Puri: With just three days before the Snana Purnima ritual of Lord Jagannath in Puri, servitor groups engaged in construction of chariots for the three deities have expressed concerns over initiating the timely installation of the 'Chari Nahaka'.
Snana Purnima is the first major ritual of the month-long Rath Yatra festivities and as per tradition, on this occasion, the most important part of construction of chariots takes place in the form of installation of the 'Chari Nahaka', the four pillar-frame which rises from the base of the chariot and supports its entire dome.
However, this year the servitors have expressed doubt over timely installation of the structure due to availability of less time.
Showing concerns over the scenario, servitor groups have apprised the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration to make provisions for extra duty hours (Dedha Majuri) to facilitate faster construction of chariot parts.
Read Story: Rath Yatra: Chaka Dera ritual concludes in Puri
Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, Chief Maharana (Architect) of Nandighosa chariot said, "The current status and speed of the construction of chariot base and it's fitting on the wheel-axle structures shows that we need extra time for work and so we have updated the temple administration about the status."
Rabi Bhoi, the chief of the Ratha Bhoi servitors also flagged similar concerns and said, "Maharana servitors know the nitty-gritty of the chariot construction and they can easily sense if the speed of work would be enough for timely completion of the construction. So we hope that the temple administration approves over-time duty hours."
However, senior superintendant of the chariot construction Sudarsan Mekap allayed the concerns and said that the SJTA is duly looking at the situation.