Banaka Lagi Rituals Of Lord Jagannath At Puri Srimadir Today; Darshan Restricted From 6 Pm To 10 Pm
Puri: Darshan at Puri Srimandir will be restricted for four hours today due to ‘Banaka Lagi’ or Srimukha Sringara ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.
According to sources, the Banakalagi Niti of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra will be performed at the Puri Srimandir today from 6 pm to 10 pm.
As per tradition, the ‘shringar’ rituals of the sibling deities are generally held seven to eight times a year starting with the one after the Niladri Bije ritual following Rath Yatra.
According to culture expert Surya Narayan Ratha Sharma, Banaka Lagi derives its name from ‘Bana’ means forest and ‘Lagi’ means to apply. Certain rare forest products used to prepare four types of colours- such as haritala (red), hengula (yellow), sankha (white) and black are applied on the face of the deities. The secret ritual takes a few hours of judicious painting.
