Odisha: Srimandir to be closed for 4hrs today for Banaka lagi ritual of Lord Jagannath

Puri: The famous Srimandir in Puri will remain closed for four hours today due to ‘Banaka Lagi’ or Srimukha Sringara ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.

It is noteworthy that the Banaka Lagi ritual of the deities is performed by a particular class of servitor known as Datta Mahapatra.

The darshan of the deities will be restricted for the devotees for four hours from 5 PM to 9 PM.

The Banaka lagi ritual will begin after the completion of all the other rituals and the second bhoga mandap of Mahaprabhu.

According to culture experts, certain rare forest products are used to prepare the four types of colours- haritala (red), hengula (yellow), sankha (white) and black and these are then applied to the face of the deities.