Puri: Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town will remain closed for devotees for five hours for Banakalagi ritual of the sibling deities on Wednesday.
As per the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), darshan inside the 12th century shrine will be closed from 5 pm to 10 pm for the special ritual, which will be conducted after the end of the second Bhoga Mandap ritual.
The ritual is traditionally performed by the Dutta Mohapatra servitors and the Khadiprasad Daitapati servitors.
During the secret ritual of Banakalagi Niti or Shrimukha Sringara, fresh colours are applied to the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabahadra and Devi Subhadra inside the sanctum sanctorum.
Banakalagi is performed with natural colours prepared from herbs and other materials including ‘kasturi’, ‘harital’, ‘karpura’, ‘kesar’, ‘kalasankha’ and ‘dhalasankha’.
Devotees can resume darshan after 10 pm once the ritual is complete. The ritual is performed several times in a year.
Meanwhile, the ongoing repair and renovation work in the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of the temple by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will remain suspended for two days on Wednesday and Thursday in view of special rituals, sources said.
