Carpenters carry logs to make chariots in Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, June 21: They have served Lord Jagannath for generations through their hereditary arts and crafts. Yet, unlike the Odissi dancers or the sand artists who have gained international fame following the traditions of Puri, the servitors of the Jagannath Temple, who prepare the chariots or the patta paintings, are still unknown beyond the city.

In fact, the artisans believe their skills have not been given enough recognition even by the temple administration, which is shown by the pittance they are paid.

Constructing the chariots for rath yatra employs the service of more than 75 maharanas (carpenters), who take care of building different portions of the chariots. Similarly, many kamaras (ironsmiths), rupakars (decorators) and other servitors work behind the chariots.

“We start working at 11am and are supposed to complete the daily work by 6.30pm. However, at times, weather forces us to work in odd conditions and beyond the prescribed hours since we believe that this is our hereditary duty,” said Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, one of the carpenters working on Lord Jagannath’s chariot Nandighosha.

This year, the carpenters are being paid about Rs 160 each per day. “In 2008, we were paid Rs 120 a day when Ashok Kumar Mina addressed our concerns by proposing a 10 per cent increase in the wage every year,” said Mohapatra. “Though that has helped us, we still feel the wage is not satisfactory for the labour we put in the construction. If the Odissi dancers, who have propagated the dance form, are recognised and appreciated by people worldwide and even the state and the Centre award them, why not us? This unique craft of building the majestic chariots can be created the perfect way only by our group of artisans,” he said.

Similarly, the chitrakars or artists, who prepare the patti dian (patta chitra paintings of Lord Jagannath and his siblings) that is worshipped in the sanctum of the temple during the annual hibernation of the main idols before rath yatra, also have the same plea. “This is our family tradition and creating the patti dian has been carried for years by our family. I’m assisted by more than 15 artistes in creating three huge patta paintings for the temple every year,” said artiste Ananta Moharana.

“While we spend around Rs 15,000 in creating the piece of art, we are paid Rs 6,000 for the three paintings. How do we manage our livelihood when rest of the year we are not given any other grants by the administration,” he said.

In another development, the Puri Temple Administration chief officer Pradipta Mohapatra said: “Puri temple is not a commercial institute. All the servitors should be proud and feel privileged that they get to serve the lords. Moreover, the pay is adequate for their services offered only once a year.”