Rituals comes to halt at Lingaraj temple

Bhubaneswar: Daily rituals at 11^th century Lingaraj temple came to a grinding halt following a conflict between two sets of priests here today.

The rituals have been stalled after Maha Baruni Snana rituals of the Lord could not be performed on Saturday following a dispute between the two group of servitors ---Bramhan Niyog and Badu Niyog- over the issue.

The servitors on the other hand alleged that the administration had not clarified nor informed about the timings of the rituals in advance.

“The rituals at the temple were conducted smoothly till 4 pm yesterday. Though the Bramhan Niyog servitors were supposed to bring the Lord to the palanquin, they had not performed their duties,” said secretary of Badu Niyog, Kamalakant Badu.

Administration should clarify as to why no action is being taken against servitors for whom rituals are getting affected at the temple at frequent intervals, Badu added.

However, efforts have started by Lingaraj Temple Administration to resolve the deadlock.

Meanwhile, repeated disturbances in the rituals at Lingaraj temple has led to severe resentment among the devotees.