Special Banakalagi rituals of Lord Jagannath and His sibling deities will be performed at Jagannath Temple on Wednesday on the occasion of Jyeshtha Krishna Chaturthi, leading to temporary suspension of general darshan for devotees.
According to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, public darshan inside the temple will remain suspended from 6 pm to 10 pm to facilitate the smooth conduct of the sacred ritual.
Banakalagi Ritual To Be Performed After Bhoga Mandap
The Banakalagi ritual, popularly known as Shreemukha Shringara, will begin after completion of the second Bhoga Mandap offering inside the temple.
As part of the ceremony, the deities will first undergo Mahasnana or ceremonial bathing, followed by the traditional facial adornment ritual.
The ritual is considered one of the important periodic sevas performed for the deities at Srimandir and is carried out with strict adherence to temple traditions.
Natural Colours Used For Facial Adornment
The sacred ritual will be performed by the Dutta Mohapatra servitors, who traditionally prepare and apply natural ingredients for decorating the faces of the sibling deities.
The materials used during Banakalagi include:
- White colour prepared from conch shell
- Black pigment derived from diya soot
- Haritala for red shades
- Hingula for yellow colouring
- Kasturi and other natural substances for protection and adornment
These naturally sourced materials are believed to help preserve and protect the wooden idols of the deities.
Temple sources said the entire Banakalagi ritual is expected to continue for nearly four hours.
Darshan Of Other Deities To Continue
Although general darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will remain restricted during the ritual period, devotees visiting the temple premises will still be allowed to offer prayers to other deities inside the Srimandir complex.
The temple administration has advised devotees to cooperate with the restrictions and plan their visit accordingly.
