Jagannath Temple, Puri – Hera Panchami

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.