Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Wednesday urged the Jaipur district authorities in Rajasthan to halt a proposed Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath scheduled for August 16, describing the event as a clear departure from the scriptural prescriptions and long-established traditions governing the deity’s worship.
In a letter addressed to Jaipur District Collector Sandesh Nayak, SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee sought appropriate administrative action to stop or withdraw any permission for the celebration, which is being organised by Jaipur Govinda, Shri Radha Madanmohan Mandir and the Sevakunj Foundation. He emphasised that the intervention was necessary to preserve the sanctity, ritualistic continuity, and scriptural fidelity of Lord Jagannath worship as practiced at the Moola Peetha (original seat) in Odisha’s Puri.
The annual Rath Yatra, Padhee noted, is a specifically prescribed sacred festival that begins on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya as part of the traditional Navadinatmaka Yatra. This year’s chariot festival at Puri commenced on July 16 in accordance with the prescribed tithi, followed by the return journey and associated rituals.
Holding a Rath Yatra on an unrelated date such as August 16, the letter stated, constitutes a departure from the prescribed tithi and the time-honoured tradition of Lord Jagannath worship. Holding a procession on an arbitrary date like August 16 is an unwarranted departure from established religious tenets and is likely to hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees, Padhee asserted.
This is not the first time the SJTA has intervened against untimely Rath Yatras. In early July 2026, the temple administration objected to a proposed off-season chariot procession in Sikar district of Rajasthan, organised by local groups, prompting the Sikar district collector to direct authorities to stop the event and advise that it be held only on the traditional date of July 16. A similar objection earlier in the year led organisers of a proposed May Rath Yatra in Ferozepur, Punjab, to agree to postpone the celebration following intervention by the local administration at the SJTA’s request