Puri: Goddess Mahalaxmi will break the chariot of Lord Jagannath that will mark the Hera Panchami at the Gundicha temple today.
Four days after the sibling deities left Jagannath Temple for Gundicha Temple, his wife Goddess Laxmi has begun missing Lord Jagannath.
Unable to bear the pangs of separation, Goddess Laxmi visits Gundichabadi secretly and, on still not being able to meet him, gets angry and breaks a part of Nandhighosha chariot, parked in front of the Gundicha Temple in a custom known as Hera Panchami Niti. And devotees are flocking to Puri to witness this ritual that is symbolic of the conjugal love between Lord Jagannath and Goddess Lakshmi.
As per the ritual, angry on Lord Jagannath for leaving her alone at the temple, Goddess Mahalaxmi on the fifth day, leaves for Gundicha temple. After completion of ‘Bandapana’ ritual, she comes to ‘Jaya Bijaya Dwara’ where she is provided with ‘agyan mala’ (a garland of the consent) taken out from the body of Lord Jagannath.