Jeypore chariot festival today

KORAPUT: Each year while the chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra roll out across the state on Rath Yatra day, it is done the next day at Jeypore in Koraput district. There is no historical evidence to support the practice.
However, all other rituals like pahandi and chhera pahanra are done on the first day itself.
Legend has it that the king’s palace was located at Puranagada, on the outskirts of Jeypore town.Then the Rath Yatra was observed at Puranagada and bethias or bonded labourers were engaged to pull the chariot.
“After the palace was shifted to Jeypore, the festival was observed both at Jeypore and Puranagada. The bethias used to come to Jeypore to pull the chariot on the second day after completing Rath pulling at Puranagada,” said Ramesh Panigrahi, a senior citizen of Jeypore.
“The tradition of engaging bethias was discontinued within a few years of abolition of the zamindari system but the practice of pulling the chariots on the second day of Rath Yatra still prevails,” he added.
Some others are of the view that an unfortunate incident in the royal family on Rath Yatra day led to the tradition in vogue.
At Jeypore, the gods stay on the Rathas on the first day. Sources said earlier, the height of the chariot used to be 60 ft with 16 wheels.
Though the design of the chariot has been kept intact, its height has been reduced to 35 ft with eight wheels.