Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669
Nabakalebara - Marketing Odisha to the World
Dr. Manmath Nath Samantaray, Dr. Prakash Ch. Dash
INTRODUCTION NABAKALEBARA: BACKGROUND People have come across with lot of NOTE hoardings and bill boards on the way to Puri, The exact year of origin of when the Odisha. These have put many questions in mind ritual, Nabakalebara was started is not known. and generate curiosity to know the details of the But on many occasions the deities had to be programme. Many times it has been tried to secretly buried or shifted from the temple when it explore the possibility of image creation through was attacked by external forces. After the threat this ritual. Is it sending some message to the had passed, the images, though retrieved, had to community? Does it lead to image creation? be made anew and reinstalled. One such recorded event was in 1600 when king Yajati is reported The Nabakalebara 2015 is a celebration to have conducted this ritual after he had retrieved of the ancient ritual of Nabakalebara associated the images from Sonpur where they had been with most of the Jagannath Temples when the buried during an attack by Muslim invaders. When images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra the wooden statues were unearthed by the king and Sudarshan are replaced with a new set of he found them in a state of decay and therefore images; the last such festival of events was held in got new images carved and installed on altar of 1996. It is a festival, the period of which is chosen the temple. according to the Hindu calendar conforming to the astrological planetary positions. The festival Another version of the history is that after during 2015 involves several schedules, and it has Muslims invaded Odisha, the iconoclasts had started from 23 March 2015 with Banajaga burnt the images on the coast. Even Yatra1 and will conclude with Rathayatra followed the Afghans defied the command of Akbar and by Sunabesa2 on 27 July 2015, with many other had desecrated the Jagannath temple. Following rituals being held in between on specific dates. this Man Singh had captured Odisha in 1578. More than 5 million devotees are expected to However, Besara Mohanty, a Vaishnava participate in these rituals held in and around the wandering saint had gathered the charred remains temple complex of the Jagannath Temple, of the image, known as “Brahma Padartha”, and Puri, Odisha. carried it to Kujang. Then, according to the
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Jagannath temple chronicle sources, administration. Lord Jagannath who is a central Ramachandra Deb, Raja of Khurda, took the figure of the rituals is worshipped in the Jagannath sacred remains from Kujang and sanctified it Temple, Puri as the king of the Universe. He is within the new image of Jagannath. hierarchically number one in the realm, while the Maharaja Gajapati of Puri holds the second Nabakalebara festival is a much bigger position and is the chief servitor of the temple. and of longer duration than the annual Ratha The Maharaja would present gifts to Jagannath Yatra at Puri. According to Anncharlott but also receive gifts from representatives of Eschmann, it is a Sanskritized version of a tribal feudatory kings, and his jurisdiction extended to ritual of the Khond tribes. It is said that “proto- tribal areas. To the people of Puri, the gods took types” of this ceremony are practiced by the unusual form of huge wooden stumps, since the Kond. they had lived with the tribal people. While the The festival rituals are held over a long king got the images deified in a Hindu temple after period of 65 days to replace the old images elaborate religious ceremonies of the known as “Daru Brahma,” meaning Brahma Nabakalebara, its tribal incomplete form, called (divine life force) in the shape of wood, of Lord “virupa” was retained but encased with cloth and Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra resin. As the images are made of wood, they would and Sudarshana, by new ones made of neem tree inevitably rot, similar to the human beings, and wood; the search for the appropriate neem Datu need replacement. It is this replacement which is Brahma wood, its carriage to the carving site performed with elaborate rituals called precedes the start of the Nabakalebara festival. Nabakalebara. Navakalevara meaning “New It is begun in the Hindu calendar month of Chaitra Body or re-embodiment” is a composite of two Shukla Dashami (10th day of bright half of Lunar words ‘Nava’ meaning “New” and ‘Kalevara’ month) day. meaning “Body”. It is only the body of the gods that is changed during the rituals as it would 3 The rituals are held when an Adhimasa deteriorate with time but the Brahman or the (intercalary month) of Ashadha (June/July). Such “Brahmapadartha (soul-substance)” within the a rare occasion usually occurs once in 12 years, wooden body (called “Daru Brahma” or the but the gap may range from eight to 19 years. In “Prime-Soul enshrined in wood”) is transferred the 20th century, Nabakalebara was celebrated from the old images to the new through a secret in 1912, 1931, 1950, 1969, 1977 and 1996. In religious rigmarole. the 21st century, the first Nabakalebara is being held for a period starting from 29 March 2015 THE CAMPAIGN and ending with Niladribije on 30 July 2015 as The campaign for Nabakalebar has per schedule announced by the temple started with some slew of measure by Govt. of
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Odisha. The integrated marketing campaign Yatra, the state government also conducted a quiz undertaken was covered through all media and competition. Every hour, a question related to the created a buzz around the media. festival would be asked on the Twitter page and a lucky winner would receive a goody bag from The state government has collaborated the Tourism Department. The contest was planned with Doordarshan for real-time broadcasting of to begin at 8am and 12 questions would be asked the festival. The festival would also be shown live throughout the day. on a number of private television channels. The live streaming of the festival also had been planned The aim of the above campaign was to to be available in a few Odia websites such as keep the audiences engaged and simultaneously www.incredibleorissa.com. educate them about Nabakalebar. To garnering ample interest from people around the globe, the The state government had provided the various initiatives had been taken up by the wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) service to the public at Government of Odisha as part of their Digital Puri. The Government has planned that the service Campaign, which was proving to be really helpful would be available on the entire 3 km stretch for anyone planning a trip to be a part of this between the Jagannath temple and Gundicha historic Rath Yatra. temple. Apart from helping the thousands of devotees planning to visit the city for Nabakalebar Leaving no stone unturned, with the help festival, it would also help in making the festival of latest technological trends, Mr. Pradeep Kumar available to a global audience. Many travellers, Jena, Principal Secretary, Information Technology especially foreigners, would also want to update along with his able Team of IT Professionals had been busy in providing authentic information their profiles on social networks with posts of the about this auspicious events through a well-built festival. informative and educative website The link of the webcast was planned to (www.nabakalebara. gov.in). Department of be available on the Nabakalebar mobile app Information Technology (DoIT) had developed through which the smart phone users could see the website with the support of CSM Technologies the proceedings live. The link would also be Limited. The website, mobile app and Social streamed on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook Media handle with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, pages of the festival. and Google Plus etc were being dynamically The details on events, rituals, maps, obtained by a group of young professionals. helpline numbers and various public utilities The Tech Savvy Bureaucrat, Mr. Jena sat available during the event were being regularly down with the Team to source content from most posted on the social networking sites. To make authentic sources including Shree Jagannath its online presence more visible on the day of Rath Temple Administration (SJTA), District
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Administration of Puri, State Administration, Prelude Digital, and engaged in Social Media Departments like Tourism & Culture and Campaign of Nabakalebar mooted by the DoIT. Information & Public Relations which are The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen uploaded on a daily basis, said a senior officer Patnaik launched the digital campaign on 14 May of Odisha Computer application Centre 2015. Along with launching the official portal of (OCAC). Mr. Jena regularly monitored the inputs the festival, a user-friendly mobile application in and ensured that all departments supported the Android, iOS and Windows platforms was also Government initiative to the maximum with a view started. Besides, the campaigning was also to provide up to date and authentic information initiated through various social networking sites about the grand Festival to devotees, pilgrims and such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google tourists. Plus. Besides, a Ministerial Committee with the Working towards building transparency Ministers of Tourism and Culture, Information & between the various works undertaken by Public Relations and Energy and Information respective departments for this event, the website Technology also provided necessary guidance to provided detailed information on the projects that ensure maximum reach to the world through Digital each of the departments had been working on. Media. To make it even easier for tourists to visit These 16 departments included Commerce and Puri during the event, Nabakalebara Official app Transport, Energy, Health & Family Welfare, had been launched. The mobile app was available Home, Housing & Urban Development, to download from the Google play store https:// Information & Public Relations, Information play.google.com/store/apps/ Technology, Law, Tourism & Culture, Water details?id=com.ionicframework.nabakalebara Resources, Works, Fisheries & Animal 2015501818&hl=en. It was developed for Resources Dev, General Administration, Rural Android phone and iOS. So people could without Development, Women & Child Development and any delay install and experience this app on their Handloom, Textiles & Handicrafts. mobile phone. Not just limiting the audience to Odisha Along with these two modes, there had or India, the IT initiatives had been truly able to been a large Social Media campaign running on make it a global event. With tourists expected from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Not only with around the Globe, it became highly crucial to pass interesting facts and information, the social media on critical and important information of tourists pages kept the interest of audience with exciting stay and safety during this seven day long event. contests providing mythological information to the Various route information on the temporary masses, said Mr. Pratik Mohapatra, Head of shelters, ambulance, police were also made
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available in the website and app, said Mr. Pratik of 25 to 34, the remaining 12 per cent were from Mohapatra. people above 35. Efforts were made on to provide user A number of posts regarding the various required information on tourist amenities, developments associated to the festival were accommodations, vehicle parking, route maps, updated on the Facebook page regularly. That health facilities, police assistance, road side apart, the day-to-day Nabakalebar rituals, along assistance etc. to make visit to Puri a pleasant with interesting facts related to the grand festival, experience. The plan was to share information were also posted. To attract more followers, a from the central control room on Rath Jatra day number of innovative initiatives were also being regularly in the digital space. Besides all important taken. “After the daru reached Puri, there was festivals like Rath Jatra, Bahuda and Suna Besha nothing much happening. So, we have started would also be webcasted through the official online quiz and exciting contests to keep the website. audiences engaged and simultaneously educate The main aim of the Digital Campaign was them about Nabakalebar,” said Pratik to improve the tourist engagement, enhance the Mohapatra, who headed the Prelude digital team, service offerings, and enable visitors and tourists an extension of a Bhubaneswar-based to find relevant information about the organisation Prelude that drives the social media Nabakalebara event, said Mr. Pratik Mohapatra. campaign. The digital campaign for Nabakalebar The main purpose was to keep the online launched by the state government gained users updated on all the traditions and customs momentum. Within a fortnight of its launch, the followed in the holy event of Nabakalebar. Details number of people liked its Facebook page regarding events schedule, rituals, map, helpline increased rapidly and the number of followers on numbers as well as various public utilities available Twitter and viewers on YouTube were also during the event were also posted. The escalated. Nabakalebara mobile app provided important information related to hotels, hospitals, Updates posted on the official social networking pages of Nabakalebar throughout the transportation facilities, tourist points and day. The Facebook page had over 35,000 likes. hospitals, hotels, banks and ATMs and nearby Interestingly, the page gathered a lot of attention places in Puri. from youngsters. Around 61 per cent of the likes A number of videos related to the festival came from people belonging to the age-group 18 had been uploaded on the YouTube page. Some to 24 years. While 27 per cent of the likes had of the videos that are mostly viewed are the been gathered from people between the age group animation film on Nabakalebar by sand artist
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Sudarshan Pattnaik and the one featuring eminent have proved (to be) a good bridge for us to meet singer Prafulla Kar. several people in our state and interact with them. While a number of other pages have also We often get very good suggestions from many been created on various online platforms, one of the netizens and we often try to turn the best needs to recognise the pages run by the suggestion into action. Through Twitter I have government to obtain authentic information related personally known many people from our state who to the festival. “We added the term ‘official’ to aim to boost tourism in our state.” every page so users do n’t gets confused,” added References : Pratik Mohapatra. 1. A process of search to select the neem tree to OUTLOOK make new images to replace the old ones. The mood at the Govt. of Odisha was 2. A dorning the new images of gods with golden attire. upbeat following successful completion of Nabakalebara festival. The festival made its 3. As per the Hindu Calendar, when two lunar months of Ashadha (four lunar fortnights) fall in one year. presence felt in the globe through integrated marketing approaches adopted by the state government. It was seen that people living across Dr. Manmath Nath Samantaray, Asst. Professor and the world had shared photos, news and other items Dr. Prakash Chandra Dash, Asst. Professor, Asian in the cyberspace. Tourism Secretary, Mr. School of Business Management, Shiksha Vihar, Arabinda Padhi had said, “Social networking sites Po: ASBM Bhola Chandaka, Bhubaneswar-754012.
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