For this year’s Rath Yatra on June 27, Lord Jagannath’s grand chariot in Kolkata will roll with renewed strength and stability—thanks to tyres originally designed for Sukhoi fighter jets. After a 20-year-long search, ISKCON Kolkata has finally found the perfect replacement for the worn-out wheels of the divine vehicle: high-performance tires manufactured by MRF for the Indian Air Force.
Radharamn Das, Vice President and spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, shared the remarkable journey of sourcing the new tyres for the Lord's chariot. The original chariot, built in 1977 after a generous donation from an ISKCON member, had been running on second-hand tires sourced from a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.
Initially, in 1972, the Rath Yatra began with a humble chariot carrying the deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra through the city’s streets. Over time, as the celebration grew in scale and devotion, so did the size and significance of the chariots. But while the chariot itself endured, the tires suffered gradual wear and tear. They were patched and repaired annually—until 2005, when Das realized they urgently needed full replacement.
However, replacing the tires was far from simple. “One of the first challenges was to determine the weight of the chariot,” Das explained. “Finding a weighing scale for something so massive wasn’t easy, but we finally managed. The chariot alone weighs around nine tonnes. Factoring in the weight of devotees who ride it during the procession, the tires needed to handle around 16 tonnes.”
The search for new, suitable tires began with Dunlop, but the company no longer manufactured the required specifications. Further research eventually led Das and his team to consider tires designed for Sukhoi fighter jets, known for their heavy-duty resilience. They initially reached out to MRF in 2018 but received no response. Surprisingly, six years later, in December 2024, MRF got in touch. A team was dispatched to inspect the chariot, and following discussions and price negotiations, the tires were delivered in early 2025.
Das recalled MRF’s astonishment when ISKCON Kolkata revealed their unique requirement. “We were told the only other client for these tires is the Indian Air Force,” he said with a smile. MRF assured them that the tires had the necessary load-bearing capacity. The cost for the four tires was ₹1.80 lakh in total.
Once the tires were fitted, the ISKCON team conducted a 24-kilometre dry run to test the chariot’s performance—and it passed flawlessly. With just weeks to go before Rath Yatra, the centuries-old tradition now rolls forward with the support of modern aviation-grade technology, blending devotion with innovation in a truly unique manner.
Also Read: Jagannath Dham row deepens, SJTA begins probe
Follow us
