It’s not the 75-odd carpenters alone who are busy meeting the deadline to complete the construction of the chariots for Lord Jagannath’s ensuing Rath Yatra on July 3. Other traditional artisans in Puri are also toiling hard to supply small idols and chariots of the deities to different parts in the country and abroad.
“We are putting in extra effort to clear the orders of different Jagannath temples in the country and abroad. We have already supplied nearly 500 idols to different temples,” said Gajendra Maharana, owner of Puri-based Sun Crafts. ……..
Pandas have maintained records of various political personalities of reckoning who have visited the Jagannath temple in the past. The names, signatures and remarks of the VVIP tourists are written in the registers (warija) of the temple…….
Sudarsan Pattnaik, the globetrotting sand artist who quite literally carved a niche for himself by making sand art popular on Indian and foreign shores, is all set to make a paradigm shift to canvas. The Puri-based sculptor is busy giving finishing touches to sand paintings now………
Tourists will have AC accommodation in Puri and provision for visiting places like Konark Sun temple, Chandrabhaga, Satapada, cruise on Chilika lake, sightseeing of Irrawaddy dolphins, sea-mouth and Rajhans island….
Lord Jagannath’s ceremonial bathing ritual known as ‘Devasnan’ held on the 
full moon day of the Oriya month of Jestha in the run up to the annual ‘Rath Yatra’ on July 3.Lord Jagannath. Gajapati King of Puri Dibya Singha Dev performed ‘Chherapahanra’ (sweeping with a golden broom) around the deities on the bathing altar….
