Odisha: Darshan Of Deities At Puri Jagannath Temple Restricted For 5 Hours Today

Puri: Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri will remain out of bounds for devotees for five hours on Monday for the ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual of the sibling deities.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration 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 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.