Bhubaneswar: The Jagannath temple in Puri will remain closed for five hours today for the Banakalagi ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.
As a result, devotees will be barred from the darshan of the sibling deities from 5 pm to 10 pm today. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has issued a notification in this regard.
According to sources, the Banakalagi Niti or Shrimukha Sringara of Lord Jagannath is performed on Wednesday or Thursday.
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.
