Bhubaneswar: The Shree Jagannath Temple will remain closed for public darshan for four hours tomorrow due to the Banakalagi ritual of the Holy Trinity.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) informed this through a notification. According to the notification, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Ashwin Krushna Chaturthi Tithi, Banakalagi Niti of the deities will be performed. Therefore, after the completion of the second Bhoga Mandapa offering, public darshan will remain temporarily suspended from 6 pm to 10 pm.
Banakalagi Niti, also known as Srimukha Sringara, is one of the most sacred and secretive rituals of Srimandir. During the ritual, the faces of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan on the Ratna Singhasana are repainted with natural colours.
The word Banaka comes from Bana meaning forest and Lagi meaning to apply, indicating its ancient connection with forest traditions. The ritual is traditionally performed twice a month on Wednesday or Thursday.
During the ritual, which lasts for about four to five hours, all doors of the temple are closed and public darshan remains suspended, with only Dutta Mohapatra servitors allowed to perform the sacred face makeup using natural ingredients.
