Bhubaneswar: Darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Ma Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra in Puri’s Srimandir will be restricted for four hours on Wednesday for ‘Banaka Lagi’ or ‘Srimukha Sringara’ ritual of the deities.
According to temple sources, the secret ritual will be performed by Dutta Mohapatra servitors for which the 12th-century shrine will remain closed for visitors between 6.00 pm and 10.00 pm. Darshan of the deities will be out of bounds for devotees during this period.
Servitors will perform ‘Srimukha Sringara’ or facials of the deities during the Banaka Lagi ritual. As part of this secret ritual, the servitors will apply a fresh coat of colours on the idols to restore their original look.
As per tradition, servitors prepare ‘Banaka’ using various types of natural colours like hingula, haritala, kasturi, keshar, and the glue of kaintha.
The colours on the faces of the idols get faded during different rituals. Therefore, the Banaka Lagi ritual is performed to restore the original look of the deities.
The ritual is performed seven to eight times a year.
