Nabakalebar Puri Rath Yatra

The Rath Yatra Festival has been renamed as the Puri Nabakalebara Rath Yatra Festival.

The Puri Rath Yatra festival is based around the worship of Lord Jagannath (a reincarnation of Lords Vishnu and Krishna). It commemorates his annual visit to his birthplace, Gundicha Temple, and aunt's home along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.

This year, after 19 years, the Jagannath Temple idols will be replaced by new ones in a ritual known as Nabakalebar (meaning "new body").

The Rath Yatra begins on the second day of Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon or bright fortnight) of the lunar month of Ashadha, as per the traditional Oriya Calendar. In 2015, it commences on July 18 and ends on July 30.

The Nabakalebar ritual takes place when the month of Ashadha is followed by another month of Ashadha (known as "double-Ashadha"). This only happens once every nine to 19 years, making it a rare event. In the last century, the Nabakalebara ritual was performed in 1912, 1931, 1950, 1969, 1977 and 1996.

Celebration

Since the idols of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are made from wood, they're subject to decay over time and need to be replaced. The new idols are crafted from neem wood but not all neem trees are suitable for this purpose.

According to the scriptures, the trees need to have certain qualities (such as specific number of branches, color, and location) for each of the idols.

A contingent of priests, servants, and carpenters sets out from the Jagannath Temple to find the appropriate neem trees, locally known as Daru Brahma, in a procession called the Banajag Yatra (this commenced on March 29, 2015). The priests walk bare-footed to the temple of Goddess Mangala at Kakatpur, around 50 kilometers from Puri. There, the Goddess appears in a dream, and guides the priests as to where the trees can be found.

Once the trees are located, they're secretly brought back to the temple in wooden carts, and the new idols are carved by a special team of carpenters. The carving takes place in a special enclosure inside the temple, known as Koili Baikuntha, near the north gate. Lord Krishna is believed to have appeared to Radha in the form of a cuckoo bird there.

The Rath Yatra begins with the idols of Lord Jagannath, along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, being taken out of their abode in the Jagannath Temple. The three of them travel to Gundicha Temple around three kilometers away. They remain there for seven days before returning via Mausi Maa Temple, the abode of Lord Jagannath's aunt.

The idols are transported on towering chariots, which have been made to resemble temples, giving the festival its name of Rath Yatra -- the Chariot Festival. Around one million pilgrims usually flock to this colorful event. However, this number is expected to swell up to five million in 2015.

Rituals Performed During the Festival

The creation of new idols and destruction of the old idols symbolizes reincarnation.

Devotional songs and prayers from the Vedas are chanted continuously outside the area where the new idols are being carved from the neem wood. Once they're completed, the new idols are carried inside the inner sanctum of the temple and placed facing the old idols. The supreme power (Brahma) is then transferred from the old to the new idols, in a ritual known as Brahma Paribartan (Changing the Soul). This ritual is carried out in privacy. The priest performing the ritual is blindfolded, and his hands and feet are wrapped in thick layers of cloth, so that he can't see or feel the transfer.

Once the ritual is complete, the new idols are seated on their throne. The old idols are taken to Koili Baikuntha and buried there in a sacred ceremony before dawn. It's said that if anybody sees this ceremony, apart from the priests who perform it, they will die. As a result, the state government orders a full blackout of lights in Puri on the night the ceremony is performed.

Afterwards, the temple rituals recommence as normal. Flowers and new garments are given to the deities, food is offered, and pujas (worship) are performed. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, this year devotees won't be allowed inside the temple to see the new idols during the Nabajoubana Darshan. They must wait for them to be taken out in the Rath Yatra procession.

The Rath Yatra is a community festival. People don't worship in their houses or fast.

Every year, three huge new chariots are made for the festival.  Construction always commences on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. This year it falls on April 21, 2015.

When the gods return from their journey, they're decorated and adorned with ornaments of pure gold and given a nourishing drink, before being placed back inside the Jagannath Temple.

An entertaining comic scene is enacted for onlookers, as part of the grand finale. Goddess Lakshmi is angry that her husband, Lord Jagannath, has stayed away for so long without inviting or informing her. She closes the doors of the temple on him, locking him out. Finally, he manages to placate her with sweets, and she relents and lets him enter.

Ritual Dates for 2015

Banajag Yatra: March 29. Commencement of procession to find neem wood for the new idols.

Carving of New Idols Begins: June 5.

Brahma Paribartan: June 15. Infusion of soul into the new idols.

Sri Gundicha: July 18. Placement of the deities in the chariots and journey to Gundicha Temple. The first chariot to move is that of Lord Balabhadra. Next is Subhadra's, and last Lord Jagannath's.

Hera Panchami: July 22. Goddess Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Jagannath, gets concerned because he hasn't come back. Irritated, she goes to Gundicha Temple to find him and see what's going on.

Bahuda Yatra: July 26. The grand return journey to the Lion's Gate entrance of Jagannath Temple. The chariots are drawn in reverse order.

Suna Besha: July 27. Decoration of the deities in gold ornaments. (This is a particularly popular ritual).

Adhar Pana: July 28. Offering the deities a healthy support drink.

Niladri Bijay: July 30. Deities are placed back inside Jagannath Temple.

The Rath Yatra festival is the only occasion when non-Hindu devotees, who aren't allowed inside the temple, can get their glimpse of the deities. A mere glimpse of Lord Jagannath on the chariot, or even to touch the chariot, is considered to be very auspicious.

The massive number of devotees that flock to the festival does pose a safety risk. Lives are often lost in the immense crowd, so extra care should be taken.

The idol of Lord Jagannath doesn't have any arms and legs. Do you know why? Apparently, it was carved out of wood by a carpenter after the Lord came to the King in a dream, and instructed him to get the idol made. If anyone saw the idol before it was finished, the work would not progress any further. The King became impatient and took a peek, and the idol remains incomplete. Some people say that Jagannath's imperfection expresses the imperfection all around us, and that it's a reminder to be kind to those who are different to us.