Lord Jagannath's chariot will have a spring in its steps this summer when it rolls out on Kolkata streets for the Rath Yatra on June 27. After a 20-year search, the Rath Yatra's organiser, ISKCON Kolkata, has found new tires for the massive chariot. The old tires, sourced from a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, have been replaced by tires used on Sukhoi fighter planes and manufactured by MRF.
Radharamn Das, vice president and spokesperson for ISCKON Kolkata, shared the fascinating story of finding the best fit for the Lord's chariot.
The Rath Yatra in Kolkata started in 1972 with a small chariot housing the three deities taken out through the city's streets. Five years later, a member of ISCKON donated three new chariots for Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. Lord Jagannath's chariot was fitted with second-hand tires from a Boeing Jet.
Over the years, the tires suffered wear and tear and were repaired before every Rath Yatra. In 2005, however, Mr Das noticed they needed to be changed. This started his 20-year search for new tires for the Lord's chariot. A key challenge for arranging the tires was to assess the weight they would need to bear. "Finding a weighing scale for a massive chariot was a huge task. We eventually managed to weigh it and it came to about nine tonnes. Factoring in the weight of devotees on the chariot during the Yatra, we realised that the tires would need to support a weight of about 16 tonnes," he said.
"We first spoke to Dunlop, but they had stopped manufacturing these tires. After extensive research, we found Sukhoi tires to be the best match. We first tried to contact MRF in 2018, but could not get through. Eventually, they got back six years later. In December 2024, they sent a team, we worked out a price and they delivered the tires a month back," Mr Das told NDTV.
He shared how MRF authorities were surprised when ISKCON Kolkata first told them their requirement. "We were told that the only other client for these tires is the Indian Air Force," Mr Das quipped. MRF assured them that their tires have an adequate weight-bearing capacity. The four tires cost a total of Rs 1.80 lakh. After the tires were delivered and fitted, a 24-km dry run was organised, and all was found to be well.
