Odisha Nabakalebara: Banajaga chief to decide on selection of daru

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Mar 24:

The Daitapati servitors who will set out for Banajaga Yatra on March 26 will act on the decision of their team leader (dalapati) in the selection of daru (log) for the Trinity of the Shri Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri.

As per the schedule, the Daitapati servitors and servitors of Maa Mangala temple at Kakatpur would perform the jalabhisheka and majana of the Goddess on May 3. Later the Daitapati servitors will lie down (adhia) before the Goddess for her swapnadesha (order in dream) for the location of daru. Later, they will return to the Deuli Math where they will perform the brata and habisha after reciting the hymns of Nrusingha mantra, swapnadesha mantra.

While performing Banajaga yagna and meditation, the Daitapatis will have the swapnadesha from the Goddess. After the swapnadesha, the Daitapatis will have a meeting with their dalapati Haladhara Dasmohapatra, upadalapati (deputy leader) and senior servitors including Badagrahi, Biswabasu and Bidyapati before setting out in their mission in search of daru.

The final selection of daru would be made as per the decision of the dalapati.

The selection of daru would be made as per the instructions mentioned in the pothi (manuscript) which is with the Daitapatis.

The daru will be collected from the Neem tree having the symbols of Sankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma in it. The Neem tree must be near a termite mound or a crematorium in the alongside of a river bank or a pond. The tree must not have any branch lying below 12 feet from the ground level and does not have any birds’ nest in it. Besides, the tree must have four branches from its main log and not a single branch is found chopped off.

After the daru is selected, the Badagrahi servitors would touch the Agyanmalas of the Lords to the tree. Later, the servitors would perform the rituals. While performing Ankuraropana ritual, the Lenka servitors would touch the Sudarshana Chakra to the tree after which the Stotriya Brahmins, Biswakarma, Daitapatis, Patimohapatra and Lenka servitors will move around the tree three times. They would perform these rituals by observing complete fast without water.

After the rituals are completed, the Patimohapatra and Biswabasu would touch the golden axe and silver axe respectively to the tree which will be chopped off later by the Biswakarma. The servitors, after collecting the log, will bury the remaining part of the tree.

Later, the log, covered with Pata bastra (silk cloth) would be brought to the Shri Jagannath temple in a cart made of Banyan, Kendu or Tamarind wood.

It may be mentioned that the Daitapatis, during Nabakelabara in 1996, had collected the daru of Lord Sudarshan from Bisoi Diha Sahi under Madhan Mouza of Niali tehsil in Cuttack district, the daru of Lord Balabhadra from Ramakrushnapur village under Salepur block in Cuttack district, the daru of Goddess Subhadra from Malada village under Astarang block in Puri district and the daru of Lord Jagannath from Dadhimachhagadia village in Khordha district.