Next Nabakalebara in 2034 - Puri Jagannath Temple to have New Idols (Murtis) of Presiding Deities in 2034
The Puri Jagannath Temple in Odisha will have new idols of the presiding deities in 2034. Nabakalebara is the change of the murtis worshipped in the world-famous Puri Jagannath Temple in Odisha. Nabakalebara 2034 date is July 15 midnight. The new deities will be made available for darshan on July 16. The new murtis will participate in the Rath Yatra taking place on July 17. The present murtis will be replaced with new murtis made out of neem tree. The change of murtis is known as Nabakalebara and takes place when there is an Adhik Ashada Masa or extra Ashada month as per traditional Hindu lunar calendar. In 2034, there is an additional Ashada month from June 17, 2034 to July 15, 2034.
The change of murtis takes place roughly once in 19 years
and the last was in 2015.
The murtis are made from a special type of neem wood known
as Daru Bramha. The murtis of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan
Chakra are changed. The new body is referred to as Nabakalebara. A wrapped
package of brahma (life) is removed from the old murti and is place in the new
one.
The old murtis are then buried.
Preparations for the ceremony start in the month of Chaitra
Month (March – April) (Chaitra Shukla Paksha Dasami).
Last Nabakalebara ceremony was performed in 2015 and before
that in 1996.
The ceremony in 2034 will attract more than millions of
devotees from around the world.