Bhubaneswar: International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has come under fresh attack after it held an untimely Rath Yatra festival in Boston in the United States on Saturday.
The move triggered outrage among devotees of Lord Jagannath as researchers, organisations of Odias and servitors came down heavily on the ISKCON. They accused the ISKCON of disregarding long-standing scriptural timelines and traditions associated with the annual festival.
The Boston event follows a series of similar celebrations held across different cities across the world outside the traditional calendar observed in Puri.
On June 21, ISKCON units organised similar chariot festivals in Chicago in the United States, as well as in Paraguay and the Czech Republic. This apart, it held a Snana Yatra festival in Zurich, Switzerland, ignoring the prescribed dates.
On June 19, a chariot pulling ceremony took place in Antwerp, Belgium. This was followed on June 20 by simultaneous events at four separate locations, including Rome in Italy, Harrisburg in Pennsylv
ania, Calgary in Alberta, and both Ottawa and Barrie in Ontario, Canada.
Reacting sharply to the deviation from stipulated dates for the observance of sacred festivals associated with the sibling deities of Puri Jagannath Temple, members of the Odia community have lashed out at ISKCON for ignoring traditional calendar or Tithis followed in Puri.
Odisha Forum said celebrating Rath Yatra outside the prescribed tithi followed by the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri disrespects centuries-old cultural traditions.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, the forum said the fixed dates for the annual festival are deep-rooted in historical and scriptural frameworks. Deviating from these dates for regional convenience dilutes the cultural integrity of the heritage, as the forum argued. The global Odia diaspora must come together to protect the sanctity of these rituals, it said.
Stating that the organisation will raise the matter at the highest administrative level to ensure the protection of Jagannath culture from the deviations being practised by ISKCON, Odisha Forum said it will submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu. The forum plans to urge the central government to intervene and seek international protection for the festival’s traditional timeline.
“We are urging the Indian government that the Rath Yatra be declared as Intangible Heritage of Mankind under UNESCO,” said Odisha Forum chairman Gokul Patnaik said.
By seeking the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tag, the forum aims to establish a globally recognised standard for the festival. This will go a long way in ensuring that the scheduling and rituals adhere strictly to the authentic codes observed in Odisha.