Bhubaneswar: Rituals at the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar were disrupted on the first Monday of the holy month of Shraavan following a dispute between servitor groups, forcing thousands of devotees to offer water to the deity without puja.

According to reports, the disruption began on Sunday evening after a disagreement over the distribution of the special pauna associated with the Shraavan month. The dispute involved Brahmin servitors and Badu servitors, bringing regular temple rituals to a standstill.

On Monday morning, the Badu servitors carried out their designated duties. However, the Puja Panda servitors did not participate in the rituals, resulting in the suspension of the deity's regular puja.

Despite the disruption, thousands of Kanwariyas and Shiva devotees continued to throng the temple on the auspicious day. The unusual situation left many devotees disappointed, as they had arrived expecting the puja ritual.

Later in the day, normalcy was restored in the conduct of rituals after the temple administration intervened by holding a discussion with the servitors.