Il Culto di Jagannāth e il rinnovamento dello spazio sacro: uno studio sullo Śaṅkhā Kṣetra di Puri (Odisha – India)

This article aims at exploring some aspects of religious ritual of Navakalevara, the 12-monthly cyclical renewal of the sacred image (mūrti) of the Lord in the Jagannātha temple in Puri (Odisha, India). The ritual unfolds the holy space of the city to the procession proceeding into the forest in search of the sacred nīm tree (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) chosen to become the new wooden representation of God. Two whole months are needed for the various phases of the ritual renewal of the kṣetra (field) to take place. This is identified with the sacred space of the city of Puri included among the so-called cār dhām, the four most important pilgrimage sites of India. This space is also envisioned as inscribed in a kind of Śaṅkha maṇḍala, or a shell diagram that is clearly both one of the attributes of the god Viṣṇu – of whom Jagannātha is a hypostasis – and a cosmic symbol. The study is based on a cross analysis on historical and literary sources and ethnographic data.