Jagannath Puri Raja writes to President and PM Modi: ISKCON is wrong to organise Rath Yatra at different times; Appeal to preserve tradition

Gajapati Maharaj Divya Singh Deo of Puri in Odisha has written a letter to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the protection of the ancient tradition of the Jagannath temple. In a letter dated July 8, Gajapati criticised ISKCON for organising the Rath Yatra and Snan Yatra at different times. Gajapati Maharaj Divya Singh Deb is also the chairman of the Shri Jagannath Temple Management Committee (SJTMC). He says that ISKCON is organizing Rath Yatra on dates which are not according to the scriptures. This is hurting the sentiments of the devotees. Maharaja Divya Singh Dev was crowned at the age of 17 The current Gajapati Maharaja of Puri is the 'Thakur Raja' in the Jagannath culture. According to tradition, he is considered to be the chief servant of Lord Jagannath. During the Rath Yatra, the sacred service of cleaning the chariots with a gold broom (called 'Chhera Panhra') is performed by them. He was crowned in 1970 at the age of just 17. Maharaja Divya Singh Dev, who received higher education in law, is also the permanent chairman of the Shri Jagannath Temple Management Committee. However, ISKCON took out the Rath Yatra in London on June 21, New York City on June 14 and Sydney on July 5. But this year, Snan Purnima was on June 29 and the main Rath Yatra in Puri will take place on July 16. ISKCON says that Lord Jagannath belongs to devotees from all over the world. The dates of Rath Yatra are different in foreign countries, taking into account the climatic conditions, local conditions and convenience of the devotees, so that more people join the festival and spread the Jagannath culture globally. Gajapati Maharaj also objected to the plan of the ISKCON temple in Ujjain to organise rath yatras at 66 places in Madhya Pradesh between July 16 and 25. He said that according to religious texts, Rath Yatra is a 9-day festival starting only from Ashadha Sud Beej. He said that even in the Skanda Purana composed by Maharishi Ved Vyasa, Lord Jagannath himself has given the fixed dates of the Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra. In such circumstances, it is against ancient traditions and scriptures to organize on arbitrary dates. Responding to the earlier objections of the Puri temple, ISKCON said that climatic conditions, government regulations and local cultural factors have a big impact in every country. Due to this, it is not always possible to organize the Rath Yatra on the date mentioned in the scriptures. "In Russia, the weather, government and local culture are often not conducive to taking out the Rath Yatra on the dates mentioned in the scriptures. Controversy over Rath Yatra in 2024 is not new. In 2024 and 2025 also, the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri had requested ISKCON to organize Rath Yatra in foreign countries as per the religious calendar of Puri. In 2026, the controversy came into the limelight because in many countries the Rath Yatra was held several weeks before the date of Puri, after which a formal objection was lodged.