Puri’s titular king objects to ISKCON’s ‘untimely’ Rath Yatras

Puri’s titular king and Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee chairman, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, has written to ISKCON accusing it of hurting devotees’ sentiments by organising Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra on dates not prescribed in scriptures.

Bhubaneswar: Puri’s titular king Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb wrote to ISKCON, accusing it of hurting sentiments of devotees by organising Lord Jagannath’s Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra on dates that are not in accordance with scriptures.

In a letter addressed to Shree Madhusevita Dasa Prabhu, chairman of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) in Mayapur, Deb, who is the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), urged the organisation to review a decision taken by it in October 2025.

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“You are therefore requested to reconsider and revise the GBC decision of October 2025… so as to ensure that ISKCON celebrates Rath Yatra around the world only within the aforesaid nine-day festival period,” the letter issued on Saturday said.

The SJTMC is the apex policy-making body of the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.

Deb said the Puri temple, regarded as the “mool peeth” (original seat) of Lord Jagannath, has repeatedly urged ISKCON to observe both Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra strictly on the dates prescribed in scriptures and traditions.

According to the letter, although ISKCON had earlier assured the Puri temple that Snan Yatra would be observed on ‘Jyestha Purnima Tithi’, it has continued to organise the festival on different dates in several cities around the world.

To support his claim, Deb enclosed a list of what he described as untimely Snan Yatras held after May 1. This year, Snan Purnima was on June 29.

“You are therefore requested to ensure that all ISKCON temples worldwide celebrate Snan Yatra only on Jyestha Purnima Tithi,” he wrote.

Responding to the Puri temple’s earlier objections, ISKCON had maintained that it was not always possible to organise Rath Yatra on the scripturally prescribed date in every country because of climatic conditions, government regulations and local cultural factors.

“In Russia, the regional climate, the government and the local culture are often not favourable to the observance of Rath Yatra on dates prescribed in sastra,” ISKCON had told the Puri temple.

However, Deb said the explanation did not justify holding the festival outside the prescribed period.

He objected to ISKCON’s reported plan to organise Rath Yatra at 66 locations across Madhya Pradesh between July 16 and July 25 through its temple in Ujjain.

He said scriptures describe Rath Yatra as a nine-day festival that begins only on ‘Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya Tithi’.

“It is pertinent to state here that celebration of sacred Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra in contravention of holy scriptures and ancient well-established tradition is hurting the religious sentiments of countless devotees around the world,” he said.

Deb said Maharshi Vedavyasa, in the Skanda Purana, records Lord Jagannath as declaring that Snan Yatra should be celebrated on ‘Jyestha Purnima’ and Rath Yatra should commence on ‘Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya’ and continue for nine days.

“These divine proclamations of Lord Jagannatha have been reiterated in several scriptures,” he said.

Deb said it was contradictory that while ISKCON claims to faithfully follow the teachings of Lord Krishna as narrated by Maharshi Vedavyasa, it continues to organise Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra on “random dates” throughout the year.