they do not roll on the roads although they have the wheels.

Narrowness of streets due to urbanisation has taken away the mobility of these traditional chariots that used to move around displaying fine craftsmanship till few decades back.

Be it the famous Thakurani Jatra that ended last month or the Lanjipalli Jatra that is continuing, these decorated chariots are major attractions. Although wheels are added to these temporary structures, very few know why as the structure would not move an inch from its place of erection.

Main attractions

At the Lanjipalli Jatra festival that started in 1979, replicating the rituals of the Thakurani Jatra festival, four `raths' at four major streets of the area are main attractions. They contain massive figurines of mythological characters and scenes. Traditional craftsmen from different parts of the state and adjoining Andhra Pradesh have been deployed to construct the idols and the chariot. Raja Rao, member of Lanjipalli Jatra puja committee, says `rath' has become part of competitiveness between streets.

According to Pradip Mohapatra of Berhampur University these chariots were earlier taken out by different streets to show off their sponsorship of art and craft. During Thakurani Jatra these chariots carrying decorated idols used to be dragged to Bada Bazar area to be displayed together.

With time, Bada Bazar got crowded leaving little place to park these massive chariots. The streets also got narrower leaving no scope for the chariots to move. The inhabitants decided to erect the chariots in their own locality and keep it at the same place for display rather than moving which enabled better electric light decoration. "The chariots stopped moving during the sixties," says Mr. Mohapatra.

With the new generation, the tradition continued blindly. The wheels of the chariots became decorative pieces for the pedestal with no scope to roll..

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