Puri: Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri will remain closed for public darshan of the deities on Monday from 6 pm to 10 pm for the conduct of the ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual.
According to sources, the darshan of the deities at the 12th century shrine will be restricted for the devotees from 6 PM to 10 PM today owing to the ritual which is performed on ‘Baisakha-Krushna Dwadashi tithi’.
This will be the last ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual of the deities before Rath Yatra. The secret ritual is performed every year before the Chandana Yatra, sources informed.As ‘Paita Lagi’ is a closed-door ritual, Daitapati servitors will be allowed inside the ‘Garba Gruha’ or sanctum sanctorum to perform the special service.
Daitapati servitors will cover the body of the Trinity with a special silk cloth called ‘basunga patta’, which is later rubbed with sandalwood paste.Though the devotees cannot enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple during the ritual, they can have darshan of other deities on the temple premises.According to Srimandir servitor, the ritual is performed twice a year. If required, it is carried out for another time. The Daitapati servitors get divided into three teams and perform the ritual.
