Bhubaneswar: A dispute between Brahaman Nijog and other Nijogs once again disrupted the rituals at the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. According to reports, dispute over a land in the name of Lord Lingaraj is said to be the root cause of the dispute.
Following an order of the Orissa High Court, the Brahman Nijog and the Puja Panda Nijog have started returning the disputed lands used by them so long to Lord Lingaraj, while Badu Nijog are constructing shops on the disputed land.
The Brahman and Puja Panda Nijogs have, however, filed a petition in the High Court and obtained a stay order stopping the construction of shops. This had angered the members of the Badu Nijog who alleged that the Brahman Nijog and Puja Panda Nijog were conspiring against them. As a result, they stopped conducting rituals at the Lingaraj Temple after Mangal Alati on Wednesday.
The Badu Nijogs claim that the rulers of the Keshari dynasty had bestowed lands to them at several places to enjoy and serve at the temple. According to this sect of Nijog at Lingaraj Temple, the Brahman Nijog is jealous of this.
However, this is not the first time that the rituals at the Lord Lingaraj’s have been suspended by the servitors. Disputes among different Nijogs have been lingering for several years, hurting the religious sentiments of the devotees.
