Odisha Puri Jagannath Temple to remain closed today for 4 Hours for “Banakalagi Niti”

Banakalagi Niti (painting of the images) niti (ritual) of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will be held at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri tomorrow on the occasion of Wednesday Margasira Shukla Astami. The temple will remain closed for darshan by devotees tentatively from 4.00 PM to 8.00 PM today after completion of the second ‘bhoga mandapa’ for the Banakalagi Niti of the deities, the I&PR Department of the Odisha government informed.

Banakalagi or Shreemukha Singhara is scheduled to be performed every Wednesday or Thursday. Three Dattamahapatra sevaks after grinding ‘Banaka'(natural colours like Hingula, Haritala, Kasturi, Keshar, and the glue of Kaintha are used to prepare Banaka) climb up the Ratna Simhasan (bejeweled throne) taking the paste and start the Banakalagi. At the time of performing this service to the middle ‘Bada’, the palia Mekap shows the baitha (Lamp) taking it from the Akhanda. After the Banakalagi is over, the Dattamahapatra sevaks get down from the Ratna Simhasan and after that the temple doors are opened for darshan of the deities by the devotees.