Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple will remain out of bounds for devotees for four hours on Wednesday for Banakalagi Niti (the ritual of painting the images ) of the sibling deities.
Darshan of the deities will be restricted from 6.00 PM to 10.00 PM.
Darshan will be closed after ‘Dwitiya Bhogamandap’, according to sources in the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
Banaka Lagi or Shreemukha Sinhara Niti is performed on every Wednesday or Thursday. Three Dattamahapatra after grinding the ‘Banaka’ climb up the throne taking the paste and start the ‘Banakalagi’. When performing this service to the middle ‘Bada’, the palia Mekap shows the baitha (Lamp) taking it from the Akhanda. After the Banakalagi is over, the Dattamahapatras get down from the throne.
Banaka is prepared using ‘kasturi’, ‘harital’, ‘karpura’, ‘kesar’, ‘kalasankha’ and ‘dhalasankha’. The garbhagruha or sanctum sanctorum of the temple remains closed and no outsiders are allowed inside during this ritual which Dattamahapatra servitors perform.
