Bhubaneswar, 07 January (H.S.): Public darshan at the Shree Jagannath Temple will remain suspended for five hours on Wednesday in view of the Banakalagi Niti of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.

According to temple authorities, the Banakalagi ritual will be performed on the occasion of Magha Krishna Chaturthi. As per the ritual schedule, general darshan will remain closed from 5 pm to 10 pm.

The Banakalagi Niti, also known as Shreemukha Shringara, will commence after the completion of the second Bhoga Mandap offering. During the ritual, the Dutta Mohapatra sevayats adorn the Holy Trinity using natural colours and substances. Conch shell is used for white, lamp soot for black, Haritala for red and Hingula for yellow. Kasturi is also applied to protect the bodies of the sibling deities during the process. The entire ritual is expected to take around five hours.

Although darshan of the Holy Trinity will remain suspended during this period, devotees will be allowed to offer prayers to other deities within the temple premises.

Following the completion of Banakalagi, rituals including Sandhya Alati, Sandhya Dhoopa and Badasinghara Besha will be performed late into the night, after which public darshan will resume.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda