Preparations for Bahuda Yatra Begin with Dakhina Moda Ritual in Puri

Bhubaneswar: Preparations for the Bahuda Yatra (Return Car Festival) are underway in Puri, with the significant Dakhina Moda ritual being performed today. This traditional ceremony marks the beginning of the deities’ return journey from the Gundicha Temple to the Jagannath Temple.

As per custom, the Agyaan Mala (garland of consent) will be brought from the Gundicha Temple, following which the chariots of the sibling deities — Goddess Subhadra, Lord Balabhadra, and Lord Jagannath — will be turned southward in a specific sequence. This turning of the chariots toward the main temple marks the symbolic start of their return.

Since their arrival at the Gundicha Temple during the Rath Yatra, the deities have been giving darshan to devotees at the Adapa Mandapa. After today’s Dakhina Moda ritual, a special Rahas ceremony will be performed at the same location.

The Bahuda Yatra is scheduled to take place on July 5, when the deities will journey back to the Jagannath Temple.

Meanwhile, the Hera Panchami ritual was conducted late Tuesday night, concluding just before midnight. As part of this unique ritual, Goddess Laxmi, consort of Lord Jagannath, symbolically visited the Gundicha Temple and expressed her displeasure for being left behind during the Rath Yatra. In a symbolic act of anger, she damaged a part of Lord Jagannath’s chariot before returning to the main temple via the Heragauri Sahi route, after receiving the Agyaan Mala from the Lord.

These sacred rituals, deeply rooted in tradition, continue to draw thousands of devotees and reaffirm the spiritual and cultural richness of the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri.