Gundicha Temple, Puri – Festivals
Rath Yatra:
The Rath Yatra starts on the
second lunar day (Dwitiya) the bright fortnight (Shukla) of the Hindu
month of Ashadha. One day before the Ratha Yatra, the
Gundicha Temple is religiously cleansed for housing the gods. On the first day
of the yatra, the deities are transported in chariots from the main temple to
Gundicha temple. This is the famous Rath Yatra or Chariot Festival of Jagannath
Puri.
The three deities are
transported in three magnificent chariots, drawn by the numerous devotees
gathered there. The three chariots involved in the chariot procession are: one
for each deity with central chariot called the Nandighosha, carrying the
main deity of Jagannath and the second chariot known as Taladhwaja carrying
Balabhadra, and the third chariot called the Darpadalana carrying Subhadra.
The procession progresses down
the 3 km long "Bada Danda" (long avenue) and reaches the gates
of the Gundicha temple before nightfall. The deities remain in the chariots on
the first day and enter the Gundicha Temple on the second day. They reside at
the Gundicha temple for the subsequent seven days.
Ratha Yatra Rituals:
Worship:
A particular feature in the
worship of the deities at Gundicha Temple is that Brahmin temple servants offer
the puja instead of daitas, the traditional non-Brahmin servitors of
Jagannath who are excluded from worship. Though devadasis generally
function as agents of Lakshmi, they offer worship in the Gundicha Temple in the
same manner as in the main temple, while Lakshmi is left behind in a storeroom
in the main temple.
This connotes a different
context to the role of the devadasis in the Gundicha Temple. Another
unusual feature is that the images are smeared with larger quantities of sandalwood paste,
twice a day, as a "cooling agent" (as is commonly done to the goddess
Gundicha). Every day of their stay in the temple, the deities are decorated
with new dresses.
Hera Panchami:
A major ceremony celebrated in
the Gundicha Temple during the Rath Yatra is on the Panchami (5th
day of the Ratha Yatra) known as Hera Panchami. This ceremony is attended
by a very large number of devotees, who visit the Ratha Yatra Festival. While
Jagannath visits Gundicha temple, his wife Lakshmi is
left behind in the main temple of Puri. On Hera Panchami, the furious goddess
Lakshmi arrives, in the form of the image of Subarna Mahalakshmi, at the
Gundicha Temple.
She is formally carried in a
palanquin with much fanfare and welcomed and worshipped by the priests of
Gundicha Temple, who take her to the sanctum to meet Jagannath. The husband and
wife seat face-to-face on the porch in the sanctum of the Gundicha Temple; on
this occasion devotees flock to the temple to have the darshan.
Lakshmi requests him to return home and Jagannath gives his consent by offering
her agyan mala (a garland of consent), which the goddess accepts and
takes with her while return to the main temple in the evening.
Before returning to the temple,
to vent her anger at being left out of the vacation, Lakshmi orders one of her
attendants to damage a part of Jagannath's chariot, the Nandighosha. This
ritual is known as the Ratha Bhanga (the breaking of the 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, as she
fears the repercussions of her angry act.
Dakshina Moda:
The ceremony of Dakshina
Moda (turning south) is observed on the day after Hera Panchami, that
is, the sixth day of the Rath Yatra. The chariots of the deities are parked
outside the temple, facing the main temple gate (western gate). In preparation
for the return journey, the Bahuda Yatra, the chariots are turned to face
towards the main temple in the southern direction and are parked near
the Nakachana gate (eastern gate) of the Gundicha Temple through
which the deities leave the temple. It is said the demon-king of Lanka, Vibhishana got
darshan of Jagannath from far away Lanka on this day. Devotees believe one
can attain salvation by witnessing this ceremony.
Rasa Lila:
Dakshina Moda, marks the
beginning of the three-day Rasa
Lila of Jagannath. Rasa Lila is described in Hindu texts like
the Bhagavata Purana and Gita
Govinda as a night in Vrindavan when
Krishna danced with his Gopi-consort Radha and other Gopis. The image of
Jagannath is taken to the Rasa mandapa (a
temple hall) of the Gundicha Temple where hymns from the Gita
Govinda are sung for the last 3 days of his stay in the temple. During the
Rasa Lila, the interaction between Jagannath-Krishna and the Gopis is enacted
through the Gita Govinda verses. In the olden days, Devadasis sang
the verses, which are now sung by the temple servitors. Vaishnavas thus
consider Gundicha Temple as Vrindavan during Jagannath's stay there.
Sandhya Darshan and Mahaprasad:
As per tradition, during
Jagannath's stay in Gundicha temple, the kitchens of the main temple stop
preparing Mahaprasad (food offered
to deity and given to a devotee as the deity's blessing). The Mahaprasad
consists of rice, dal,
vegetables etc. The kitchens of the Gundicha temple are repaired and food is
cooked there to offer to Jagannath. The day of Sandhya Darshan, (evening
prayers) the second last day of the festival, is considered the most important
day to have darshan of Jagannath. On this day, as thousands of devotees throng
the temple to have darshan of Jagannath and partake of Mahaprasad.
Bahuda Yatra:
The return journey of Jagannath,
Balabhadra and Subhadra to the main temple, after spending seven days in the
Gundicha temple, is known as the Bahuda Yatra. The images of the deities
are brought out of the Gundicha temple through the Nakachana Gate during
the Pahandi ceremony, to the accompaniment of the beats of cymbals and gongs and
the sound of conches being blown. Odissi and Gotipua dancers
serenade to the tune of music in front of the chariots, and martial artists
perform banati, a traditional martial art in front of the deities. The deities
are taken in the same chariots in which they arrive, pulled by devotees back to
the main temple. It is considered auspicious to get a glimpse of the deities on
their chariots.
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