Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik attempts world record with 100 chariots for upcoming Rath Yatra

Noted artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is attempting another world record by carving 100 sand chariots at the Puri beach in Odisha on upcoming Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath.

Apart from having darshan of the idols of Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra on the giant wooden chariots, pilgrims will get a glimpse of the sand art during the nine-day festival. "Twenty-five students of my institute and I started working on the 100 chariots from Friday. The work will be completed by Monday afternoon, two days before the Rath Yatra, slated for July 6," Pattnaik said.

Stating that his team had already completed more than 50 chariots, Pattnaik said he was trying to set a place in the Limca Book of Records. "We got an official permission from the editor of Limca Book of records. As per their instruction we have started this," he said.

Pattnaik, who has been making sand art related to Rath Yatra every year, said his work is likely to attract many tourists this year. A giant-size overhead tent has been erected to prevent rain from damaging the works, said Pattnaik, who recently won gold medals at international championships held in Moscow and Bulgaria.

Sand sculpture is believed to have originated during the Rath Yatra in the 16th century by Balaram Das, a devotee of Lord Jagannath and a poet, who had been once humiliated by the servitors and not allowed to pull the chariots during the car festival. He then went to the beach and sculpted chariots on the sand, he said. It is said that his chariots moved on the beach whereas the real ones on the Grand Road remained standstill, prompting the king to apologise to Das, Pattnaik added.