As per the historic evidence, the trio idols of Sri Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra at Mahesh Jagannath temple are considered to be 628 years old.
The Puri Jagannath temple and the trio deities within the temple are quite primitive but as per traditional rituals, after every 12 years, Nabakalebara is performed when the trio idols of the deities are replaced by a new one.
At Mahesh Jagannath temple, Nabakalebara Utsav is not performed. The deity idols are not replaced. Instead, the idols are given a fresh coat of herbal colours.
The secretary of Mahesh Jagannath temple trust and sebait Piyal Adhikari said UNESCO has certified Bengal’s Durga Puja and has enlisted it in the historic world heritage. The idols of the deities at Mahesh Jagannath temple are 628 years old, carved out of Neem plank. Till day, no changes have been made, except providing a new coat of herbal colours. The trio carry with it the virtue of being the oldest deity idols present in the temple of India. It is our wish to seek the certification from UNESCO on the historic importance of the deity idols.
A meeting was held with the district magistrate with the papers and documents submitted stating the historic background of the trio idols.
The DM has also shown keen interest in the matter and has assured to forward the documents to the concerned offices and departments.
The secretary of the Mahesh Jagannath temple trust and sebait, Piyal, said as per the historic religious documents we come to know that Brahmananda Brahmachari, a renowned saint, meditated in the dense forests of Mahesh. Brahmananda on his visit to Puri Jagannath temple was humiliated and driven out of the temple by the then pandas. He returned to Mahesh and wished that he could serve lord Jagannath at Mahesh. Lord Jagannath appeared in his dreams and pacified the saint and said to him, “A neem wooden plank will come floating in the Bhagirathi river. You must carry it to the banks and with much reverence carve out the tree idols. The divine words came true.