Puri: Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb has urged ISKCON not to celebrate Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra on dates that deviate from the traditional Hindu calendar, violating vedic and scriptural guidelines of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri.
The Gajapati Maharaj, who is also the chairman of Jagannath temple managing committee (JTMC),has appealed for strict adherence to scripturally prescribed dates for these rituals in the letter emailed to ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission chairman Govardhan Das Prabhu.
“Learned scholars of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (Puri) have thoroughly scrutinised the views put forward by ISKCON scholars at the Scholars Meeting held at Bhubaneswar on March 20, 2025, and have reiterated their definite and firm conclusion that Snana Yatra is to be celebrated only on Jyestha-poornima Tithi (that is, June 11this year); while Rath Yatra (that is, Gundicha Yatra and Bahuda Yatra) is to be performed only within the auspicious nine-days from Asadha Shukla-paksha Dwitiya Tithi (June 27 this year) to Asadha Shukla-paksha Dashami Tithi (July 5 this year). Performance of these most sacred Yatras of the Lord on any other tithi/date will be a violation of our sacred scriptures and ancient well-established tradition,” he wrote.
He further stated that detailed explanations on this matter will be sent to ISKCON shortly.
The Puri king, who is the first servitor of the Lord, requested him to ensure that no ISKCON temple or centre anywhere in the world performs these rituals on a date/tithi not sanctioned by scriptures and tradition.
