Chandan Yatra and Construction of Lords’ chariots begins

The famous Chandan Yatra of Lord Jagannath began on Thursday on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya.

As per the tradition, the representative idols of Jagannath, Madan Mohan, Laksmi and Saraswati, accompanied by Panch Shivas, were taken in a procession on separate palanquins on the shoulders of temple servitors called Vimanbadus to the Narendra Tank where the deities were given a sandalwood paste bath and taken on a boat ride to beat the summer heat.

Members of various Jaga Ghars (schools of physical exercise) participated in the procession displaying their martial art skills along the Grand Road, popularly known as Bada Danda.

The deities would return to the temple late in the night. The routine would go on for 21 days everyday before culminating after the traditional Bhaunri khela. Construction of the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra for the annual Rath Yatra began here on the Akshay Trutiya day on Thursday by the traditional temple carpenters.

The construction work began after the temple priests handed over the Agyanmala to the chiefs of the carpenter community. They were given pagri from the temple administration to begin the work. The three chief carpenters, after fashioning sarees on their heads, put their axes on the timber logs kept on the Rath construction yard.

The Rath Yatra is scheduled on July 4 while the Bahuda Yatra and the famous Sunavesha of the three deities would be held on July 12 and 13 respectively.