With the bahuda yatra, the nine-day stay of the Gods at Gundicha temple comes to an end. Once the deities are taken out of the temple, the shrine briefly wears a deserted look. But it does not take much time for life to return to the place as tourists and pilgrims flock there again.

People can visit the temple by buying a ticket for Rs 3. Even foreigners are allowed to enter the temple and go up to the main entrance.

People visit the Ratnasinghasan, where the deities are kept for nine days. “After the bahuda yatra is over, an akhand deepa keeps burning in the Bedha,” said Pradip Parida, a sevayat. He also said that people visit the temple to worship other deities present there.

“We are lucky that once in a year the Lords come to us, otherwise during the remaining time of the year, we have to go to the Jagannath temple to pay a visit,” said Ajay Pradhan, who stays near the Gundicha temple.

For people like Pradhan, bahuda is like being separated from the Lord.

“Along with God, the focus will also shift from the Gundicha temple and we will have to wait for the next year for the deities to be here,” said Sulochana Naik who has been visiting Gundicha temple for the last five years.

The return of the deities also affects shopkeepers of the locality. “The business gets affected once when the deities leave the temple,” said Prahlad Behera, a shop owner.

On the other hand, the sevayats express their joy when the Lord returns to the main temple.

“Sree Mandir (Jagannath temple) is incomplete without the Shri (Laxmi). So, after nine days when the Lords finally return to the temple the Sree Mandir again comes alive,” said Sambhu Khuntia, a sevayat.

The bahuda also brings sadness for the daitapatis or the servitors mainly associated with the car festival.

“Very shortly our service to the God will be over and we would have to wait for another year to serve our beloved God,” said Kirti Prakash Daitapati, a servitor.