Puri Jaganath Temple To Be Closed For 4 Hours, Chhatisa Nijoga meeting today

Puri: The Sri Mandir at Odisha’s Puri will remain closed for four hours today due to the ‘Banaka Lagi’ or Srimukha sringara ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings at the temple.

The darshan of the deities will be restricted for the devotees for four hours from 4 PM to 8 PM.

Only a small group of ‘pujaris’ will be allowed inside the ‘Garba gruha’ or sanctum sanctorum for the rituals.

The Holy Trinity (Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra) along with Lord Sudarshan of Puri Sri Mandir will adorn a new look after a special make-up ritual on the ratnabedi. The ritual is performed seven to eight times a year.

Banaka Lagi derives its name from ‘Bana’ meaning forest and ‘Lagi’ meaning apply. According to cultural 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. Banaka Lagi ritual of the deities is performed by a particular class of servitors known as Datta Mahapatra.

Adding to it, Chhatisa Nijog meeting will be held today at Puri Niladri Bhakta Niwas. The meeting will be held under the chairmanship of the Chief Administrator of the temple.

Discussions are likely to be held to conduct Rath Yatra in a peaceful manner this year.

Especially, Rajendra abhishek, Rukmini Haran Ekadashi, Champak Dwadasi, Daitapati Prabesh, Senapati Lagi, Debasnana Purnima, and Niladri Bije niti will be discussed at the meeting.

The meeting will be attended by the District Commissioner, SP, the temple’s administrative staff, and all members of the Chhatisa Nijoga.