Special arrangements were made by the Puri temple administration to observe Laxmi Puja.
It is said on the occasion, Lord Jagannath and his consort Devi Laxmi participate in a dice game popularly known as ‘Kauri Khela’. Following defeat in the game, the Lord gets imprisoned in the Mahalaxmi temple located in the complex.
As per the temple traditions, the servitors escorted Devi Mahalaxmi to the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord Jagannath temple where the ceremonial dice game was played atop the Ratnasimhasan between the servitors playing on behalf of the Lord Jagannath and Mahalaxmi.
Conventional coin ”Kauri”(small conch cells), the age-old medium of exchange was used in the game. In the final game Lord Jagannath conceded defeat and the servitors of Mahalaxmi imprisoned the representing image of Lord Jagannath-Neela Madhav and escorted him to the Mahalaxmi temple for a week.
During the week-long punishment, Lord Nilamadhav remains tied to the throne of Mahalaxmi. To mark this ceremony of the deities the devotees and the residents too gamble on large scale throughout the night.
According to a popular belief, gambling on this night brings wealth and prosperity. The day was also celebrated as Kumar Poornima, a festival dedicated to the spinsters. All the girls wore new clothes and worship lord Kartik to grant them a suitable bridegroom.
Lakhs of devotees thronged the Pilgrim City to observe the month-long Kartik Brata which begins from tomorrow.
Prasanta Patnaik