I choked with emotion when I looked at the new idols of Lord Jagannath and His siblings for the first time during naba jauban darshan, a day ahead of the festival. I couldn't believe my eyes that we had crafted such beautiful images of the deities.

When the other servitors and officials of the temple administration started heaping praise on us for coming up with such beautiful idols, as a young servitor, my joy knew no bounds. I felt a sense of bliss.

The Lords are now outside the shrine and giving darshan to the devotees. Soon, they will complete their sojourn and return to their abode.

I have to take care of the deities for the next 19 years. Why just 19 years? I have to take care of the Lords till the last breath of my life.

Being the eldest son of Rama Chandra Das Mohapatra, who transferred the soul of the Goddess Subhadra, I know I may have to perform the same job during the next Nabakalebar if my father is unable to do the duty because of his age and health.

But everything depends on the will of the Lord.

I feel more responsible now. I have to prepare myself to carry out the age-old tradition. This is a huge task. But as we are born to serve the Lord, I know I will carry out the job with perfection.

But, His blessings are required because I am just an instrument.

Whenever I see Goddess Subhadra, I feel as if She is my mother who is taking care of my needs and me. I lost my mother seven years ago. Now the Goddess is my mother. She is everything to me. You won't believe but whenever I go to sleep, I see Her face in my sub-conscious state. I feel Her presence at each moment.

Even though I started my own venture in the hotel industry one-and-a-half years ago, I have forgotten everything, including my business, over the last four months though the tourism and hotel season is at its peak because of the Nabakalebar.

I lost something in terms of money, but the bliss I experienced since the beginning of the banajaga yatra is priceless.

During the past four months, I have undergone various experiences and realised that God has given me enough. I don't need anything more. Let the God give everyone two square meals a day and sound sleep at night.

After completing my course in hotel management, I had joined the Taj Group in Bangalore and then moved to Oberoi and later to Nepal. I could still have been there and led a more comfortable life. But the attraction of the Lord Jagannath pulled me back to the pilgrim city and I started my business venture here by taking a hotel on lease. My excitement reached its zenith when the first phase of Nabakalebar kicked off in the form of banajaga yatra.

To my surprise, I traversed a distance of 60km on foot without any problems. The experience I gathered at the Kakatpur Maa Mangala temple and later while searching for the sacred wood for making of the idols of the deities would remain with me all my life.

But, what pained us was the uncalled-for controversy surrounding the transfer of souls. I am still not able to understand how people could spread so many untrue stories about the transfer of souls. But we have to move on.

This is my second experience of a Nabakalebar. In 1996, I was just 11 and have a faint memory. Now I am an active participant. I don't know how the days passed by. I am now spending 12 to 14 hours a day in the temple.

All these things will come to an end after the Lord moves back to the temple after niladri bijee. Then I have to return to my daily life and focus on my business. But, this experience will stay with me.

(As told to Subhashish Mohanty)