Jagannath Temple, Puri – Hera
Panchami
Hera Panchami is a ritual
observed during the period of Rath Yatra in the Grand Jagannath Temple of Puri.
It is known as a ritual of Goddess Lakshmi.
The fifth day from Rath Yatra i.e. fifth day in bright fortnight of Ashadha is
known as the Hera Panchami. During Ratha Yatra, Lord Jagannath comes
out on a divine outing with his brother Sri Balabhadra and sister Subhadra
along with his divine weapon Sudarsana, leaving behind his wife Mahalakshmi.
The Goddess expresses her anger
for the Lord. She proceeds to the Gundicha
Temple, the Adapa Mandapa in a palanquin in the form of a Subarna
Mahalakshmi and threatens him to come back to the temple at the earliest. To
make her pleased, the Lord concedes to her by offering her agyan
mala (a garland of consent). Seeing the Goddess furious, the sevakas close
the main door of the Gundicha. Mahalakshmi 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. This
is followed by her hiding behind a tamarind tree outside the Gundicha Temple.
After some time, she escapes to her home temple in secrecy, through a separate
path way known as Hera Gohri Lane. The unique ritual is enjoyed by lakhs of
devotees of Lord Jagannath.
The rituals of Hera Panchami as
an important function of Srimandira finds mention in Skanda
Purana. According to the history of the Temple, this utsav started
during the time of King Kapilendradeva. Before his reign, the Hera Panchami
function was being observed in a symbolic way with recitation of Mantras. As
stated in Madala Panji, King Kapilendradeva substituted
this practice with the introduction of an idol of Mahalakshmi mode of gold and making
the celebration more realistic.
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