Puri, Mar 13: Public will be barred to have darshan of Lord Jagannath and His siblings at Puri Srimandir for a period of three hours today. This restriction, from 6 pm to 9 pm, is due to the Banakalagi ritual, informed Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
During this time, following the conclusion of the second Bhoga Mandap ritual, public darshan will be suspended. However, devotees will have the opportunity to have darshan of the Holy Trinity after 9 pm.
The Banakalagi Niti ritual involves the application of fresh colors to the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra. This ritual is performed by the Dutta Mohapatra and Khadiprasad Daitapati servitors.
Derived from the combination of 'Bana,' meaning forest, and 'Lagi,' meaning to apply, Banakalagi signifies the application of specific and rare forest products such as haritala (red), hengula (yellow), sankha (white), and black. These ingredients are used to prepare four types of colors that are applied to the deities' faces.
