Bhubaneswar: The holy town of Puri witnessed a surge of devotees on Monday as Gundicha Temple became the focal point of the Hera Panchami ritual — a ceremony that, according to the scriptures, dramatises Goddess Lakshmi’s “love, jealousy and righteous anger” towards her husband Lord Jagannath for leaving her behind during Rath Yatra — celebrated on July 16 this year.According to the scriptures, Goddess Lakshmi travels to the Gundicha Temple from Jagannath Temple on the fifth day of the chariot festival to confront her divine consort. In a symbolic act of protest, she orders a portion of Lord Jagannath’s majestic Nandighosha chariot to be damaged before returning to her abode at the main temple.“The ritual underscores how the deities of Puri embody a social life mirroring Odia customs and human emotions,” said Jagannath researcher Surya Narayan Rathasharma.To mark the ritual, servitors carried the goddess’s representative idol — Subarna Mahalakshmi — in a decorated palanquin from the Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple amid chants and music in the evening. The goddess was ceremonially placed in front of Lord Jagannath, who, along with his siblings, has been residing at the ‘adapa mandap’ of the Gundicha Temple during the festival. After prayers, servitor Pati Mohapatra conveyed her plea for his early return to the Jagannath Temple.“This tradition is a dialogue and communication in divine form — the goddess expresses her grievance, and the Lord responds with an ‘agyan mala’, a garland of consent, which she carries back,” said servitor Binayak Dasmohapatra.Following the ritual, Goddess Lakshmi was escorted back in her palanquin. “As per custom, she instructed a servitor to break a portion of the Nandighosha chariot, marking her displeasure,” he said.Crowds thronged the temple precincts to witness the spectacle. “Just as a wife rebukes her husband, Goddess Lakshmi too reminds Jagannath of her place. It is a ritual that humanises divinity and binds faith with everyday life,” said Pratima Mohanty, a devotee from Bhubaneswar.Police ensured smooth passage and darshan for the thousands who attended the ritual. “We ensured that the devotees move in queues without any hassle. The ritual was conducted smoothly,” Puri superintendent of police Prateek Singh said.
