Chandan Yatra (ଚନ୍ଦନ ଯାତ୍ରା), also spelled Chandana Yatra, is a 42-day summer festival of the Jagannath Temple in Puri that begins on Akshaya Tritiya in the month of Baisakha. During its first three weeks, representative images of the temple's deities are taken each evening in procession to Narendra tank, where they are rowed around the water on decorated boats; the name comes from chandana, sandalwood, whose cooling paste and scented water are central to the worship in the hot season.
Significance
Chandan Yatra is one of the major annual festivals of the Jagannath Temple and the longest in the summer calendar. Its themes are cooling and play: the deities are anointed with sandalwood and taken out to enjoy the water, as devotees themselves seek relief in the heat of April and May. Shreekhetra.com, a long-running Puri temple guide, describes the festival as worship of the deities with water mixed with sandalwood.
Chandan Yatra is also closely tied to Ratha Yatra. On Akshaya Tritiya, the day it begins, the temple formally starts building the three new chariots for the Ratha Yatra, so the festival opens the season of preparations that ends with the chariot festival in Ashadha. For the temple itself, see Jagannath Temple, Puri.
Bahara Chandana and Bhitara Chandana
The 42 days are divided into two equal parts:
- Bahara Chandana (outer Chandana), 21 days from Akshaya Tritiya. This is the public, outdoor phase. Each day the representative deities are carried in procession from the temple to Narendra tank and taken on boat rides, and return to the temple at night.
- Bhitara Chandana (inner Chandana), the following 21 days. The rituals continue inside the temple, without the public processions to the tank.
Rituals at Narendra tank
The main wooden images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra do not leave the sanctum for Chandan Yatra. Instead, their movable representative images take part. The procession is led by Madanamohana, the representative of Jagannath, with images of Rama and Krishna and two goddesses, named as Lakshmi and Saraswati by Shreekhetra.com and as Sridevi and Bhudevi in other accounts. They are accompanied by five Shiva deities from Puri's temples, known together as the Pancha Pandava: Lokanatha, Jambeswara, Markandeswara, Kapalamochana and Nilakantha.
At Narendra tank (Narendra Pokhari, also called Chandana Pokhari), the deities are placed on two decorated boats named Nanda and Bhadra, each made by joining two boats together. The temple administration describes the images being taken around the tank on beautifully decorated and illuminated boats twice each day during the first 21 days. The tank lies north-east of the main temple.
The next great summer festival of the temple is Snana Yatra, the public bathing of the deities on the full moon of Jyeshtha.
Where is it celebrated?
The festival is centred on the Jagannath Temple and Narendra tank in Puri; see the Puri travel guide and the Puri district page.
Food associated with Chandan Yatra
The deities continue to receive their regular temple offerings during Chandan Yatra, and devotees take the temple's sacred food, Mahaprasad. The sources consulted do not link a distinct dish to Chandan Yatra itself.
When is Chandan Yatra?
Chandan Yatra begins on Akshaya Tritiya, the third day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Tritiya) of the month of Baisakha, usually in late April or early May.
| Year | Start (Akshaya Tritiya) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 April (Bahara Chandana began; chariot construction started) | Kalinga TV, citing the temple's schedule |
| 2027 | Akshaya Tritiya; date not yet verified | Check the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration or a current Odia panjika |
Related on Odiapedia
- Ratha Yatra, whose chariots are begun on the first day of Chandan Yatra
- Snana Yatra, the bathing festival on Jyeshtha Purnima
- Jagannath Temple, Puri
- Dola Purnima, the spring swing festival of the temple