July - 2013

Odisha Review

Nabakalebara
(The Function of New-Embodiment)
Durgamadhab Dash
God is Nirakara. He has no form. Yet, He is
omnipresent. He is all-powerful and pervades
the entire universe. In this sense, He is the
foremost supreme energy of the cosmic creation.
But in the popular customary sense, the Lord in
the Grand Temple at Puri has a divine body. He
has a definite divine form. His peripheral deities
have also their own individual divine forms. The
Lord, peculiarly enough, is also subject to decay
and dissolution. He is said to decamp from the
Temple after a certain period of time. This ritual
is ceremoniously observed in the Grand Temple.
It is written in the Bhagabat, a popular Dharma
Shastra of the Hindus that everybody in this
universe is perishable in nature. Even the inanimate
objects are subject to decay and destruction. The
world, in this sense, is transient in nature. But
Atma that exists in everybody is self-existent.
It has no death. It is eternal. It was there in the
past. It persists in the present. It will also subsist
in future. It is always permanent. Body perishes
but not the soul. In the analogy of this spiritual
truth, the four divine deities of the Grand Temple
- Sri-Balabadra, Devi Subhadra, Sri Jagannath
and Sri Sudarsan-relinquish their old bodies. They
assume new bodies. But their Brahmapadartha
(the inner divine-substance) is not perishable. It
is transferred to the new divine bodies. The order
of this spiritual metamorphosis is known as
Nabakalebara.

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Nabakalebara is thus an important

function of the Grand Temple. In the etymological
sense, it is a ritual pertaining to the new
embodiment of the deities. This ritual is normally
celebrated in a year having double-Ashadha or
two Ashadhas in the Hindu almanac. Generally,
such occasions arise at long intervals varying from
nine to nineteen years. The Nabakalebar function
is necessarily unavoidable as a consequence of
the fact that the images of the Jagannath Temple
are made of Neem wood and such wooden
statues are normally subject to decay in such a
span of time. So changes of the images are felt
necessary. Nabakalebar in the Grand Temple is
performed accordingly in a ritualistic manner.
The function of Nabakalebara is an
expansive affair. It is performed only when the

July - 2013

changing of the images is felt absolutely necessary.

Sometimes, there is a kind of small
Nabakalebara function in the Grand Temple. In
the 20th century, the Nabakalebara function was
celebrated in the Temple in 1912, 1931, 1950,
1969, 1977 and 1996. In the year 1893 in the
19th century, the complete Nabakalebara function
had not taken place in the Grand Temple. Instead,
only the ritual of Sriangaphita was observed in
that year. Following the ritual in that way, the
outer layers of the divine deities were only opened
and renewed and new paints applied to them.
In the context of this analogy, we can only
say that Nabakalebara is a very old ritual. We
cant say the exact period since when
Nabakalebara has been in operation in the Grand
Temple. The scholars are of the opinion that the
Lords of the Temple had never had a peaceful
time in the past in regard to their ritualistic worship.
They had passed through myriad vicissitudes from
time to time. On different occasions, they had
been shifted from the Grand Temple to different
solitary places for protection of their iconic
sanctity. Under such circumstances, the deities
must have undergone Nabakalebar rituals when
they were re-established on the divine platform
of the sanctum. Thus, all that we can say in this
regard is that Nabakalebara is necessarily an
established function of the Grand Temple. It had
always been a recurring spiritual event in the past.
It must have taken place in the temple whenever
it was necessary to change the images of the
deities due to definite reasons.
According to Madala Panji compiled
around 1600 AD, King Yajati, for example, had
celebrated the Nabakalebar function of the divine
images in pomp and ceremony after recovering
the deities form a place near Sonpur in Odisha.
The spiritual icons had been buried there to save
them from destruction by the then sacrilegious
Muslim rulers. It is said that when the King

Odisha Review

excavated the statues, he found that the statues

had been completely decayed and reduced to
pieces. He made the new statues in their places
according to the prescribed procedure and reestablished them on the divine platform.
It may be mentioned in this connection
that only Neem wood is preferred to any other
wood in the making of the divine statues of the
Temple. There is a definite spiritual reasoning in
this regard. As described in Bhabisya Purana,
Neem wood is considered the best and most
auspicious wooden material for structuring the
statues of Lord Vishnu in general. People of all
walks of life, it is believed, can worship these
wooden statues shorn of any spiritual restriction.
As Lord Jagannath is the spiritual symbol of all
sects and all religions, the statues of the
Jagannaths are preferred to be made of Neemwood and not of any other wood. Besides,
Neem-wood, considered from the scientific point
of view, is highly durable. It is ordinarily not
destructible due to attack of insects.
According to scriptural expositions in this
regard, the Darus of the divine deities are therefore
collected from suitable Neem trees. All Neem
trees are not suitable for the making of the divine
statues. As laid down in this behalf, the Neem
trees selected for the divine deities need to have
definite divine marks and divine symbols. They
should be located at proper places commensurate
with specific scriptural specifications. We may
discuss these details deity-wise in the following
paragraphs:
1. The Daru of Sri Jagannath
The tree selected for Sri Jagannath Daru
should ordinarily be away from human settlement.
It should look dark or dark-red in colour. The
trunk of the tree should look straight having four
clear branches. The tree, furthermore, should be
7 to 12 cubit high and should have come up near
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Odisha Review

a river or a pond or on a crossing of 3 path-ways.

It is ideal if the tree is surrounded by mountains
on three sides. It is good enough if there is a
cremation ground or a temple of Lord Siva or at
least a hermitage nearby. The tree should be free
from creepers. It should also be shorn of nests
of birds. At the sometime, it should not have been
hit by lightening or affected in any way by storm
in the past. Furthermore, there should be an anthill
at the foot of the tree. The tree may also have
some snake-holes. The Daru tree should be
surrounded by trees like Varuna, Sahada and
Bilva. Besides, the area where the tree has
come up should not be swampy or marshy in
nature. At the same time, the tree should have
the divine marks of Lord Vishnu like
Sankha(Conch), Chakra(Disc), Gada(Mace) and
Padma (Lotus).
2. The Daru of Sri Balavadra
The bark of the tree for Sri Balavadra
should look light brown in colour. The tree needs
to have seven branches looking like the form of a
canopy and the hood of a cobra. The tree should
have the divine marks of plough, pestle and the
weapons of Sri Balavadra.
3. The Daru of Devi Subhadra
The tree meant for Devi Subhadra should
look yellow in colour. It should have five clear
branches and bear the mark of a lotus flower with
five petals.
4. The Daru of Sudarsan
The tree meant for Sri Sudarsan should
be reddish in colour. It should have three
branches. There should be a mark of Chakra on
any portion of the tree. The tree should also have
a depression in the middle.
These are the various characteristics of
the Darus of the four deities. In the process of
16

selection, the Daru of Sri Jagannath is actually

very important. It is required to have a maximum
number of characteristics in the order of a perfect
selection. The Darus may be collected from the
lands of any person irrespective caste and religion.
In the Nabakalebar function of 1950, the Daru
of Sri Balavadra was collected from the land of a
Muslim person. At first, he had denied to part
with the tree. But later, on persuasion of his wife,
he had agreed to spare the tree free of cost.
Collection of Darus
We may discuss now the procedure in
which the Darus of the divine deities are collected
by the servitors. This is known as Banayaga
Parba of the Nabakalebar function. In the first
instance, a group of able servitors is constituted
for this purpose. This group is composed of
servitors like Daitas, Patimahapatra, Dadhakaran,
Deulakarana, Padiakaran, Maharana, Lenka,
Rajguru, some Brahmin servitors along with the
other servitors and workers of the Temple
Administration.
The procedure pertaining to collection of
Darus starts from Chaitra Sukla Dasami i.e the
10th day of the bright fornight of the month of
Chaitra. This is to say that this Parba is to start
65 days before the great bathing festival of the
deities which takes place on the Jyestha Purnima
day. At first, 28 Daitas are selected for the
purpose. Out of them, 21 Daitas set out in the
journey and the rest seven Daitas stay back in
Jagannath Ballav Math Puri. The latter group
actually constitutes the reserve force. Their
services are utilized as and when it is considered
necessary.
As per the prescribed procedure in this
regard, the servitors come to the Grand Temple
at about 11 Oclock in the morning on the
appointed day i.e. on the day after Ramanabami
and wait outside the sanctum of the Temple. The

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Patimahapatra during this time performs the

worship-rituals. He goes up the divine platform
and takes four Ajnamalas from the four deities,
specially prepared for the purpose. Of the four,
he gives Ajnamalas of Balavadra, Subhadra and
Jagannath to the leaders of the respective groups
and keeps the fourth one for himself on behalf
Sudarsan.
Outside the sanctum, the Bhitaracha
Mahapatra (the Store Keeper of the Temple)
presents the three Chief-leaders of the Daitas
silken sarees of 6-mtr length each. He also
presents the other Daitas the silken sarees of the
same quality but of 2-mtr length each. Another
servitor called the Makup applies sandal-paste
and red-powder on their foreheads. All these
formalities mark the auspicious beginning of their
journey in search of the Darus.
Next, the whole party comes out of the
Temple to the accompaniment of music and
proceeds to the palace of the Raja of Puri situated
on the main road. The Raja greets the party in a
ritualistic manner. He then offers two metallic
plates consisting of auspicious articles like
coconuts, areca nuts, some pieces of gold,
colored threads, unbroken rice etc to his Rajguru.
The Rajguru presents one metallic plate to the
Viswabasu, the leader of the Daitas and keeps
the other one as the representative of the other
Brahmin members of the party. The entire ritual
in this regard has one symbolic meaning. The
Raja, through this ritual, authorizes the party to
go in search of the Darus. By presenting the
auspicious articles, he also wishes the group of
the servitors a trouble-free journey in their mission.
The party with the Rajguru next proceeds
to Jagannath Ballav Math. There, the members
stay for one or two days to chalk out their final
preparations. In an early morning after the final
preparations are made, the party proceeds to
Maa Mangalas Temple, Kakatpur about 50 km

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from Puri. This place is virtually the headquarters

of the party. From here, the servitors actually
conduct their journey and come back in the
evening. In Kakatapur, the party stays in the
precincts of Deuli Math belonging to Ramanujiya
Vaishnavas and maintained by Emar Math, Puri.
A special Puja is conducted in the temple of Maa
Mangala by the servitors of the said temple on
the occasion of the arrival of the Daitas and the
other members of the party.
It may be mentioned here that 3 members
of the party namely the Patimahapatra, the
Acharya and the Brahmin priest instead of staying
in Deuli Math, put up in the temple of Maa
Mangala and sleep there for divine directions from
the Goddess.
It is believed in this connection that Maa
Mangala reveals to one of these servitors in dream
the exact location of the Darus. The next day,
the Daitas set out in those directions. The
members remaining in Mangala Temple recite
Svapnavati Mantra and the Mantraraja of
Nrushingha 108 times each before going to bed
for the blessings of Mangala in the searching
mission. It is further believed that if Mangala does
not give any direction within 3 days, the servitors
hold a special Puja in the Temple for the merciful
blessings of the goddess. The common belief in
this connection is that, following the special
worship conducted for the purpose, a flower is
sure to fall from the head of Maa Mangala
indicating the direction of the Darus. The servitors
immediately go out in those directions and search
out the Darus.
The selection of the Darus is taken up in
the following order.
1. Sri Sudarsan, 2. Sri Balavadra 3. Devi
Subhadra and Sri Jagannath.
The same principle is followed with regard
to transport of the Darus to the Grand Temple.
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Odisha Review

July - 2013

The search of the Darus may require a couple of

weeks.

the Darus till they are finally shifted to the place

called Nirman Mandap.

After identification of the Neem Trees,

the servitors build temporary sheds near the trees
and stay there. They hold special worships till
the trees are cut and readied for being carried to
the Grand Temple. A Daru at the time of transport
is carried in a wooden cart containing four wheels.
The body of the cart is made of Kendu wood.
Its wheels are made of Bara wood. Its exle is
made of Tentuli wood. Before transport, the
Darus are ceremoniously bathed and covered with
silken clothes, as if they have life. It is not
permissible to have a look at a bare Daru because,
as popularly believed, viewing a Daru in that
condition is considered a great sin. The Darus
are transported in pomp and ceremony from
village to village to the accompaniment of various
forms of music and ululation. The Raja gets
informed when the Darus reach Puri.

On the Snana Purnima day, the old

statues receive the ritual bath on Snana Mandap
as usual. The Darus also simultaneously receive
the ritual bath like the old statues on the same
Snana Purnima day. One day after Snana Purnima,
the Darus are taken to Nirman Mandap. It is
here, as mentioned above that the Darus are
fashioned in to new divine statues.

If a Daru is carried to Puri through Pipili

and Sakhigopala, the concerned cart stops for a
while in front of Alama Chandi Temple near
Atharanala, the gate-way of Puri. If it is carried
through Chaitana road, it halts for a while in front
of Nrusingha Temple near Gundicha Ghar. From
these places, the Darus are carried along the
Grand Road to the Grand Temple through its
Northern Gate and finally kept in a temporary
shed constructed in Koilibaikuntha within the
temple-premises.
The Darus in the Temple and obsequies of
Daitas
According to the scriptural procedure,
the Darus reach the temple before the Snana
Purnima day. The Darus are next taken to a
temporary shed built in Koilibaikuntha. The
Darus are kept here in the same carts in which
they are brought to the Temple. Now it is the
duty of Patimahapatra to offer special Puja to
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It may be mentioned in this connection,

that the month of double-Ashadha is composed
of four fortnights. The Anabasara period of the
Nabakalebar year actually extends over a period
of one month and fifteen days. During this span
of time, the temple remains closed to the public.
As stated above, during the first fortnight, the new
statues are carved on the Nirman Mandap in
proper procedure. The Brahmapadarthas are
also transferred from the old statues to the new
statues. The second and third fortnights of the
Double Ashadha month are known as Mala Masa
of the Nabakalebar year. In the second fortnight
(i.e. in the first fortnight of Mala Masa), the
Daitas as the descendants of the Lords, observe
the obsequies because of the death of their family
Lords. In the third fortnight (i.e. in the second
fortnight of Mala Masa) the wooden-skeletons
of statues are wrapped up in silken and cotton
stripes and the Anabasara customs like PhuluriLagi, Khali-Lagi, Khadi-Lagi etc are performed
in proper procedure.
Side by side the making of the new
statues, the consecration ceremony of the
Nabakalebar function is also simultaneously
continued in the Grand Temple through the
Nyasa" Daru which is different from the other
Darus collected for the divine statues. The Nyasa
Daru is separately collected (ordinarily) from the
Neem tree meant for the statue of Devi Subhadra.
This is also brought to the Grand Temple in the

July - 2013

same manner in a wooden cart. The Nyasa Daru

may be considered a symbolic representation of
the new statues in the making. This is worshipped
during the Mahanabasara period in all the
ancillary functions relating to the consecration
ceremony of the Nabakalebara ritual. The Nyasa
Daru therefore remains in use till the new statues
are brought to the fore.
The Nyasa Daru is brought to Pratista
Mandap on the 6th day of the dark-fortnight of
Ashadha. This actually marks the beginning of
the consecration ceremony. The next day, the
Nyasa Daru is ceremoniously consecrated. One
of the Rajagurus is nominated by the king to
function as the chief priest of this sacred occasion.
The king offers the final oblation in the
aforementioned sacrifice. A series of special
worships are conducted during this occasion in
connection with the consecration ceremony. By
the 14th lunar day, the consecration ceremony of
the Nyasa Daru is finally over. The fashioning of
the wooden structures of the new images is also
completed by this time. In the night of the said
14th day, the Nyasa Daru is placed on a small
cart and taken around the Grand Temple in its
inner precincts 7 times as per the required ritual.
The Nyasa Daru is next taken inside the
Temple and handed over to the Daitas. The
Daitas (who among them know carpentry), cut
the Nyasa Daru into four pieces of the prescribed
size and carve them into suitable lids so as to use
them to cover the cavities in the belly-portions of
the new wooden images containing the
Brahmapadartha. These lids are called
Brahmakapatas.
In continuation of this function, the newly
made images are also taken around the Temple
in the night of the next day. The spiritual
perambulation like the Nyasa Daru is done in these
cases in the same manner in pomp and ceremony.
The perambulation is done thrice in the order of
Sri Sudarsana, Sri Balaram, Devi Subhadra and

Odisha Review

Sri Jagannath one after another. The new images

are thereafter taken to the Temple and placed on
the Anabasara Pindi near the old statues. It is at
this point of time that the Bramhapadarthas are
transferred from the old statues to the new images.
This is done by the servitors in a very secret
procedure. The transfer of Brahmapadarth of
Lord Jagannath is done by Patimahapatra. The
transfer of Brahmapadarthas in respect of the
other deities is done by the Daitapatis. As per
the procedure followed in this regard, the servitors
conducting the secret ritual are old and
experienced persons. Their eyes and hands (up
to elbows) are covered with cloth-bands so that
they cant touch and see the Brahmapadarthas
at the time of their transfer. However, the transfer
of the Brahmapadarthas is done at the dead of
the night.
Before transfer of the
Brahmapadarthas, a special Bhog is offered to
the old deities known as Sarbanga Panti Bhog.
This is the last Bhog of the old statues.
Raghabdas Math, Puri bears the entire
expenditure of the Bhog on this score.
There is a curiosity among the devout
devotees to know what this Brahmapadartha is
and how does it look like. There are different
religious versions on this score. As said above,
nobody has seen the Brahmapadartha as yet.
The mystery pertaining to this subject is still
unraveled. All versions on this secret observance
are based on the surmises of the servitors. Some
say that the Brahmapadartha is a Buddhist relic.
It is a tooth of the Buddha. Some others say that
the Brahmapadarthas are the Salagrams of the
rarest variety. Many among the servitors also hold
the view that the image of Jagannath might have
contained the remnants of the Jagannath-statue
that was burnt in 1568 by Kalapahada in Huguly
which rare thing was brought by a devotee called
Biswar Mohanty through his musical drum to
Odisha.
Thus noted, the Brahmapadarthas are
shrouded in mystery. Everything relating to them
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is deemed sacred and secret. Any kind of

discussion on the subject is considered religiously
prohibitive. It is good enough to know in this
connection that the Brahmapadarthas are the
most invaluable rarities in the divine sense of the
term. Their implication is said to be not within
the comprehension of human beings in general.
As soon as the Brahmapadartha is
taken out of an image, the same considered dead.
It is then loaded in the same cart in which the
corresponding new image had been brought in
and the same is immediately carried to
Kailibaikuntha which is considered the graveyard
of the old deities. Here a pit (9 Hastas deep and
6 Hastas in diameter) is kept ready in the midst
of a beautiful garden to receive the old wooden
images. The pit is spread out with red velvet and
the old images are buried here. Not only this,
the peripheral deities of the chariots are also sunk
here and new deities are made in their places in
connection with the requirements of the Ratha
Yatra Festival.
Following this ritual, the Daitapatis remain
in a state of impurity for a period of ten days.
They leave their hair unsaved. They also observe
all sorts of obsequies. On the tenth day, they come
to the temple and apply oil to their bodies near
Mukti Mandap and next proceed to the
Markendaya Tank where they cut their hair and
nail and observe purifying baths. They also
whitewash their houses at the cost of the Temple.
The Daitapatis observe all these rituals because
the Lord is considered their supreme family
member. On the 12th day, the Daitas gave a feast
to all the servitors of the Temple at their own cost.
The wonderful part of this function is that just as
the heirs of a deceased person lay claims on the
properties of the latter, even so the Daitapatis lay
claims on the articles used by the late statues
after the burial function is over. Normally, the
Temple, for this purpose, pays some money to
the Daitas by way of compensation. However
they take the relics of the old statues like clothstripes etc. which they mostly sell to the pilgrims
20

who attach highest religious importance to these

objects.
Netraisava
The wooden forms of the statues are
completed by now. Their structures are simply
considered as the skeletons of the images. In the
beginning of the dark fortnight of the extra
Ashadha, these images are entrusted to the care
of the temple-servants known as Dutta
Mahapatra. Their task is to apply on them different
substances by wrapping them up with cloth
stripes. This way, they give a final shape to the
statues and handover the deities to the Chitrakars.
The Chitrakars paint the images within two days
(on the 14th and the new-moon day of Ashadha)
with indigenous colors. They however dont paint
the pupils of the eyes of the deities. This work is
done by the Brahmin priests on the 1st day of the
bright half of the regular Ashadha with great
devotion in the sanctum. This rite is known as
Netraisava.
After giving the final touch to the eyes of
the deities, the Brahmin servitors bath them (their
reflections in the bronze mirrors) with
Panchamrita. This bath following the
Netraisava has purifying character.
This, in brief, is all about Nabakalebara.
This invaluable custom is not in vogue in any other
religion. Jagannath Dharma is a unique spiritual
philosophy. It includes all sects and all religions.
The Nabakalebara ritual emphasizes the DaruBrahma theory of God which upholds the ritual
of Sakara-worship of the all-pervading NirakaraBrahma. The Lord of the Grand Temple belongs
to all. All are his endearing devotees. He is
always one from many. The Nabakalebara
function is a spiritual pointer to this illustrious
mysticism in Jagannath philosophy.

Durgamadhab Dash, House No-138, Ananta Vihar,

Phase-II, Pokhariput, Bhubaneswar.