Jagannath Rath Yatra 2023 Day 5: Know About The Schedule, Rituals And Significance

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Jagannath Yatra has begun and it is celebrated with a huge enthusiasm across India. The 10-day-long festival begins with the pulling of Lord Jagannath's chariot or holding the rope by lakhs of devotees as there is a belief that it is going to relieve them from the endless cycle of birth and death.

During the Puri Rath Yatra, chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are pulled from the Puri Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple, where the deity visits his maternal aunt.

Different rituals and unique traditions associated with the festivals and customs are practiced with utmost devotion on the occasion of the Rath Yatra. Hera Panchami is one such unique ritual conducted during the Jagannath Rath Yatra and it is celebrated in the Gundicha temple. Let us know about the date, customs, rituals and significance of Hera Panchami, a unique festival related to the Rath Yatra.

Hera Panchami 2023 Date
This year Hera Panchami falls on 24 June. The term 'Hera' or 'Hora' means 'to see or behold' and Panchami means the 'the fifth day' on the day of Hera Panchami, Goddess Lakshmi visits the Gundicha temple to visit Lord Jagannath. Goddess Lakshmi's visit takes place five days after the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra. Hera Panchami is a personal ritual of the divine couple - Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.

Hera Panchami 2023: Rituals, And Beliefs
Popular belief is that Lord Jagannath had promised his wife Goddess Lakshmi that he would return the next day. But Lord Jagannath does not return the next day. Goddess Lakshmi keeps waiting and finally, on the fifth day, she goes to Gundicha temple on a palanquin and sees Lord Jagannath's chariot outside Gundicha temple.

How Is Hera Panchami Celebrated?
Hera Panchami is celebrated on the premises of the Gundicha temple. On this day, Goddess Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Jagannath, goes to the Gundicha temple at her aunt's place to see Jagannath. Goddess Lakshmi is then taken in a palanquin to the temple, where the priests take her to the sanctum sanctorum and introduce her to Lord Jagannath.

The priests perform the aarti of Lord Jagannath on behalf of the Goddess. Lakshmi then requests Jagannath to come back home and give him Sanmati Mala to Lakshmi as a promise. Goddess Lakshmi is also worshipped on exit and curd is offered to her.

Breaking Of Jagannath's Chariot By Goddess Lakshmi In Anger
When Goddess Lakshmi leaves for the Jagannath temple in the evening but does not find the deity there, she becomes angry and sends a servant to break Jagannath's chariot. Hiding behind a tree, she watches the breaking of Jagannath's chariot.

After some time, when the Goddess returns to the main Jagannath temple by the name of Hera Gauri Saha. According to the belief on this day, only a small part of Lord Jagannath's chariot is broken and the whole process and rituals are enjoyed by lakhs of people.

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