Sri Jagannathdev has told the following to king Indradyumna (he who constructed the temple in Puri):
Vaisakhasya site pakshe tritiyakshaya sañjika
tatra mam lepayed-gandha lepanairati-sobhanam
(Utkal Khand, Chapter 29)
‘In the 3rd day of the bright fortnight during the month of Vaisakh, Akshaya-tritiya, smear My Transcendental Spiritual body with fragrant sandalwood paste.’
In Sri Vishnudharmottar it is written, ‘anulepana mukhyanta chandanam parikirtitam’ – sandalwood paste is superior among other smearing articles. This is also mentioned in Sri Narad Puran.
Chandan-Yatra in Narendra Sarovar
Sri Purushottamdev has ordered the Vaishnava king Sri Indradyumna, His servant at that time, to smear fragrant sandalwood paste on Lord Jagannath’s Transcendental Spiritual body on Akshaya-tritiya, the 3rd day of the bright fortnight during the month of Vaisakh. Following that order, even today Sri Jagannathdev’s vijaya-vigraha, Sri Madanmohandev is boarded on a palanquin everyday starting from Akshaya-tritiya till the 8th day of bright fortnight in the month of Jyesta and is taken from Sri Jagannathdev’s temple to the banks of Sri Narendra sarovar (lake). Sri Madanmodandev sails in the boat along with His minister, Sri Loknath Mahadev and others.
This Narendra sarovar is also called ‘Chandanpukur’ because the Chandan-Yatra of Sri Madanmohan takes place here. This ‘Chandanpukur’, which is 873 feet long and 743 feet wide, is situated almost a mile away from Sri Jagannathdev’s temple in the North-East direction. This huge sarovar is bound on all the four sides and there are stone-made steps. The king’s subordinate, Narendra Mahaptra, has established this sarovar (lake), in the 13th century.
narendrer jale govinda naukate cadiya
jalakrida kare saba bhakta gan lañya
saba bhakta lañya prabhu namilena jale
saba lañya jalakrida karena kutuhale
(Composed by Sri Vrindavan Das Thakur in Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat)
Sri Govindadev’s Chandan-Yatra is described in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita and Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat. It is also described there that Sriman Mahaprabhu used to take devotees to Sri Jagannath temple after sporting in the waters of Chandanpukur. Later, Sri Madanmohan has come to be known as vijaya-vigraha of Sri Govinda.
About three hundred years ago, the king of Bengal, Pratapaditya moved Sri Jagannathdev’s representative Sri Govindadev from Sri Purushottam to a place called Raipur near Takir after conquering Utkal. From then on the Chandan-Yatra in Narendra sarovar is performed for Sri Madanmohan instead of Sri Govindadev
