Bhubaneswar: The Jagannath Temple in Puri will remain closed for four hours on Wednesday for the Banakalagi ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.
As a result, devotees will be barred from the darshan of the Trinity from 5 pm to 9 pm on Wednesday.
According to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), devotees can, however, have darshan of the Holy Trinity following the completion of the ritual after 9 pm.
According to sources, the Banakalagi Niti or Shrimukha Sringara of Lord Jagannath is performed on Wednesday or Thursday. As part of the ritual, fresh colours are applied to the idols of the deities. 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 which Dattamahapatra servitors perform.
