Bhubaneswar, July 20: The history associated with Nabakalebar and Lord Jagannath has been documented in various books and research papers that have been released this month to mark the special event.

Two books on Lord Jagannath were launched on Friday in the city. Public health and communication expert Ashutosh Prasad Patnaik has come up with Unveiling The Mystery of Jagannath, an intriguing work on the origin antiquity of the cult of Jagannath. By analysing all the place names found in Odisha, the author concludes that Sumerians from the city of Ur were the first outsiders to arrive here in around third millennium BC, followed by Egyptians, Assyrians, Hittites, Greeks, Persians and Native Americans. The fascinating information is accompanied by pictorial and graphic details.

The book, published by Lark Books, was inaugurated by petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, culture minister Ashok Panda and litterateur Haraprasad Das among others.

A coffee table book with colourful pictures of this year's Nabakalebar rituals starting from banajaga yatra was released. Published by Harekrushna Khuntia and edited by Sanjay Jena, the photographs in the book Parambrahma are taken by Asish Dhir. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the book.

Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath written by A.K. Pattanayak, former vice-chancellor, Utkal University of Culture, was unveiled on Tuesday at the Pantha Nivas in the city. Litterateurs such as Satakadi Hota, president of Odisha Sahitya Academy, and Gopinath Mohanty, president of Jagannath Chetana Parishad, were present at the release. The coffee table book published by Aryan Books International, New Delhi, would help English reading devotees of Lord Jagannath understand the history and the proceedings of the grand event.

"It took me a year to research for the book. We have used pictures of the three Nabakalebar events conducted in 1969, 1977 and 1996. The historical analysis of the event will help readers, especially those living outside Odisha, get an idea about the theory behind the change of idols," said author Pattanayak.

Bisara Mohanty, an Odia novel based on historical events related to Nabakalebar, written by septuagenarian Kanaklata Mohanty was also released.