When the old deities are really buried

This is a once in a twelve year ritual. The old deities are ceremoniously buried and the new ones installed in this mammoth temple. The whole ritual is elaborate and highly secret that only a handful of people are aware of it and only a miniscule among them permitted to witness or participate.

All the deities are made of  wood. They are so heavy that they need several people to lift them. The main deity is also made of wood and this is so heavy that more than a few men have to strain themselves to hold each of  two hands: Some must push from behind and some pull from the front and even then the idol barely deigns to move.

Since the deities are made from wood,  they are replaced once in twelve years. This ritual is called Nava kalevara yatra or ritual of transformation. Once the twelfth year nears, elaborate preliminary preparations are made to search out for the right tree.

The tree that is selected for the deities must be special. First of all the symbolic marks of chakra, conch shell, mace and lotus have to be found on the bark of the tree.

An exclusive search party consists of  the exact numbers of men belonging to specific families and castes is set up. The party reaches a village which is 80 kilometres away from the temple which houses these deities.

When this party locates the special tree, they find the sacred symbols on only one of the many trees around. They all reside in a hut constructed near the tree. They then chew the leaves of the tree that has been selected to prepare the deities.

This is the Neem tree and they then prepare for a yagna or fire sacrifice where all the Gods and demi gods are invited to give their blessings before the tree is formally cut and then deities sculpted.

Then the cutting of the tree begins. First the golden axe is taken and a cut made on the tree This is followed by a cut form the silver axe and then comes the iron axe which finishes the axing. All the while, the names of the Lord will be chanted continuously, he has 108 names and each one of them will be chanted.

Once completed, the deity is called Daru which means Neem. The deity here is Jagganatha of Puri and he is, therefore, called Daru Brahamana.

Apart from Jagannatha, the other deities are of Subhadra, Balarama and Sudarshan. All these deities are sculpted in the village of Kakatpur, which is 80 kms from Puri.

Only the members of the Dayitapati family are allowed to perform this secret ritual and the oldest members of the family sleeps in the temple of Goddess Vimala or Mangala, It is he who has the dream about the perfect tree to cut down.

Once the log is cut, only members of the Dayitapadi family bring it back to Puri. It is here that the descendent of the original sculptor will commence  carving.            

Once the new deities are carved, the transformation ceremony commences. Here too, only a few precisely designated “servants: of Jagganatha can participate in the rites of transformation.

The old deities are placed in front of the new and three oldest members of Dayitapati family transfer “Daru Brahman” to the new Deities.

Even the head priest is not permitted to be present during this highly secret ceremony. But the Nava kalevara yatra is actually supposed to be a very intense experience as the three members blindfolded transfer  “life force.”

The old deities are buried in a place known as Koili Vaikuntha. Koili means burial ground and Vaikuntha of course is the abode of Vishnu.The last time this was done was in 2008.

Though millions thronged the temple and its premises, less than a few dozens, priests and servants of the temple, were present. The entire ceremony was shrouded in secrecy.

Once the new deities are installed, then all other rituals are the same as has been done every day.

The Goddess and her kitchen

It is the largest kitchen in the world. Only cooks are allowed entry. There are 32 rooms in the kitchen complex, 752 stoves and nine earthen pots.

The length of the kitchen is 150 feet. Its breadth is 100 feet and the kitchen ceiling is 20 feet high. It consists of  250 earthen ovens and 500 cooks, called Mahasuras and 300 helping hands or assistants.

The food prepared here is considered mahaprasad and it can feed any number of people and they go up to millions during festivals and other auspicious occasions.

The food here is very tasty except for a few occasions. Do you know why? The Goddess who supervises the kitchen loses interest when her husband, the presiding deity of this temple, falls sick every year or travels to another temple-an yearly ritual.

When the food being prepared displeases the Goddess, she ensures that a dog appears here or a shadow of a dog is seen. This is the signal for the food to be buried and a new course to be cooked.   

Welcome to the kitchen of Lord Jagannatha of Puri in Orissa.

Jagannatha or the Lord of the Universe, is served by one of the biggest kitchens in the world.      

No onions or garlic are used in the preparations. The kitchen is prohibited territory for everyone except the cooks. It is located at the south east of the compound called Srimandi.

Water for preparing the food is drawn from two wells called Ganga and Yamuna. The cooks and their assistants then start preparing  56 different offerings known as Mahaprasad or Abhada for Lord Jagannath, which are served to the Lord six times a day.

The food cooked here includes seven different types of rice, four types of pulses, nine types of vegetables and different sweets. Fine molasses, instead of sugar, is used for preparing sweets.

Apart from onion and garlic, other vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes and cauliflower are also not used. Every meal that is prepared has its own name such as Jagannath Ballabh, ladu, mathapuli and sarapuli.

The offering to Jagannatha starts in the morning and it is called the Gopala Vallabha Bhoga. This is a seven course breakfast - Khua, Lahuni, sweetened coconut grating, coconut water, and popcorn sweetened with sugar known as khai and curd and ripe bananas.

When Jagannatha gets hungry again at 10 a.m., he gets Sakala Dhupa.  This generally consists of 13 items including Enduri cake and Mantha puli.

His next repast is called Bada Sankhudi Bhoga consisting of Pakhala with dahi and Kanji payas. The offerings are made in the bhog mandapa about 200 feet away from the Ratna Vedi. This is called Chatra Bhog and this was first introduced by  Shankaracharya in the 8th century to help pilgrims share the temple food.

The Madhyanha dhupa come at noon and the Sandhya doopa is at night. This is at 8 p.m. The last offering to the Lord is called the Bada Simhara Bhoga

There are three types of hearths-Anna Chuli, Ahia Chuli and Pitha Chuli. All varieties of dal and curry are cooked in Ahia Chuli. The pitha chuli are made of cement and there are ten such structures in the kitchen.

The fire in the kitchen is known as Vaishnava Agni and it is never put out.

It is believed that Mahalakshmi herself cooks When Lord Jagganatha falls sick before the Ratha Yatra, Mahalakshmi cannot cook with full attention. Therefore, the food is less tasty.  Similarly, when Jagannath goes to the Gundicha Temple every year, she loses her zeal for cooking and the food does not taste so good. When the food is bad or does not taste good or if she is displeased with the preparations, a dog appears and this signals that the food should be buried and new cooking should begin. 

Of all the 56 varieties of  Naivedhyas, the most awaited is Koto Bhoga or Abada. Generally, this is offered at noon or around 1 p.m.

Well, there are other temples too which have a huge kitchen. The Balaji or Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupathi, the kitchen in Guruvayoor, the kitchen at Mantralaya, Udupi and several other temples. But none of the can match the variety and of course the legend and menu of Jagannatha. Care to try the dishes.

Head for Puri, which is well connected by both road and rail network. Accommodation is easily available. For food, why not try the prasada. Taste it and write back about how you felt. But do not go during the famous Ratha Yatra-you see Mahalakshmi cannot promise you the same taste.