Banakalagi Niti at Puri Srimandir today; public darshan to remain suspended for 5 hours

The darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Debi Subhadra at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri will be suspended for five hours on Wednesday in view of the Banakalagi ritual of the Holy Trinity.

According to temple sources, the Banakalagi Niti will be performed on the occasion of Magha Krishna Chaturthi. As part of the ritual schedule, general darshan will be closed from 5 pm to 10 pm.

The Banakalagi ritual, also known as Shreemukha Shringara, will commence after the completion of the second Bhoga Mandap offering. 

Sevayats Use Traditional Natural Colours

During Banakalagi, the Dutta Mohapatra sevayats use natural colours, including conch shell for white, black from diya, Haritala for red, Hingula for yellow, along with other naturally sourced substances. Kasturi is applied to protect the bodies of the Sibling Deities during the process. The entire ritual is expected to take nearly five hours.

While the main temple will remain closed to the public for darshan during this period, devotees will still be able to offer prayers to other deities residing within the temple premises.

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After the completion of Banakalagi, rituals such as Sandhya Alati, Sandhya Dhoopa and Badasinghara Besha will be performed till late at night, and devotees will be able to have darshan again.