Puri: Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town will remain out of bounds for devotees for four hours on Thursday for Banakalagi ritual of the sibling deities.
According to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), darshan inside the temple will remain suspended from 6 pm to 10 pm for the special ritual, which will be conducted after the end of the Madyana Doopa.
During the Banakalagi Niti or Shrimukha Sringara, which is traditionally performed by the Dutta Mohapatra servitors, 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’.
