Jagannath Rath made of soap, chalks on display

A miniature rath of the Lord Jagannath -- made of unusual materials like cane, soap and chalk - is currently on display here.
The 12-inch-high and 8-inch wide chariot was made of cane, 'gambhari' (a herb), wood and chalk. The chariot has one-inch high Jagannath.
"I was trying to replicate the Nandighosha rath of Puri," said 29-year-old artist Satya Narayan Moharana.
The famous chariot of Lord Jagannath in Puri is called the Nandighosha rath.
The tiny Rath has 16 wheels, nine 'parsha devata' and a 'sarathi'. The wheels are made of cane while the 'parsa devata' and 'sarathi' are carved out of chalk and soap respectively, he said.

"This is perhaps the smallest chariot of Jagannath in the country," claimed Moharana, a businessman. "Since the materials used are cheap, I spent a nominal amount to make it," he added.

While nine chalk pieces were used to make 'parsa devata', the 'sarathi' was made of only one soap, he said. He took a week to complete the chariot.
Two years ago, he had displayed three miniature chariots made of chalk during the Rath Yatra.
Moharana said he had carved miniature images of great personalities out of chalk. They include Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, former president Pratibha Patil, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. All these are on display at his home.