Puri: At this time of the year, Narendra Tank situated in the holy city is full of life and activities. However, this time, the pandemic coronavirus has completely brought life to a standstill. The ‘Chandan Yatra’ festival which is celebrated every year with gaiety and pomp has been cut short.
Amid the lockdown, the festival will be held Sunday evening within the Jagannath temple premises and no devotees will be allowed. The decision to organise the festival inside the temple was taken Friday night in a meeting between the temple management committee and Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati.
‘Chandan Yatra’ is actually a 21-day summer festival and begins on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. Madanmohan, the representative deity of Lord Jagannath, Ramkrishna, Laxmi, Saraswati and the five Mahadevas are seated in specific palanquins and then taken in a grand procession to Narendra Tank.
Sandalwood paste is then applied to the deities. They are then placed on beautifully decorated boats for an evening cruise in the pond. After the ‘nau vihar’ ends, the deities are taken to three temples in the pond. They are bathed, decorated and worshipped with much pomp.
It should be stated here that the attire of Madanmohan is changed daily. After the rituals, the deities are brought back to their respective abodes inside the premises of the Jagannath temple.
Thousands of devotees throng Narendra Tank to witness this annual festival. This year however, the usual hustle and bustle has gone missing. The entire Narendra Tank area is wearing a deserted look. It seems that coronavirus hasn’t spared the gods also.
PNN