The Lingaraj Temple in Odisha will resume its rituals as the dispute among its servitors has been resolved.

Bhubaneswar: After three days of suspension due to a disagreement between two groups of servitors, the rituals at Lingaraj Temple are set to resume. This comes after a meeting held by law minister Prithviraj Harichandan with representatives of different servitor groups, who agreed to resume the rituals immediately.

The disagreement between the 'Brahmin Nijog' and 'Badu Nijog' had caused a standoff since Monday evening. As a result, the deity was not offered 'bhoga' and the Makar Sankranti ceremonies were not observed in the 11th-century shrine.

Expressing concern over the issue, the law minister held a meeting earlier in the day and directed for an emergency meeting of the Lingaraj Temple Trust Board to discuss the matter. The board, chaired by Khurda district collector Chanchal Rana, came to a decision to resume the rituals with the cooperation of all stakeholders.

Speaking to reporters, the collector stated that a detailed discussion was held with the heads of different servitor groups and it was decided that the rituals of the temple would resume immediately. He also mentioned that an additional district magistrate has been asked to conduct a thorough inquiry into the incident and submit a report within 24 hours. Those found guilty would be issued show-cause notices and suspended.

The collector added that if necessary, the government would revoke the landed property of the temple allocated to the servitors involved in the dispute. He also stated that the temple administration would closely monitor the conduct of rituals on a daily basis.

In the meeting held earlier in the day, the law minister mentioned some anomalies in the Record of Rights of the temple and announced the formation of a judicial commission, headed by a retired high court judge, to prepare a draft RoR for the conduct of various rituals by different servitor groups within two months. The Endowment Commission will then implement this Record of Rights to avoid any future disputes among servitor groups.

The law minister also warned that any issues should be brought to the notice of the Trust Board and anyone who tries to halt the rituals of Lord Lingaraj will face strong action. With these measures in place, the rituals at the Lingaraj Temple are set to resume, bringing peace and harmony among the servitor groups.

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