Hera Panchami: When Goddess Laxmi fights with Lord Jagannath

Four days after the sibling deities left Jagannath Temple for Gundicha Temple, his wife Goddess Laxmi has begun missing Lord Jagannath. Unable to bear the pangs of separation, Goddess Laxmi visits Gundichabadi secretly and is still not being able to meet him, she gets angry and breaks a part of Nandhighosha chariot, parked in front of the Gundicha Temple in a custom known as Hera Panchami. This is where the people of Odisha remember the divine anger by observing the day dedicated to the divine mother.

Puri: The stories of Lord Jagannath signifies the social life, literature and culture of Odia people. Every Odia feels proud to express that Lord Jagannath is part and parcel of their lives and and treat him as a family member.

There is no other religion in the world where a common man sees his Lord as his own family member.

During Ratha Yatra, Lord Jagannath comes out on a divine outing with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra along with his divine weapon Sudarshan, leaving behind his wife Mahalaxmi.

Following this, the Goddess expresses her anger for the Lord and she proceeds to the Gundicha temple. There, Goddess Laxmi also threatens the Lord to come back to the temple at the earliest.

In order to bring the Lord under subjection by mesmerizing him and to bring him back from the Gundicha Temple, Goddess Bimala gives “Mohachurna” (a herb in powder form to attract her husband) to Mahalaxmi. After taking the advice from Goddess Bimala, Goddess Mahalaksmi goes on her journey to the Gundicha temple on the fifth day of the car festival and, it subsequently marks the Hera Panchami ritual at the Gundicha temple.

After getting the “Mohachurna”, to make her pleased, the Lord tries to make Mahalaxmi pleased by offering her a garland of consent (Agyan Mala) through the Pati Mohapatra servitor.

Then Mahalaxmi returns to the main temple through the Nakachana gate. In a unique ritual, the Goddess orders one of her attendants to damage a part of the Nandighosa chariot.

The rituals of Hera Panchami is an important function of Srimandir and it finds mention in Skanda Purana. According to the history of the Temple, this festival was started during the time of King Kapilendra Deba.

Before his reign, the Hera Panchami function was being observed in a symbolic way with the recitation of Mantras. As stated in Madala Panji, Raja Kapilendra Deba substituted this practice with the introduction of an idol of Mahalaxmi made of gold and making the celebration more realistic.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Ram Charan Dash, Scholar on Jagannath rituals said, "As Goddess Lakshmi is exempted to travel with Lord Jagannath to the Gundicha Temple on the nine-day trip, she gets angry with her husband. On a suggestion by Goddess Bimala, who is considered to be the Tantric consort of Jagannath and a guardian of Srimandir, Goddess Lakshmi secretly visits Gundicha Temple to have a glimpse of the Lord."

"On Hera Panchami, the servitors carry Goddess Lakshmi on a palanquin in a grand procession to the Gundicha temple. As Goddess Lakshmi does not get enough time to have darshan of Lord Jagannath due to evening rituals of deities, she gets angry and breaks a part of Nandhighosha chariot while returning to Srimandir," Dash said.

However, this year, the devotees will be prohibited to witness the ritual this year due to COVID-19 restrictions on the auspicious occasion Hera Panchami, which is the symbol of conjugal love between Lord Jagannath and his wife Goddess Lakshmi.