Puri: In view of the ‘Banaka Lagi’ rituals of the deities at Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri, the general ‘darshan’ will be restricted for four hours today.
According to sources, Banaka Lagi is performed by a particular class of servitor called Datta Mahapatra. Datta Mohapatra servitors will perform the secret ritual, the traditional ‘shringar’ of the deities from 4 pm to 8 pm.
All the four entrance gates of the 12th-century shrine will remain closed for the devotees during the four hours, informed temple administration sources.
The formal procedure will be performed on the second Bhoga Mandap behind the Garuda pillar of Jagamohan.
As per tradition, the shringar rituals of the sibling dieties are generally held seven to eight times a year starting with the one after the Niladri Bije ritual following Rath Yatra.
