A.K. Pattanayak
2015; pp. viii+72; Size 24cm x 24cm;
Copiously Illustrated
ISBN 9788173055454
Price
Rs. 995 / US$
Nabakalebara
is one of the grandiloquent events associated with the Jagannath temple of
Puri. It is a unique Hindu religious festival in many respects, which is beyond
normal human perception. Nabakalebara literally means—naba or new and kalebara
or body—new body. The new images take the place of old images and the old
images are discarded and buried under the ground. This is Nabakalebara for
Jagannath, the Lord (Natha) of the Universe (Jagata). In conformity with the
belief that Lord Jagannath is truly a ‘Living Deity’ with an astonishingly
ingenuous human touch, He moves through the life cycle of death and birth
sequences shedding His old body and getting into the new one in a remarkably
unique and mystic ceremony.
Nabakalebara
takes place during the Adikamasa (intercalary month) of Ashadha, when two lunar
months of Ashadha fall in one year, as per the Hindu almanac. Such a rare
occasion usually occurs once in 12 years, but the gap may range from 8 to 19 years.
In the 20th century, Nabakalebara was
celebrated in 1912, 1931, 1950, 1969, 1977 and 1996. This millennium’s first
Nabakalebara festival is being held in
2015. Elaborate rituals, numerous myths and several celestial incidents are
attached to this auspicious fair which
fans religious fervour
across Odisha.
The present volume is a humble attempt in
making available to general readers a lucidly written and well illustrated book
on this festival. The book covers the event in all its complexity and will be
useful to both specialists as well
as lay readers.
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