Stories
New 50-Foot Brahma Ratha to Highlight Kateel Temple Festival
- •A magnificent 50-foot-tall Brahma Ratha with six wheels is being constructed as a devotee's offering for the Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple in Kateel.
- •Led by Udupi sculptor Sudarshana Acharya, a team of 12 sculptors has been working on the chariot for the past year and a half.
- •The new chariot is expected to host the grand chariot festival during the Kateel fair scheduled for next April.
- •Alongside the Brahma Ratha, a unique five-wheeled Chandramandala Ratha is also being built, where top wheels rotate simultaneously with the lower ones.
- •The chariots feature intricate carvings of mythological stories, divine forms, Ashta Dikpalakas, Hoysala-style vine designs, and Yakshagana art.
Key Questions Answered
The new Brahma Ratha for Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple stands approximately 50 feet tall with six wheels, featuring a base 12.5 feet high and 12.5 feet wide. It is adorned with intricate carvings including lion faces, elephants, mythological stories, divine forms, Ashta Dikpalakas, and Yakshagana.
A team of 12 sculptors led by Udupi sculptor Sudarshana Acharya has been crafting the chariots for the past year and a half. If everything goes according to plan, both the new Brahma Ratha and the Chandramandala Ratha are intended to be dedicated to Sri Durgaparameshwari this coming April for the Bhramaramba chariot festival.
The current Brahma Ratha at the Kateel temple is more than eight decades old. Due to the aging of the existing chariot, the decision was made to build a new one as an offering funded by devotees.
