Bhubaneswar, Aug. 7: Devotees will now be able to keep as souvenir the wood used in making the chariots of Puri’s divine trinity during the annual rath yatra.

The Jagannath temple administration has decided to put the chariot wood up for sale. Temple authorities said they would keep a record by taking pictures of each part sold.

“The chariots are being dismantled. Interested individuals and organisations can take the wooden parts by donating a token amount to the temple. We have got due approval from the various organisations affiliated with the temple,” said temple chief administrator Arabinda Padhee. He said a specific plan was being chalked out to facilitate the process.

The decision of the temple authorities has not, however, gone down well with various religious outfits in Puri.

“The chariot wood is consecrated during the rath yatra. If sold, we fear it might be misused. The temple authorities had been forced to discontinue the sale of wood after a protest earlier. We will oppose this decision again,” said Priyadarshan Patnaik, convenor of Jagannath Sena, a religious outfit in Puri.

The chariot wood is usually used as fuel in the temple kitchen. The dishes made for the lords are therefore called Kothabhoga.

“The wood used in all three chariots can be utilised for eight to nine months in our kitchen,” said a servitor of the temple.

The wood is also presented to artisans involved in chariot making as their prapya or due. The Maharanas (those who cut the wood) and the Bhois (those who lift the wood to the chariot) receive the wooden logs.