Puri: Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town will remain out of bounds for public for four hours on Wednesday for ‘Banaka Lagi’ or ‘Srimukha Sringara’ ritual of the sibling deities.
According to the temple authorities, the special ritual will be held on the occasion of Jyestha Krishna Trayodashi tithi at the 12th century shrine. Dutta Mohapatra servitors will perform this special niti between 6 pm and 10 pm during which public darshan will remain suspended.
During the Banakalagi ritual, servitors will do ‘Srimukha Sringara’ of the deities. As part of this secret ritual, the servitors will smear fresh coat of colours on the idols of the deities to restore their original look.
Following age-old tradition, servitors prepare ‘Banaka’ by using various types of natural colours like hingula, haritala, kasturi, keshar and the glue of kaintha.
The ritual is performed seven to eight times a year.
