Bhubaneswar: The Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri will be closed for public darshan for five hours tomorrow for the Banakalagi Niti (ritual of painting the deities’ idols).
According to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings will be restricted from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Wednesday.
The ritual will take place on the occasion of Phalguna Krishna Shashthi Tithi, as announced by the SJTA on the social media platform X.
— Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri (@SJTA_Puri) February 18, 2025
Darshan will be closed after the completion of the ‘Dwitiya Bhogamandap’ ritual, the SJTA confirmed.
During the Banakalagi Niti, special materials such as ‘kasturi,’ ‘harital,’ ‘karpura,’ ‘kesar,’ ‘kalasankha,’ and ‘dhalasankha’ are used to prepare the natural paints. The temple’s sanctum sanctorum (garbhagruha) will remain closed and only the designated servitors, led by Dattamahapatra, will be allowed inside to perform the ritual.
