Mangaluru: The procession of Goddess Durgaparameshwari (Bhramarambika) during the annual festival at Kateel temple in April 2027 will be held on a newly constructed Brahmaratha, with preparations for the chariot nearing completion.Temple hereditary priest Harinarayana Asranna said the chariot is donated by a family from Mumbai, and that around 75% of the work had been completed. The six-wheel chariot is being built as a service to the Goddess, and is expected to be about 50ft tall.Udupi-based sculptor Sudarshan Acharya is leading the work, with 12 sculptors engaged in its construction for the past one-and-a-half years. The chariot is being built in an enclosure in front of the Kateel temple.Acharya, who has 26 years of experience, has worked on chariots at several temples and religious institutions, including Kadiyali, Puttur, Kunjarugiri, Sode Vadiraja Mutt, Shimanthuru, Adve, Brahmavara Salikeri and Kavoor, as well as in Tumakuru and Bengaluru.The base of the chariot will be 12.5ft high and 12.5ft wide. It will have four tiers of carvings, including lion faces, elephants, Hoysala-style creepers and cows with calves. The carvings will also include the Ashta Dikpalakas, 16 lions, swans, bells and 48 gajapakshis.The second tier will depict episodes and figures including Samudra Mathana, Sita Kalyana, Parvati Swayamvara, Sri Rama Pattabhisheka and the Navadurga. It will also feature carvings of several forms of the Goddess and other deities, along with serpents.The chariot will also have carvings and 56 small pillars. The fourth tier will depict Yakshagana performances, while the top plank will feature the Gandabherunda. The pedestal and doorways will have 16 deity portraits, along with 16 snake hoods, banners, a pinnacle and a shweta chakra.Avadhani Subrahmanya Bhat Gundibailu has provided the vastu guidance and design for the chariot.A five-wheel Chandramandala chariot is being constructed for the temple, which will also be sculpted by Acharya, and works on that will start soon. The existing Brahmaratha is more than eight decades old.Asranna said a devotee came forward to construct the new Brahmaratha as the old chariot had aged. Another devotee agreed to fund the Chandramandala chariot after the decision was taken to construct it. Both chariots are expected to be completed and dedicated to the temple in April, and the Bhramarambika festival procession will be held using the new Brahmaratha.
