Puri Rath Yatra 2025: Goddess Subhadra’s chariot horse ‘damaged without maintenance’

One of the decorative Kasara (brown-coloured) horses of Goddess Subhadra’s chariot has suffered serious damage ahead of the annual Rath Yatra in Puri. The sculptors are now racing against time to repair it using alternative materials, sources said on Friday.

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According to sources, due to alleged lack of proper maintenance, the front two legs of the Kasara Ghoda (horse) attached to Goddess Subhadra’s Darpadalana chariot have broken. With the 9-day sojourn of the Holy Trinity approaching, the Puri Jagannath temple’s Rupakar Sevayats (servitors) are now urgently repairing the structure using Phasi wood on a wartime footing. Usually, the horses of three chariots are made of Neem wood.

2 legs of a horse have broken

The broken legs of the horse are being reconstructed at the Ratha Khala (chariot construction yard) with Phasi wood due to urgency of the situation.

Traditionally, during the Nabakalebara ritual cycle, new figures of horses, charioteers, and accompanying deities are created using Neem wood. However, after the Rath Yatra ends, these visually enriching side elements such as horses, charioteers, and Parswa Debatas (associated deities) are often left unattended. Allegedly, this neglect has led to the gradual deterioration of the traditionally significant elements of the chariots.

This incident has reignited concerns about the long-standing need for routine care and conservation of artistic elements connected to the temple’s annual festival.

“Neem wood of the required thickness would not be available so quickly, and we have been provided Phasi wood instead. There is no proper place to preserve the artistic elements, hence those are running down,” a Rupakar Sevayat at Ratha Khala said to OTV.