Goddess Laxmi breaks Chariot of Lord Jagannath on Hera Panchami
Today is the holy Herapanchami, the fifth day of the Lord's annual chariot sojourn
Puri: Today is the holy Herapanchami, the fifth day of the Lord’s annual chariot sojourn. After Devasnan Purnima, the deities suffer from fever and stay at the Anasara ghara for 15 days.
After recovering from illness by consuming fruits and medicines, Mahaprabhu appears in the Nabajoubana besha. And after that, leaving mother Lakshmi at Srimandira, Mahaprabhu takes his brother and sister with him and leaves for his aunt’s house on a journey called Rath Yatra.
Since the Lord only takes His siblings and not his consort, Mother Lakshmi feels neglected. She gets angry with this and visits the Gundicha temple on Herapanchami day to break the Lord’s chariot.
Hera Pakhmhi is an important ritual of Rath Yatra. Herapanchami festival is observed on the fifth day of the Rath Yatra, on the fifth day of Asadha Shukla Panchami Tithi.
Today is the fifth day of Mahaprabhu’s 9 day long annual sojourn called Rath Yatra. Angered by Jagannath Mahaprabhu, who came with his brothers and sisters, Goddess Mahalakshmi comes out of the temple and is taken to the Gundicha temple. There the Hera Panchami rituals are performed.
In this ritual, we can see human like behavior of the Goddess and Lord Jagannath. Then, not meeting the Lord, she breaks Nandighosha, the Lord’s chariot and returns to Srimandira. Herapachami is a unique tradition of Rath Yatra of Shree Jagannath.
As per the rituals, on Herapanchami an ‘Agyanmala’ of Lord Jagannath is brought and given to Goddess Laxmi. Then, she is offered worship. Later, the Goddess is made to sit on a palanquin and She sets out from the Jagamohan. The procession along with the palanquin stops at the Nakachana dwara of Gundicha temple. There, a Hatuani (hammer) is taken from the servitor and Bandapana and Dahipati Manohi rituals are performed.
After completion of this, the palanquin of Goddess Laxmi is taken near Nandighosha, the chariot of Lord Jagannath. There one of the woods fitted to the chariot is broken (symbolically to show breaking of the chariot). Later, the palanquin of Goddess Laxmi is taken back to the Srimandira in a procession that moves through the HeraGouri sahi.
After this ritual, Lord Jagannath issues the order to make the Chariots ‘Dakhinamukhi’ for the return journey, called Bahuda Yatra. And hence, on the following day of Hera Panchami the chariots are given ‘Dakhinamoda’ (turned) after coming of the Agyanmala.
Ms Kalinga