According to historians of Odisha, the rasgulla originated in Puri, as "khira mohana", which later evolved into the Pahala rasgulla. It has been traditionally offered as "bhog" to goddess Lakshmi at Jagannath Temple, Puri. According to the local legend, Laxmi gets upset because her husband Lord Jagannath goes on a 9-day sojourn (the "ratha yatra") without her consent. So, she locks "Jai Vijay Dwar", one of the temple gates and prevents his convoy from re-entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. To appease her, Jagannath offers her rasgullas. This ritual, known as "Bachanika", is part of the "Niladri Bije" (or "Arrival of the God") observance, which marks the return of the deities to the temple after the Ratha Yatra.