Cuttack, March 29: Devotees are thronging the government-run sawmill at Khapuria here to see the timber that would be used to make the three chariots for this year's Puri rath yatra.

This year's car festival assumes significance because it will follow Nabakalebar.

'It is a matter of pride for the people of Cuttack that the timber used to make the chariots is sliced here. We are looking forward to having the deities' darshan after Nabakalebar. Servitors have started their journey in search of the idol wood,' said Swati Das, another devotee.

<>The first log to be used for the construction of chariots was sliced at the sawmill yesterday on the occasion of Ram navami. 'We came to touch the timber with a hope to seek the Lord's blessings,' said Subrakant Sahu, another devotee.

The sawmill employees also face a challenge in completing the job in time, as there has been a significant rise in the number of timber to be used for this year's rath yatra. 'We have been asked to slice nearly 12,000 cubic feet of wood against the 8,500 cubic feet timber that was used for last year's rath yatra,' said Khapuria sawmill sub-divisional manager Ram Chandra Das.

Das said that around 7,890 cubic feet of timber consisting of 466 logs had arrived at the mill. Yesterday, three 20-feet-long logs were sliced after the sawmill received the agyamala from Puri.

Sources said the timber slicing had to be over before akhshay trutiya, as the construction of the chariots will start from that day.