It is an ancient ritual associated with Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha, India (60kms from the city of #Bhubaneswar)when the Idols of LordJagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan are replaced by a new set of Idols.
A year which has two months (Adhika masa) of Ashadha as per the Hindu Calender is auspicious for conducting the ceremony. This usually occurs every twelve to nineteen years. The Deities are made from a special type ofNeem wood known as Daru Bramha.
Preparations for the ceremony start in the month of Chaitra.
Last ceremony was done in the year 1996. Next ceremony will be held on 2015. More than 5 million devotees are expected to visit the temple during the Nabakalebar of 2015.
No ordinary Neem tree can be used to make the deities . Certain well defined criteria must be satisfied by the tree before it is labelled a Daru Brahma fit for deities making.
Sankha (conch), Chakra (disc), Gada (mace/club), Padma (lotus) are the required marks on the tree to be designated Daru Brahma.
Locating the four holy trees requires divine intervention.
As per long standing tradition the Priests of the Jagannath Temple (Puri) worship Maa Mangala at the Kakatpur Mangala Temple. It is said the Goddess appears to them in their dreams revealing the location of the holy trees.
The countdown to the Nabakalebar of Lord Jagannath starts with the formation of the search party that would go out to locate the “Holy Tree”.
Source: Article in Medium.com by Devasis Sarangi