Navakalevara is the ceremony when Bhagavana Sri Jagannatha i.e. Supreme Deity of the entire universe, assumes His new manifest alongwith His siblings Sri Balbhadra and Devi Subhadra. It is a cosmic principle that He Himself enunciated to His disciple-friend Arjuna in the battlefield of Kuruksetra minutes before commencement of the legendary war of Mahabharata and the wisdom expounded by Him came to be known as Bhagvadgita –
Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grhnati naroaparani I
Tatha sarirani vihaya jirnanyanyani samyati navani dehi II 2 / 22 II
Just as human body is encased in clothes, Jivatma is encased in gross body. It is a mystical and enlightening analogy drawn by the Supreme Exponent to illustrate a profoundly mystical cosmic reality pertaining to a particular manifest of the Supreme Reality.
And the Supreme Entity has been so honest to the cardinal principles laid down by Him that He periodically discards His old embodiment to assume a new one symbolized by a new wooden idol of Neem, crafted and installed in the sanctum sanctorum while the older, discarded one cremated in the backyards of the Holy Shrine in Puri. He is also known as Daru Brahma i.e. The Wooden Deity, unlike others crafted of metal or stone. Quite mystically, the cosmic phenomenon of Navakalevara is brought about by Him for man while in His case, it is enacted by man for Him !! An excellent instance of cosmic reciprocity between Nara and Narayana.
Owing to the daily, occasional and periodic rituals like Ratha–Yatra, Snana Purnima etc., wear and tear sets in the Deity’s embodiment as this embodiment of Bhagavana is constituted of Panca Mahabhuta-s !!! Exactly as in the case of man. As this embodiment weakens and disintegrates with passage of time just as man grows old and decrepit before demise with passage of age, Bhagavana has to undergo re-embodiment. Navakalevara is precisely the grand ceremony of Bhagavana’s re-embodiment. In this holy ritual of re-embodiment, ‘transmigration’ of Brahma from the old, decrepit Kalevara i.e. body to the newly crafted one, is a mystical ritual. Images of Sri Jagannatha and Sri Balabhadra are larger than trunk-head image of Devi Subhadra’s, have large heads and arm stumps. Bhagavana Jagannatha’s head is flat on top holding large, round eyes while Sri Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra have oval heads with almond shaped eyes. Large eyes of The Deity convey the message that He beholds all, with no exception at all. Devi Subhadra, also known as Yogamaya and Ekanamasa i.e. Advaita, the One is regarded as Creator of Kala, The Infinite Time. Worship of Bhagavana Sri Jagannatha and His sister, Devi Subhadra is a unique rarity symbolizing filial love.
Re-embodiment of Bhagavana Jagannatha is solemnized when two months of Asadha fall in a calendar year and preparations commence right in the month of Caitra of the same year. It is a rare constellation of planets which occurs once in 12 to 19 years periodically. Current calendar year of Caitra Sukla Pratipada 2072 (2015 in Jesus Calendar) witnessed two months of Asadha hence, Navakalevara was organized during these months.
Wood that is used for Navakalevara must have divine marks on it. After completing elaborate rituals, Pati Mahapatra family, Daitapati-s, Lenka, Maharana-s, Brahamana-s, Deulakarana-s, Pujari-s and Mahanta-s of the Temple move in a procession known as Banajaga Yatra to pray to Ma Mangala to guide them to the right wood by appearing in dream. Daru Brahma from which Bhagavana Jagannatha is carved out, must be darker in complexion than the trees to be used for carving out His siblings. Presence of four principal branches embodying His four arms is essential. It must be located close to a cremation ground and a waterbody, surrounded by three mountains or close to a three-way, adjacent to an ant-hill, with a cobra-pit at the roots, no bird-nest on it’s branches, no creeper growing on it, no branch mutilated or chopped off ever, must be located in company of Varuna, Sahada and Vilva trees in the vicinity of a hermitage or a Siva Temple. The tree must have natural impressions of Conch-shell and Cakra on it’s trunk. When such a tree eligible to be Daru Brahma is successfully located, it is wooden-carted to Sri Jagannatha Temple, new Deities carved out within 21 days by Maharana-s in a special enclosure within Temple premises known as Koili Baikuntha on northern gate. Throughout 21 days, Akhanda Bhajana and Vedic chantings by Pujari-s are conducted uninterruptedly outside Koili Baikuntha to drown every sound emanating from deity crafting going on inside. Once completed, new deities are carried inside and placed before old ones in utmost silence and confidentiality by three eldest Daitapati-s three days before Ratha Yatra. No one else is allowed inside and no offerings are done during the ceremony. When Tattva Padartha is transferred from the older Deity to the newer one on the midnight of Krsna Caturdasi, re-incarnation through re-embodiment is purported to have been accomplished. The sacred ritual is known as Brahma Parivartana, also involves blind-folding of all the three Daitapati-s and a piece of His cloth wrapped around their wrists. Newly incarnated Deities are now established on Ratna Singhasana i.e. the alter and older ones carried to Koili Baikuntha and accorded Samadhi in a sacred ritual that must be completed before dawn. Ancient traditional wisdom tells that anyone who beholds the ceremony even surreptitiously, dies sooner or later. With the crack of dawn, temple gates are opened for all to go for Navayouvana Darsana. It is on the third day that Bhagavana Sri Jagannatha moves out for Ratha Yatra to His place of birth i.e. Gundica Temple and His Mausi’s home alongwith His elder brother Sri Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra. After nine days, They return and the return journey is known as Bahuda Yatra. Ratha Yatra symbolizes cosmic journey through the world towards ultimate emancipation while imperfect figure of Sri Jagannatha signifies, imperfection of the world around us.
Giant chariots in which Deities travel, is constructed on the occasion of Aksaya Tritiya annually. Bhagavana Jagannatha’s chariot is known as Nandighosa or Cakradhvaja which means blissful sound. Bhagavana Balabhadra’s chariot is Taladhvaja meaning thereby, rhythm. Devi Subhadra’s chariot is known as Padmadhvaja or Darpadalana implying thereof, annihilator of Ahamkara. Ratha Yatra is a grand, magnificent festival when Bhagavana Sri Jagannatha is Bade Thakur, temple is Bada Deula, the road traversed is Bada Danda, food dedicated is Maha Prasada and the chariots, the Juggernauts.
Odisha is the state where tribal and non-tribal cultural-spiritual traditions have thrived harmoniously and symbiotically in the entire recorded history. Bhagavana Sri Jagannatha is the supreme deity who symbolizes that rich tradition eloquently. The Deity was first worshipped by Saora tribes in ancient times who mystically appeared in Puri much later. Even today those tribals, known as Daitya-s / Daita-s, alone enjoy the privileges to serve Him, dress and decorate as well as regularly renovate His wooden embodiment. They still maintain most of their tribal practices while Bhagavana Sri Jagannatha represents evolution of a tribal Deity into a pre-eminent Deity of contemporary Hinduism. Original form of the present Trinitarian deities of Bhagavana Sri Jagannatha, Sri Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra is unitary Dadhivamana, first established in Tekkali of Andhra Pradesh by Queen Kasturikumudini, widow of King Anantavarmana Codagangadeva. It is pertinent to mention at this moment that the Deity of Lingaraja Temple in Bhuvanesvara too, is served, bathed and worshipped by Pujari-s of Badu tribe of Odisha. Even Narsimha Avatara who burst out from a pillar to slay the Asura King Hiranyakasyapa is widely worshipped and the pillar as uniconical image, is adored as Khambesvari Devi i.e. Deity of the Pillar who is regarded as His source of Sakti.
As the legend moves, Mahasivagupta I Yayati, also known as Yayati Kesari of Mandala–Panji, discovered Daru Brahma during first half of 10th century as the abode of Sri Jagannatha ji was destroyed by Yavana King Raktabahu some 145 years earlier and Pujari-s had hidden the Deities near Sonepur to protect them from being defiled by invaders. Since idols were completely decrepit, Yayati decided to craft and install newer ones. Since then, the holy ritual of Navakalevara is being celebrated.
King Indradyumma, who constructed the Temple, was blessed with a boon to which he responded thus, “Grant my family to be extinct so as not to leave behind even one descendant in distant future to boast around, this temple was built by an ancestor of his !”
His supreme surrender and complete negation of ego symbolizes unresolved riddle of the origin of Sri Jagannatha movement.
