Aksaya Tritya/Chandan Yatra (30 April 2025 for 21 Days)
Donate for Chandan Yatra 2025
Chandan Yatra – The Festival of Divine Cooling and Devotion ✨🌿🎨 Chandan Yatra is one of the most unique and sacred festivals in the Vaishnava tradition, where Lord Krishna and other deities are lovingly smeared with fragrant sandalwood paste (chandan) to provide a cooling effect during the scorching summer months. Celebrated over 21 days, this festival fills temples with the divine aroma of sandalwood, melodious kirtans, and deep devotion. May this Chandan Yatra bring coolness to your heart and deepen your devotion to the Lord ! 🌿
Chandan Yatra
Amidst the daily grind, it is important to take a break and rejuvenate our minds and souls. If you are looking for a spiritual journey, ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Vrindavan, offers an opportunity to experience the divine in the holy land of Vrindavan during the Chandan Yatra festival.
Chandan Yatra marks the start of the summer season in Vrindavan and is celebrated for 21 days. The festival starts on Akshaya Tritiya and ends on the full moon day of Vaishakha month. During these days, Lord Krishna, Balram, Shree Shree Radha Shyamsundar and Gaur Nitai are adorned with sandalwood paste. This is because the month of vaishakha is hot and dry in India so the deities are smeared with Sandalwood paste to pacify the Their Lordship from the heat and dryness. Devotees take part in a procession where the deities are taken out of the temple and paraded on the streets.
At ISKCON Vrindavan, the Chandan Yatra festival is celebrated with great pomp and devotion. Devotees from all over the world gather to participate in kirtans, bhajans, and yajnas. The temple is beautifully decorated with flowers and lights. The atmosphere is filled with the fragrance of sandalwood paste and incense sticks.
Apart from the main procession, there are several other events that take place during the festival. One of the highlights is the boat festival where the deities are taken on a boat ride on the Yamuna river.
The boat is decorated with flowers and lights, and devotees sing and dance to the tunes of kirtans.
Another event is the Rajbhog offering, where a grand feast is prepared and offered to the deities. The feast includes a variety of dishes like rice, dal, vegetables, and sweets. Devotees can take part in the offering and get the blessings of the Lord.
If you are looking for a deeper spiritual experience, ISKCON Vrindavan offers a 21-day Chandan Yatra retreat. The retreat includes daily kirtans, lectures, and visits to various holy places in Vrindavan.
The retreat also includes seva, where devotees can participate in the temple activities like cooking, cleaning, and decorating or donating for activities like Prasadam Distribution, Shringar Seva, Book Distribution and other sevas.
The Chandan Yatra festival is not just a celebration but a spiritual journey that connects us with the divine. It is an opportunity to leave behind our worries and immerse ourselves in the love of God.