Puri''s Jagannath Temple to remain closed for 4 hours on Wednesday evening

The Jagannath Temple in Puri will be closed for four hours on Wednesday evening for a special 'Banakalagi' ritual, where the faces of its deities will be coloured afresh.

The Jagannath Temple here will remain closed for devotees for four hours from Wednesday evening for a special ritual of the shrine's sibling deities, its administration said.

In a public notice, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said darshan will be suspended from 6 pm to 10 pm on Wednesday for the 'Banakalagi' ritual.

According to the temple office, Banaklagi, also called ''Srimukha Sringara'', is a special ritual where the faces of the trinity - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath - are coloured afresh.

The ritual is traditionally performed by a category of servitors called the Dutta Mohapatra.

Natural colours prepared from herbs and certain materials, including 'kasturi' (musk) and 'karpura' (camphor), are used for colouring the faces of idols, a servitor said.