Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town will remain out of bounds for devotees for four hours on Wednesday for ‘Banaka Lagi’ or ‘Srimukha Sringara’ ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, which is why the temple shall remain closed for devotees from 6 PM to 10pm. After that the Jaya Bijay dwar will be closed from the inside.
The Banakalagi or ‘Srimukha Srungara’ ritual is a secret and special ritual which holds a lot of significance in the Srimandir tradition.
Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra along with Lord Sudarshan will adorn a new look after a special make-up ritual on Ratnabedi’ (pedestal) inside the sanctum sanctorum. The ritual is performed seven to eight times a year.
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 on this occasion.
Banaka Lagi derives its name from ‘Bana’ meaning forest and ‘Lagi’ meaning apply. 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. Banaka Lagi ritual of the deities is performed by a particular class of servitor known as Datta Mahapatra.
After the Banakalagi ritual is completed the deities will be given a bath and then the temple will open for devotees.
