Puri: Lord Jagannath’s special ritual Banakalagi Niti will be observed in Srimandir on Monday. Banakalagi or ‘facial ritual’ is a secret and special ritual which holds a lot of significance in the Srimandir tradition.
Banakalagi Niti or Shrimukha Sringara means applying fresh colours on the idols of the deities. The colours on the faces of the idols get faded during the procession of Rath Yatra. Hence, this ritual is observed to restore the colours.
As per tradition, the Dutta Mohapatra Sevakas (Servitors) and Khadiprasad Daetapati Servitors perform the rituals. Different types of natural colors like Hingula, Haritala, Kasturi, Keshar, glue of Kaintha are used to prepare a Banaka.
The special rituals of Banakalagi Niti will be observed till tomorrow. For the whole day today, the holy trinity’s daily rituals will be held as usual. On Wednesday, the holy trinity will grace devotees in Naba jaubana besa.
