Rituals at the Lord Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar were disrupted on Friday following a dispute between different groups of servitors over the conduct of temple services.
The Puja Panda servitors reportedly stopped performing rituals after the Bada Singhar Besha, leading to a halt in the scheduled religious activities at the centuries-old shrine.
The disagreement is reportedly between the Patri and Puja Panda servitor groups over the performance and responsibilities associated with temple services.
The temple administration is expected to hold further discussions with the concerned groups to resolve the issue and restore the normal sequence of rituals.
Temple Administration Holds Meeting
A meeting involving the temple administration and representatives of the concerned servitor groups was held at around 10 am on Friday to discuss the dispute.
Sachi Puja Panda provided information regarding the meeting and the situation at the temple.
Officials are expected to examine the issues raised by the servitor groups and work towards resolving the disagreement so that the regular rituals can resume.
Similar Disruption Reported During Sawan
The latest incident is not the first time that a dispute among servitor groups has affected rituals at the Lingaraj Temple.
A similar disruption occurred during the first Monday of the holy month of Sawan, when temple rituals were reportedly affected following a disagreement over the distribution of Sawan offerings.
At the time, a large number of Kanwariyas and devotees had gathered at the temple to offer holy water to Lord Lingaraj.
Due to the disruption, devotees reportedly offered water without some of the customary rituals being conducted.
Earlier Dispute Over Sawan Offerings
The previous disagreement involved the Puja Panda and Badu servitor groups and was linked to the distribution of Sawan offerings.
According to the Badu Nijog, the temple doors were opened at around 3 am, following which Badu servitors completed their assigned duties.
They reportedly waited until around 4 am for the Puja Panda servitors. When the latter did not arrive, the Badu servitors proceeded with the Abakasa ritual and subsequently opened the temple for devotees to offer holy water.
Long-Standing Claim Over Offerings
The Badu servitors have reportedly maintained that they have been seeking a share of the Sawan offerings for several decades.
According to their account, they have been demanding half of the Sawan offerings since 1991. They also claimed that the Puja Panda servitors approached the court in 1995, following which the sharing of the offerings was halted.
The Badu servitors further stated that a 2024 court directive was issued in their favour and that their share was subsequently restored.
They alleged that the Puja Panda servitors stopped performing their duties following the latest development.
Administration Faces Task Of Restoring Normal Rituals
The latest dispute has once again brought the functioning and coordination of the different servitor groups at the Lingaraj Temple into focus.
The temple administration’s immediate task is to facilitate discussions between the concerned groups and ensure that the regular sequence of rituals resumes.
Further developments are expected after the administration’s discussions with the servitors.
