By Sarat Jaisingh in Puri, June 15, 2015 :

The lights went out inside and outside the famous temple of Lord Jagannath at 11 pm on Monday signalling the beginning of the most awaited process of Brahma transfer from the old deity to the new deities.

This is the final ritual of Nabakalebar – i.e Transformation Ceremony of Lord Jagannath, Subhadra, Balabhadra, Sudarshan and Madhab – representative Lord Jagannath, who takes active part in various rituals inside the temple.

The final Nabakalebar rituals signify that Jagannatha, the presiding deity of Puri, will die and be reborn along with his sister Subhadra and his elder brother Balabhadra and his weapon, the Sudarshana. The whole process began some three months back. This has been going on for the past 400 years, according to the recorded history. This festival takes place every 14 to 19 years, when there is an extra month in Ashada as per the traditional calendars. The last Nabakalenara was held in 1996.

Bramha is a super natural thing about which no one can explain. “In 1996, I had gone with my father to participate in the Nabakalebara ceremony. The lights had gone out in the town and the darkness had engulfed the city. I was assisting my father in the auspicious exchange of Brahma. It was an experience of life time. It is very difficult to express what Brahma is. It cannot be seen or touched. Our eyes were blindfolded and our hands were covered with cloth when we carry it. Yet a powerful feeling was very much present. This was our experience. Beyond this, exactly what this Brahman is that is so powerfully felt, I would not be able to say”, 54 years old Nabkishore Patimahapatra told “Bizodisha.com”.

Nabkishore – the head of servitors belonging to Patimahapatra lineage will carry out soul exchange along with two other Patimahapatras. “I am privileged to do this auspicious job for the second time in a row. It is all Kalia’s wish and we are there to serve Him as he wants. We are quite excited. I will know what happens only after I come out of the shrine”, an exited Nabakishore says.

During the midnight, the old deities are carried on the shoulders of the Dayitapatis and buried in the Koili Vaikuntha before dawn. There are three separate graves for the three deities, but all the previous Jagannaths are laid to rest in the same grave, one on top of the other. It is said that if anybody from outside this select group happens to see any of this ceremony, be it from a roof top or otherwise, they will surely die. Which is why, Odisha Government orders a full blackout of light on this one night in and around Jagannath Temple here.

After this the new deities are worshiped and the old deities buried in the sand, inside temple premises. at Tulasi Bana at Koilibaikuntha. This is the single most auspicious and important act of the Nabakalebara. Elaborate rituals, numerous myths and several celestial incidents are attached to this auspicious affair. The exact procedure of the transformation of images has been mentioned in the Sanskrit manuscripts written on palm leaves which are kept in the temple. Only the three head priests of the temple have the sole responsibility of reading and interpreting them.