Posted March 9, 2013 by admin in Odisha

Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath 2015 - Puri

Writen by SOUMYA SAGAR:- NABAKALEVARA -2015

Lord Jagannath,the God of sanatana culture is famous world-wide for his dedication to the devotees and his rituals and events along the year. Among them one of the most grandiloquent event is “Nabakalevara” which is derived from Sanskrit words (Naba –new;Kalevara –body).This process is associated with the replacement of new idols of Lord Jagannath,Balabhadra,Subhadra and Sudarshan.The old idols are sent to ‘Koili Baikuntha’.

Nabakalevara takes place in the year in which there is two months of ‘Asadha ‘.This auspicious occasion occurs every 12 – 19 years. The last ceremony was in 1996 and the next is in 2015.Mainly the idols are made of ‘Neem’ wood with some conditions. The Neem tree for Lord Jagannath must have four principle branches symbolising four arms of Narayana.The wood normally called as “Daru Bhramha” is dark in case of Lord Jagannath and little fair for Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra.

Once the tree is located a ‘Yagna’ is performed and cutting of tree proceeds in ‘Mahendra bela’(good timing) first golden axe is used and then cutting started with chanting 108 names of the god. The woods are then carried to ‘Koili Baikuntha’.Special carvers are appointed for the preparation and it longs for 21 days. In these days the carvers are not allowed outside the temple and there only food is ‘Mahaprasad’.Once the new deities are made they are carried to inner sanctum and placed in front of old deities facing them. During this process nobody is allowed to enter inside the temple. On the midnight of ‘Asadha krishna chaturdashi’ the new deities are installed.

There is also a ritual in finding of the tree. The search for tree starts from ‘Kakatpur’ of Puri where ‘Maa Mangala’ indicates the direction for the tree.

‘Nabakalevara’ attracts millions of people across the world to Puri. It is one of the largest ceremony in the country. It correlates that sacred relation between devotees and deities. Odisha state government has already started its preparation for ‘Nabakalevara 2015’.Puri is gearing up once again to welcome all. Let us pray near the almighty for the grand success of the ceremony. Hope for the best “Nabakalevara 2015”……….

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