There are several rituals depicting the deities’ ‘manaviya leela’ (human-like activities) associated with Rath Yatra. Hera Panchami ritual is one of them. In this beautiful episode, Goddess Lakshmi gets angry with Lord Jagannath and vents Her anger by causing damage to His chariot, Nandighosha.
Panchami means five. The ritual gets its name ‘Hera Panchami’ because it is observed on the fifth day of the car festival.
The beauty of this ritual lies in the fact that like any married woman, Goddess Lakshmi gets angry with Lord Jagannath for leaving Her alone for a long period of time.
The divine marriage between Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Jagannath takes place on the 11th day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month Jyestha.
On Jyestha Purnima, Lord Jagannath and His siblings go into quarantine (Anasara Gruha) after falling sick following the ceremonial bath. The deities are out of bounds for public darshan during this period.
After 15 days, they recover. Then, Lord Jagannath along with His siblings embark on a nine-day-long annual sojourn to Gundicha temple. They go out without informing Goddess Lakshmi which annoys Her.
As per the advice of Lord Brahma, She goes to Gundicha temple with ‘Mohana Churna’ (a powder to attract husband) offered by Maa Bimala, the guardian of Srimandir, for Lord Jagannath’s early return via the Grand Road (Bada Danda).
Servitors carry Her in a lavishly decorated palanquin in a grand procession.
At Gundicha Temple, she is accorded a grand welcome. After entering the temple, She throws ‘Mohana Churna’ but the door gets closed for Her.
This angers Her and without spending any moment there, She returns to Srimandir. On Her way, She asks Her servitors to break a piece of Nandighosha's chariot. A part of the chariot is symbolically broken.
However, She feels guilty for Her act and returns secretly to Srimandir with no procession and fanfare via Hera Gohiri Sahi. Thousands of devotees witness this ‘manaviya leela’ at ‘Saradha Bali’.