Puri: Shree 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.
Temple sources said the secret ritual will be performed by Dutta Mohapatra servitors for which the 12th century shrine will remain closed for visitors between 6 pm and 10 pm. Public darshan will remain suspended during the period.
During the Banaka Lagi ritual, servitors will do ‘Srimukha Sringara’ or facials 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 colours on the faces of the idols get faded during different rituals. Therefore, the Banaka Lagi ritual is performed to restore the original look of the deities.
The ritual is performed seven to eight times a year.
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