Lord Jagannath’s Car Festival In Puri: Hera Panchami, Rath Bhanga Ritual Today

Puri: Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad throng Odisha’s pilgrim town Puri to witness the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and siblings.

While the world-famous festival is known for its grandeur, the rituals observed during the nine-day annual sojourn of the Lords make the annual event more interesting. One of these rituals is Hera Panchami, which will be observed in the seaside town on Thursday.

The Gundicha Temple in Puri, where the Lords are on vacation, will witness this unique ritual on Wednesday. It is observed on the fifth day of Rath Yatra, when the sibling deities leave the Jagannath Temple on their grand chariots amid chanting of hymns and beating of gongs with devotees swarming the Grand Road. The special ritual is observed on the fifth day of Asadha Shukla Panchami Tithi.

On Hera Panchami, Goddess Laxmi aggrieved over Lord Jagannath leaving the temple with his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, confronts Him. This ritual is a reflection of the domestic affair between Goddess Laxmi and Lord Jagannath.

The servitors carry the deity in a palanquin to Gundicha Temple. On arriving at the temple, Mahalaxmi expresses her anger, following which, the Lord acknowledges her feelings and gives her agyaan mala assuring her that he would soon return to their abode.

While leaving the temple, she breaks a part of the Lord Jagannath’s chariot Nandighosha. This ritual is known as Rath Bhanga.

After this ritual, Lord Jagannath issues the order to make the Chariots ‘Dakhinamukhi’ for the return journey, called Bahuda Yatra.

Meanwhile, thousands of devotees flocked to Gundicha Temple for darshan of the deities on ‘Adapa Mandap’ on Thursday.