Puri, Mar 5: The Jagannath Temple administration has announced that regular darshan will be suspended on Thursday due to the performance of Mahaprabhu’s secret ritual, Banakalagi Niti.

The ritual is scheduled for Chaitra Krishna Dwitiya (Thursday). After the conclusion of the second Bhoga Mandap offering, the secret service will take place from approximately 6 PM to 10 PM, during which the temple will remain closed to devotees for over four hours.

Banakala Niti is a secret ceremony of Lord Jagannath. The Jay Bijaya Dwara entrance will remain closed during the ritual. As part of the ceremony, Dattamahapatra sevaks adorn the Lord’s Shrimukha (divine face) using traditional natural colors including red (hingula), yellow (haritala), musk (kasturi), white, black.

The temple administration emphasized that this secret ritual is a long-standing tradition, and devotees will have to wait until the completion of the Banakalagi Niti for darshan.