Finance
On Thursday night, when the Rath Yatra entered its fifth day, a major ritual known as Hera Panchami was observed.
Today, in a ceremony known as Dakhina Moda, the chariots will be turned southward, signaling the start of the Bahuda Yatra of the Trinity.
In the fascinating custom of Hera Panchami, Goddess Mahalaxmi takes her ire at her husband, Lord Jagannath, and sends him on a nine-day trek to the Gundicha temple with his siblings.
According to the custom, in her wrath, Goddess Laxmi broke off a portion of Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosh chariot.
According to the tradition, Goddess Laxmi came out of the Srimandir in a palanquin amid a grand procession on Bada Danda and reached at the Nandighosh chariot in front of the Gundicha temple.
“Goddess Laxmi came to meet her husband and ask him why he left her behind at the Srimandir and embarked on a nine-day sojourn along with the siblings. But, unable to meet her husband, she damaged the Nandighosh rath out of anger,” said Pujapanda Samant, a servitor.
She receives an ‘Agyan Mala’ (garland of consent) but cannot enter the Gundicha temple as the door is closed, making her feel neglected and angry. To express her frustration, she instructs her servitors to damage part of Lord Jagannath’s chariot.
The ceremony symbolizes Goddess Laxmi’s anger for Lord Jagannath for abandoning her and not accompanying him on the Rath Yatra, which staying away from Srimandir.
She then expressed regret for her deeds and quietly made her way back to Srimandir through Hera Gouri Sahi.
