A rath wheel fixed to an axle on Saturday. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, June 1: The 21-day chandan yatra festival, during which representative deities of the Jagannath temple went on boat rides in the Narendra pond everyday, ended today.

The conclusion of the festival coincided with the “bhaunri” ritual associated with the construction of the chariots for rath yatra.

The representative deity of Lord Jagannath, Madana Mohana, along with consort deities Sridevi and Bhudevi, used to be carried to the Narendra pokhari twice a day where they used to make trips of the pond in gorgeously decorated boats. The idols were decorated in different styles for the morning and evening sessions. The festival concluded today with the “haladi pani” ritual.

“Owing to excessive heat, the deities of were smeared with sandalwood paste or chandan and their representative deities would go out for the “chapa khela” or water sports to get relief from the heat,” said Rama Krushna Das Mohapatra, a daitapati or a chief servitor of the temple.

Chandan yatra is considered a prologue to the rath yatra.