Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri will remain out of bounds for devotees for five hours on M
onday for ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual of the sibling deities.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) informed that public darshan at the 12th-century shrine will be restricted from 5 pm to 10 pm after the second Bhoga Mandap Bhoga, when a large quantity rice, dal, vegetable curry of different types, cakes of different kinds are offered to the deities in a big hall known as Bhoga Mandap Griha at the back side of Garuda Stambha in Natamandira of the temple.
This bhoga is prepared by Suaras on a commercial basis.
During the ‘Paita Lagi’ Niti, the servitors cover the body of the deities with a special silk cloth called ‘Basunga Patta’, which is later rubbed with sandalwood paste. Daitapati servitors (sevayats) perform this secret ritual.