Paita Lagi: Secret Ritual at Srimandir Today

Paita Lagi. a Special Ritual at Srimandir Today, Monday, November 17, 2025, on the auspicious occasion of Margashira-Krushna Trayodashi, the ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual of the deities will be performed at the Srimandir. \n\nDue to this ritual, public darshan will be suspended from approximately 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, after the completion of the second Bhogamandap offerings. \n\nBrahman is the only truth, and Lord Jagannath is the personification of Brahman. The ‘paita’ or sacred thread is a symbol of Brahmin identity. This thread, sanctified and infused with Brahmanical essence, is worn by Brahmin men, extending from the left shoulder to the right side of the waist.[1] However, Lord Jagannath is the ‘Apaurusheya Brahman’ (impersonal and not created by man), who is both formless and with form.[1] He is the all-encompassing ‘yes’ amidst many ‘no’s. The deities are carved from ‘daru’ or sacred wood. The responsibility of protecting their sacred bodies lies with the Daitapati servitors.[1] Thus, the Daitapatis perform the ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual to strengthen the divine bodies of the deities and to protect them from the effects of changing seasons.[1] This ‘Paita Lagi’ service is a communal service performed by the Daitapati servitors with great devotion.[1] This ritual is also performed to protect the daily application of sandalwood paste on the deities.[1][2][3][4]\n\nFor this purpose, the Srimandir administration provides three-colored ‘basunga pata’ (a type of silk cloth) to the Patara servitors to prepare the ‘paita’. The Patara servitors sit in the Jagamohan of the Sri Lakshmi temple and prepare the ‘paita’ from the ‘basunga pata’.[1] After preparation, the Patara servitors hand over the ‘paita’ to the Deula Karana on the same day.[1]\n\nAfter the completion of the second Bhogamandap, and after Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Bhudevi retire to the ‘khataseja ghara’ (divine bedchamber), the Daitapati servitors enter the sanctum sanctorum for the ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual. Since this is a secret ritual, the Jaya-Vijaya gate of the Srimandir remains closed. The Daitapati servitors receive the three-colored ‘pata paita’ from the Deula Karana and, in the presence of the Pati Mahapatra, perform the ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual on the deities. \n\nLord Jagannath is adorned with a yellow ‘pata paita’, Lord Balabhadra with a green one, and Goddess Subhadra with a red one. The ‘basunga pata’ is twisted into a thread as thick as the little finger. This thread is wrapped around the deities, covering the area below their faces and above their stomachs.[1] It is tied in a crisscross pattern, securing the sacred bodies and arms of the deities.[1] This is what is known in the traditional language of the Srimandir as ‘Paita Lagi’. This ‘paita’ helps in holding the sandalwood paste applied on the deities. The Daitapati servitors take about three hours to complete this ritual.[1] Following this, the Mekap servitors wash the ‘simhasana’ (divine throne). After the completion of the ‘Paita Lagi’ ritual, the deities are given a ‘mahasnana’ (grand bath), and the representative idols of Bhudevi and Sridevi are placed on the divine bodies.[1] After this, the deities are adorned in the ‘Mailam’ attire. Then, the evening ‘arati’ and ‘sandhya dhupa’ (evening offerings) are performed. After the ‘sandhya dhupa prasad’ is offered and water is sprinkled, the deities are anointed with sandalwood paste, adorned in the ‘Bada Singhara’ attire, and offered the ‘Bada Singhara bhoga’, after which the ‘pahuda’ (divine slumber) ritual is performed.”

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