Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath in the Temple at Puri in Odisha India : The Re-Embodiment of the Divine

Abstract

Lord Jagannath is an ancient deity of the Hindu religion in the Indian sub-continent. He symbolizes the Lord Krishna and Lord Vishnu. This article illustrates about the Nabakalebara Ceremony of Lord Jagannath in the grand temple of Jagannath at Puri in Odisha. This is a very grand and unique ritual which is not found in any other Hindu shrine and temple in India and elsewhere in the world. This is a nonrecurring ritual which takes place once in every 8 th or 19 th year when intercalary Odia month of Asadha falls. As per the tradition of the Jagannath Temple in Puri during this period it is convenient to perform the Nabakalebara Ceremony of the Chaturdha Murty i.e Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sri Sudarshan which are worshiped as the main deities of the temple. The deities are made up of Neem wood which necessitate renewal of the deities within a definite time span through performing the Nabakalebara Ceremony. This write up broadly narrates about how a series of rituals are observed during the Vanayaga Journey which continues for nearly three to four months in searching and identifying four sacred Neem trees from which the four idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan are constructed. Thereafter, the core ritual of Ghata Paribartan i.e transforming of Brahma Padartha or the soul substance takes place secretly inside the main temple in the midnight in closed door by the intimate servitors of Lord Jagannath such as Pati Mahapatra and Daita Servitors.