KalingaTimes.com : Sudarsan recreates sand chariots of Balaram Das

KalingaTimes.com : Sudarsan recreates sand chariots of Balaram Das

KalingaTimes Correspondent
Puri (Orissa): When lakhs of people will converge here to witness the famous annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath on Monday, they will also get a chance to see the sand sculptures of the chariots of the deities on the sandy beaches of this seaside city of Orissa.



In an attempt to recreate the sand chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra that the 14th Century poet Balaram Das created to worship the deities, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has carved three colourful chariots on sand.

As the legend goes, author of Dandi Ramayan Balaram Das had gone to the Puri beach at Banki Muhana to create the chariots of the deities and worshipped them there after he was prevented from participating in the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath for not being a Brahmin. Lord Jagannath had heard the prayers of the poet and arrived on the beach to bless him.

Sudarsan and the students of his Golden Sand Art Institute took 12 hours to create the sand images of the three chariots - Nandighosha, Taladhwaja and Debadalana - by using 20 tonnes of sand on Saturday.

Sudarsan, who describes Balaram Das as the father of sand sculpture in the world, said that the aim behind creating the sand chariots was to remember the poet and highlight the message attached to the Balaram Das episode that people belonging to all castes were equal before Lord Jagannath.

Sudarsan has so far participated in more than 34 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many awards for the country.

The three chariots created by Sudarsan and his students are attracting a large number of devotees thronging the beach.