The Banakalagi ritual of Lord Jagannath and His Siblings will be performed at PuriSrimandir on Wednesday, leading to a five-hour halt in public darshan. The ritual will commence after the completion of the second Bhoga Mandap offering, during which the main temple will remain closed to devotees.

As Banakalagi is a secret ritual, general darshan will remain suspended from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. According to reports, the Maha Snana will be conducted after the Srimukha adornment ritual of Lord Jagannath and His Siblings on the Ratna Bedi.

Temple rituals for the day began early on Wednesday. Mangala Alati, Mailama, Tadapalagi, Abakasa Niti, and other morning rituals were completed. After the completion of rituals like Gopala Ballabha, Sakala Dhoopa, Bhoga Mandap, Madhyanna Dhoopa and Dwitiya Bhoga Mandap, the Banakalagi ritual will then be carried out.

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 for public 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 night, and devotees will be able to have darshan again.