The Bribe

During the Car festival, the Lord Jagannath of Puri visits his birth pace along with his brother and sister leaving his wife Devi Mahalaxmi alone in the temple.
On the 5th day of the Car festival, Hera Panchami neeti is observed. The traditional rivalry between Odia Sisters-in-law and Rasagola feature prominently in the ritual.

Maa laxmi is in a fit of rage.

Her husband and his brother has already left for their ancestral place for a week leaving her alone in the huge Shree mandira– the Puri temple. They have taken their yellow faced, handless, hapless sister with them, that daughter of a cowherd. God knows why her good for nothing husband has left her to stay in my temple. After all my father has donated the land and money for the Puri temple as dowry and now this married sister of them leaves her in law’s to permanently stay here. The cheek of the girl.

The Ballads of Puri narrates-

” …. The yellow faced handicapped daughter of a cowherd has left her no good husband to share my fortune.”

Ballad of Puri

So she leaves the temple to settle this issue once and for all.

As the folk Lore goes on,” Lord Jagannath continues to stay at Gundicha Temple along with siblings and forgets to return back to his abode and his divine duties. Left alone in the Shree Mandira, Devi gets worried. She consults with Goddess Bimala, ” What now ?”

Devi Vimala is considered to be the Tantric consort of Jagannath for her advice and a guardian of Srimandir. She creates the Moha Churna, an enchanting potion made from herb powder that should attract the husband for her. Goddess Lakshmi then secretly visits Gundicha Temple to have a glimpse of the Lord. There she finds that the Lord is always surrounded by members from her in-laws side. The Goddess never gets a chance to meet Him alone. This annoys the lady and she throws the ‘Moha Churna’ given by Goddess Bimala, on Her husband. In a fit of rage she breaks a part of Nandhighosha chariot and returns by the back alley alone and grieving.

The enchanting potion of Devi Vimala starts its action on the lord. Suddenly he feels that it is getting late and time has come to return back to the temple. He orders that the three gigantic chariots be turned homeward ( Dakshina Moda) and orders preparation for the return car festival.

The Vimala Temple inside the temple complex of Puri is one of the 42 Shakti Pithas. Vimala is considered to be the Tantric counterpart of Jagannath.

“ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ ଯେ ଭୈରବ,
ବିମଳା ତତ୍ର ଭୈରବୀ।”

King Narasimhadeva ( of Konark temple construction fame, reign: 1238–1264) worshipped Durga-Madhava (Vimala-Jagannath) on Vijayadashami, the tenth day of Durga Puja.

Since then, as a ritual a he-goat is offered as an animal sacrifice during the Sandhi puja of Durga Puja, while fish from the sacred Markanda Tank are cooked and offered to Vimala, as per Tantric rituals.

The rituals have to be completed before the doors of the main sanctum of the vegetarian Jagannath are opened at dawn and the first morning aarti is offered to the god. Women are debarred from entering it during this ritual.

Dakshina Moda of the three chariots signifies end of Gundicha Yatra and beginning of the return car festival. The Moha Churna ( Tantric Potion concocted by lady Vimala is a tantric ritual )

An ‘Agyan Mala’ (a garland of consent) on behalf of Lord Jagannath is sent to Goddess Lakshmi assuring her to return to Srimandir after three days.

But by that time the Devi is gone. And the husband is now a worried man.

That is the theme of “Hera Panchami Neeti” observed on the fifth day of Car festival in Puri. ( see PIC)

Now what does the poor husband do ?

After all Devi is the sovereign of the kitchen and the famed mahaprasad called “Abhada” is her specialty.

So he comes back with an unique gift- Rasagola, the size of elephant head and of course the silk sarees, the famed Berhampuri Pata-matha. the weakness of all odia ladies.

( This unique sweetmeat, Rasagola which is not used as a offering to Lord anywhere in the Northern India is offered as prasad during the Car festival.)

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And the deal clincher– “a promise to accompany her to her father’s place, King Varuna’s palace, this time no other lady but with her alone.” That seals the dispute.

That is also known as the ‘GUPTA GUNDICHA‘ – the unknown car festival of Puri.

Along with the Moha Churna, Dashamula Modak, Phuluri oils that cure the Lord’s from fever are signatures of the Tantrayana that permeated into the Jagannath Cult.