Is ISKCON Of Houston Going Ahead With Untimely Rath Yatra Despite Puri Gajapati’s Appeal?

Bhubaneswar: Two days after Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan claimed that ISKCON of Huston may not proceed with its untimely Rath Yatra plan, the invite for its first-ever ‘Festival of Bliss’ could still be found among the upcoming events on its official website on Monday.

In September, ISKCON of Houston, Texas, announced the first annual Festival of Bliss, the Sri Jagannath Ratha Yatra, at the American Legion Park. It had planned to observe Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath on November 3 and November 9 respectively. This created an outrage among the devotees of Lord Jagannath, who opposed the move and urged the Odisha government to intervene in the matter. Servitors of Shree Jagannath Temple also threatened to prevent entry of ISKCON devotees into the shrine in Puri if the Houston wing decided to proceed with the Rath Yatra.

Also Read: ISKCON’s Plan To Hold Untimely Rath Yatra In USA Annoys Devotees Of Lord Jagannath In Odisha

On October 29, the Puri king wrote to chairman of the governing body commission at ISKCON, requesting him to ensure that Rath Yatra and Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath are observed by its centres globally on the tithis/dates sanctioned by scriptures and tradition.

Also Read: Puri King Asks ISKCON To Cancel Untimely Rath Yatra In USA & Nigeria

On Saturday, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that he was optimistic that ISKCON would not go ahead with its plan to hold untimely Rath Yatra. “The state government had advised the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee to let ISKCON know its views on the untimely celebration of Lord Jagannath’s festivals. Accordingly, the committee urged ISKCON not to proceed with the festivals. They have stopped Snana Yatra and according to information I received yesterday, they are unlikely to go ahead with the untimely Rath Yatra since the ISKCON headquarters in India are also of the same view,” he said, while requesting to put a lid on any further discussions on this issue.

Also Read: Puri Shankaracharya Dismayed Over ISKCON’s Untimely Rath Yatra Plan

Saswatapati Das, president ISKCON Odisha, had also said that senior members of their society addressed the matter with ISKCON of Houston.

Though the Houston wing recently removed Snana Yatra from its website, post about Rath Yatra is still there, raising doubts on claims that it has withdrawn its plan to organise the event.