Sudarsan, students set new record by creating 100 sand chariots

Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on Monday completed the creation of 100 sand chariots on the Puri beach in Odisha ahead of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra to set a new record.

"Twenty-five students of my institute and I started working on the 100 chariots/raths from Friday. Today (Monday) afternoon, we completed them. We have used about 800 bags of sand," Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan said.

"This is a new record. The officials of the Limca Book of Records will visit Puri in a day or two to hand over documents on the record. It will be placed in the 2018 edition of the Limca Book of Records," Sudarsan told IANS.

He said the team followed the guidelines of the Limca Book of Records.

Odisha Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda inaugurated the 100 sand chariots and congratulated the team.

Sudarsan has already registered 20 records in the Limca book. He has been making sand art related to the Rath Yatra every year.

So far, Sudarsan has participated in more than 50 international sand art championships and festivals around the globe and won many prizes. His sand art is always based on social issues and current topics.

Apart from the huge wooden chariot seen during the world famous Lord Jagannath's yatra, pilgrims will also get to witness the sand chariots.

The annual Rath Yatra commemorates Lord Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha temple via the Mausi Maa Temple (aunt's home) near Balagandi Chaka in Puri.

The deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out in a procession to the Gundicha temple and remain there for nine days before returning to the main temple.

--IANS

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