Puri: In a bold defiance of the directive of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the servitors of the temple here refused to carry out the Banakalagi ritual of the deities on Wednesday.

The SJTA has taken a stern stance, warning that severe disciplinary action will be taken against the concerned servitors.

The Banakalagi ritual, which should typically take place once a week, has been suspended since July 1 due to an ongoing disagreement between the Banakalagi servitors and the SJTA regarding the appropriate day for its performance.

The SJTA and the servitors have been advocating for Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively, to conduct the weekly ritual.

With the crisis persisting for over three weeks, the temple administration issued a strong ultimatum to the Dutta Mohapatra Nijog, the association of servitors responsible for performing Banakalagi, ordering them to conduct the ritual on Wednesday. Failure to comply might result in their removal from service, the SJTA warned.

Ranjan Das, the chief administrator of SJTA, said the servitors were being persuaded to cooperate and perform the ritual on Wednesdays, emphasizing that conducting Banakalagi on Thursdays would disrupt other crucial rituals.

The SJTA has issued a notice to the Dutta Mohapatra Nijog, seeking an explanation for their non-compliance and their insistence on Thursday as the ritual day. The administration also hinted at engaging the Sudha Suar Nijog, another group of servitors, to perform the ritual if the order was violated.

Although the SJTA has not specified the exact nature of the disciplinary action, it is expected that a decision will be taken on Thursday regarding the possible dismissal or suspension of the Dutta Mohapatra Nijog's members.

The Nijog, on the other hand, stated that they had requested the SJTA to allow them to perform the Banakalagi on Thursday. They cited the lack of raw materials to prepare the herbal paints for the deities' facial ritual, expressing their readiness to carry out the ritual on the proposed day.