Bhubaneswar: The Jagannath temple in Puri will remain closed for four hours on Wednesday for the Banakalagi ritual of sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, informed the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
The SJTA has issued a notification in this regard informing that the closure will be from 6 pm to 10 pm, due to the Bankalagi ritual, which will be performed on the occasion of Shraavan Shukla Sasthi Tithi.
“Tomorrow, Wednesday, 30.07.2025, which is Shraavan Shukla Sasthi Tithi, the ritual of Bankalagi Niti of the Holy Deities will be conducted. Therefore, after the completion of the Second Bhog Mandap offering, public darshan will remain temporarily suspended from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM”, read the notification.
The Bhog Mandap will be closed after the second bhog offering, and the temple will be inaccessible to the general public during the specified time. Devotees are requested to plan their visit accordingly.
According to sources, the Banakalagi Niti, also known as Shrimukha Sringara, is performed on Wednesday or Thursday. On this occasion, fresh colours are applied to the idols of the deities as part of the ritual. Natural colours like Hingula, Haritala, Kasturi, Keshar, and the glue of Kaintha are used to prepare a Banaka.
As per tradition, the Dutta Mohapatra servitors and Khadiprasad Daitapati servitors perform the rituals.
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.
