Banaka Lagi rituals of Lord Jagannath today; darshan restricted for 4hrs
Banaka Lagi rituals of Lord Jagannath today; darshan restricted for 4hrs
admin
Puri: The Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, will be closed to devotees for four hours on Wednesday for the sibling deities' 'Banaka Lagi' or 'Srimukha Sringara' ritual.
Darshan of the deities will be limited from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. due to the Jaya Bijay Dwar being closed from the inside. According to sources, only a small group of servitors will be allowed inside the 'garba gruha' or sanctum sanctorum for the rituals.
After a special make-up ritual on Ratnabedi' (pedestal) inside the sanctum sanctorum, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra, and Lord Sudarshan will adorn a new look. The ritual is performed seven to eight times a year, with this being the first.
According to cultural experts, rare forest products are used to prepare the four types of colors-'haritala' (red), 'hengula' (yellow),'sankha' (white), and black, which are then applied to the deities' faces on this occasion.
