Update on Nabakalebara Commemorative Coin Release

It appears that everything is now resolved, with the government issuing a gazette notification for the release of the coins. These should be released soon, although they will still bear the date of 2015. Below is the design for the proposed coins and stamps by the Government of India.

Nabakalebara is a symbolic recreation of the wooden forms of the four deities at Jagannath Temple in Puri. In the Jagannath cult, this ceremony involves the periodic renewal of the wooden forms of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshana. The occasion takes place every 8th, 12th, or 19th year from the previous Nabakalebara.

The method used to determine the year of Nabakalebara involves finding a year with two Ashadhas (Doashadhas), or the month of Ashadha with two full moons, in the Lunar Hindu calendar. Every three years, a lunar month is excluded from the calculation to balance lunar and solar years, known as 'Adhimasa' or 'Malamasa.' A year with an extra (Adhika masa) Ashadha month is considered highly auspicious for conducting the ceremony, typically occurring every twelve to nineteen years. The four deities undergo the Nabakalebara process in the year featuring the Adhimasa. The deities are crafted from a special type of Neem wood known as Daru Bramha. Preparations for the ceremony commence in the month of Chaitra. The most recent ceremony took place in 2015, and the one before that was in 1996.

Update 18th March 2018: President Releases the Nabakalebra Commemorative Coins