Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal unveiled the book ‘Shri Jagannath Batika Tathyabali’, authored by Dr. Dillip Srichandan, at the Raj Bhavan premises. Expressing his happiness, the Governor noted that the book highlights the essential types of trees required for the construction of the chariots of the Rath Yatra, such as phasi, sal, dhaura, asana, mahua, simili, paladhua, devadaru, mahanimba, kadamba, kansa, gambhari, and galachua. It also notes the neem tree as essential for the idols of the Chaturdhamurti (Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshan) and the side deities.
The Governor appealed to the people of Odisha to plant these trees, which are vital for Mahaprabhu and the Rath Yatra tradition.
The book release event was attended by Janardhan Patjoshi Mahapatra, chief servitor of the Chhatisa Niyoga; Jay Narayan Mahapatra, another prominent servitor; Shri Shubhananda Maharaj, head of Mahiprakash Math; actor Sabyasachi Mishra; former administrator Madhusudan Mishra; Shri Pradeep Tripathy, Director of the International Council for Education, Employment and Empowerment and IDMT; senior journalist Samarendra Raut; and poet Rakshak Nayak, among others.
Author Dr. Srichandan shared that the book also includes details about the flowers, fruits, and other materials required for the rituals and festivals of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath.
