Bhubaneswar: Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh has expressed concern over the halting of rituals of the presiding deity at Lord Lingaraj temple, warning of strict action against the responsible servitors.
He called the incident ‘highly unfortunate’, stating that halting temple rituals had hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.
Singh emphasized that servitors are meant to perform rituals, not to take decision on rituals. He made it clear that those who halted the rituals shouldn’t continue temple service. The MLA urged servitors to respect traditions and safeguard devotees’ emotions.
Speaking to the media, Babu Singh said, “Halting Lord Lingaraj’s rituals are highly unfortunate. Servitors are appointed to perform rituals and not to make decisions on whether rituals should be conducted or not.”
It is pertinent to mention that a dispute among servitors disrupted Lord Lingaraj’s rituals from Tuesday evening. Evening rituals were skipped, and the deity went without food till Wednesday morning.
Temple tradition dictates special rituals from Makar Sankranti to Kumbha Sankranti to protect Lord Lingaraj from winter cold, including ghee application. The Kheera Auta ritual was due on Makar Sankranti eve. On Tuesday, Brahmin Nijog servitors had everything ready for evening dhupa, but some servitors objected, citing missing essentials like milk and absent officials. Despite some items arriving later, they refused to budge – no milk, no rituals.
