Archive · 21 Jul 2026
Thousands witness ‘Hera Panchami’ ritual in Puri
Thousands of people gathered in Puri, Odisha, to watch the ‘Hera Panchami’ ritual.
This ritual happens on the fifth day of the Rath Yatra festival.
Goddess Mahalakshmi is upset because Lord Jagannath left for a nine-day stay without her.
She goes to the Gundicha Temple to meet him but can't because he's busy.
On her way back, she symbolically breaks a part of Lord Jagannath's chariot.
This ritual shows their divine love and playful arguments.
It also marks the start of preparations for the deities' return journey, called the ‘Bahuda Yatra’, which will happen on July 24.
The police made special security plans to keep everyone safe during the event.
Thousands of devotees witnessed the ‘Hera Panchami’ ritual in Puri, Odisha.
Goddess Mahalakshmi symbolically breaks a portion of Lord Jagannath’s chariot.
The ritual represents divine love and marital discord between the deities.
The Gundicha Temple is considered the birthplace of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.
The ritual marks the beginning of preparations for the ‘Bahuda Yatra’ on July 24.
- Who
- Thousands of devotees and Goddess Mahalakshmi
- What
- ‘Hera Panchami’ ritual
- When
- July 20
- Where
- Puri, Odisha
- Why
- To symbolize divine love and marital discord between Lord Jagannath and Goddess Mahalakshmi
Traditionalists
Modernists
Significance of the ritual
Traditionalists
The ritual is a sacred tradition that represents divine love and marital discord, as described in Jagannath traditions and scriptures.
Modernists
Some modernists view the ritual as outdated and symbolic of gender inequality, arguing that it perpetuates traditional gender roles.
- Date
- July 20
- Location
- Puri, Odisha
- Distance between temples
- 2.6 km
- Significance
- Symbolic expression of divine love and marital discord
- Security arrangements
- Elaborate security and crowd-management measures
- Next major event
- Bahuda Yatra on July 24