A servitor rests on a part of the Lord’s chariot in Puri on Friday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Puri, July 19: A few of weeks ago, when the chariots of the deities were being created, a group of south Indian women came scavenging for logs that had been carved out for the grand vehicles. They were chased away by the architects of the chariots.

The incident showcased the significance of the logs that are used to build the chariots. The pieces of the sacred logs are kept for use in the temple’s kitchen.

On bahuda yatra day, an argument arose about how to use the wood once the rath yatra was over.

The temple authorities plan to auction some parts of the chariots, but the chief servitors did not agree. An official at the information centre of Gundicha temple said the administration had last year decided to auction some parts of the chariots.

“We had kept the base price as Rs 50,000. Some of the wheels were even sold for a few lakhs. The response was overwhelming,” said the officer.

The auction this year will take place about four to five months from now.

But the idea of an auction, just like last year, has not gone down well with the daitapatis. “Lord Jagannath is not cash strapped. We don’t need to sell any pieces of the chariots. We do not want them to be showcased by people in their drawing rooms or any museum,” said Ramkrushna Das Mahapatra, a chief servitor.

The servitors said the wood was used as fuel for cooking dishes for the Lords called kothabhoga. The wood from the chariots can be used for eight to nine months for cooking. The pieces are also presented to the artisans involved in chariot making as prapya, or their due, for making the raths.

The Maharanas (people who cut the wood) and the Bhois (those who lift the wood to the chariot) receive the logs and sometimes the wheels of the chariots.