24km Rajarhat road test for Jagannath rath's Sukhoi tyres
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Kolkata: The chariot used to carry Lord Jagannath during the Rath Yatra in Kolkata did a 24 km dry run on Saturday night, hours after its ageing Jumbo jet wheels of 1978 vintage were replaced with mint-fresh wheels used in Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets in the Indian Air Force.
The four tyres cost Rs 1.8 lakh.
"The chariot was hauled by a tow truck from its garage in Rajarhat to the Gurusaday Road. The journey was smooth. We expect the 7-km journey on the day of Rath Yatra and the return journey on Ulta Rath to be glitch-free," said Iskcon Kolkata vice-president Radharamn Das. This will be Iskcon Kolkata's 54th Rath Yatra.
While the rath travelled at 8 kmph on Saturday, it usually crawls at 1.4 kmph during the Rath Yatra.
The tyres are capable of doing 280 kmph, the speed of the take-off run on the tarmac before the Sukhoi jets become airborne.
Officials of MRF Tyres, manufacturers of the tubeless tyres for the fighter jet, were taken aback when Iskcon first approached them for the Sukhoi tyres that appeared to be the closest fit to the Dunlop tyres for Boeing B-747 aircraft that were fitted when American engineer Garry William Roberts designed Iskcon Kolkata's chariot in 1977.
"The only customers that the company had for these tyres was the Indian Air Force. They were so shocked when we requested to buy the four tyres that they sent their officials to look at the rath. They confirmed that the 4-ft diameter Sukhoi tyres are the closest match to the jumbo jet tyres that were in use. Iskcon is now the second customer for these tyres," said Das.
Each Sukhoi tyre is capable of taking a load of 13 tonnes.
Together, the four tyres can carry 52 tonnes. While the Sukhoi aircraft weighs 18.4 tonnes, the maximum weight of Jagannath's chariot along with the deity, priests, and disciples riding it will be 16 tonnes.
The search for the tyres began two decades ago in 2005.
Though Iskcon zeroed in on the Sukhoi tyres around 2018, the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the urgent replacement required in the iron wheels of Balaram's rath caused the delay.
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Time of India
a day ago
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Sukhoi fighter jet tyres fitted on Lord Jagannath's chariot for ISKCON Kolkata Rath Yatra
After 48 years of using Boeing aircraft tyres, Kolkata's ISKCON Rath Yatra chariot has been upgraded with Sukhoi fighter jet tyres for this year's festival on June 27th. ISKCON sought replacements when the original Dunlop tyres became problematic, discovering that MRF's Sukhoi tyres matched the chariot's specifications. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Forty-eight years after trundling on tyres used for Boeing aircraft, the chariot used during ISKCON's Rath Yatra in Kolkata has got new tyres that are used for Sukhoi 4th generation fighter chariot, with the new set of tyres, will carry Lord Jagannath on this year's Rath Yatra which will be held on June ageing and worn-out old tyres have been replaced by the new tyres used for Sukhoi 4th generation fighter jets, according to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata Radharaman Das told PTI on Monday that for the last 48 years, tyres used for Boeing aircraft were used to pull the chariot of Lord Jagannath, but for the last 20 years they have been trying to get a replacement as technical issues cropped up with the four old tyres over time."We were looking for replacements but the maker of Boeing tyres, Dunlop had stopped operations years back. After thorough research, Sukhoi's tyres closely matched our specifications as those have the same diameter size tyres used in Boeing," he said."We then contacted MRF which makes tyres for the Sukhoi fighter jets. The company's experts came to Kolkata in December last year and inspected our chariot that carries the idol of Lord Jagannath on Rath yatra. After the tyres were fitted, the chariot had a test run for over 20 km in the city on May 31," he structural adjustments had to be made in the wooden chariot to fit in the Sukhoi tyres, Das said."So by the grace of Lord Jagannath his chariot got brand new tyres and we are confident of a smooth journey of the Lord on the day of auspicious Rath Yatra on June 27 and Ultorath-The return car festival on July 5," he of the four tyres can withstand a load of 16 tonnes. The chariots of other deities will have iron wheels as if using fighter aircraft tyres for pulling the chariot of the Lord is unique and unprecedented, Das said, "We had fitted Boeing tyres with the main chariot in 1977 for the Lord's journey on the roads of Kolkata. We have no information about such practices followed elsewhere in the country or Asia."
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