Madanmohan, the ancestral deity of the erstwhile Cooch Behar royals, will mount on a new rath on the occasion of the Rath Yatra later this week after a gap of over a century.
The earlier chariot, sources said, has become dilapidated. A new chariot has been built by the Debottur Trust Board in Cooch Behar this year.
“The new chariot is almost ready, and we have a plan to conduct a trial run on Tuesday. Many say that the earlier chariot is 136 years old, but we can say for sure that it is at least 100 years old. The new one has similar dimensions as the old one,” said Pavitra Lama, the secretary of the board.
Every year, on the occasion of Rath Yatra, Madanmohan is mounted on the chariot at the Madanmohan Temple Complex and the chariot is hauled till Dangarai Temple in Gunjabari. Known as “mashir bari (aunt’s residence)”, Dangarai Temple hosts the deity for seven days. Then, the deity is brought back.
The board takes care of all the temples and allied infrastructure established by the erstwhile royal family of Cooch Behar.
For the new chariot, sal and teak timber were bought from different forest ranges and saw mills.
“Nine carpenters and two painters worked for two months to make the chariot. Two other carpenters were engaged to make the wheels. The entire work was supervised by government engineers,” said a board member.
The new chariot, which is being readied on the Dangarai temple complex, costs between ₹5.5 lakh and ₹ 6 lakh.
On the occasion of Rath Yatra, the board has allocated a sum of ₹ 3.16 lakh to be spent on putting a fresh coat of paint on the Dangarai temple, puja, kirtan, CCTV surveillance and allied activities.
Kunal Banerjee, the subdivisional officer of Cooch Behar and a member of the board, said the chariot was almost ready.
“Painters are putting finishing touches. We hope the work ends by tomorrow (Tuesday) and the trial run is held from Gunjabari to Madanbari, around 4.5km apart,” he said.