Puri's titular king urges ISKCON to stop holding 'untimely' Rath Yatras

Business To Business, Bhubaneshwar, 05^th July, 2026:   Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, has written to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), expressing concern that the organisation's observance of Lord Jagannath's Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra on dates that differ from traditional scriptural timelines has hurt the sentiments of devotees.
In a letter addressed to Shree Madhusevita Dasa Prabhu, Chairman of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission (GBC) at Mayapur, Deb urged the organisation to reconsider a decision taken by its Governing Body Commission in October 2025 regarding the scheduling of the festivals.
Deb, who also serves as the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), said that adherence to the traditional calendar followed by the Jagannath Temple in Puri is essential to preserving the sanctity and uniformity of the centuries-old religious observances.
"You are therefore requested to reconsider and revise the GBC decision of October 2025... so as to ensure that ISKCON celebrates Rath Yatra around the world only within the aforesaid nine-day festival period," the letter, issued on Saturday, stated.
The Gajapati Maharaja emphasised that celebrating the Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra outside the scripturally prescribed period could cause confusion among devotees and undermine the established religious traditions associated with Lord Jagannath.
The communication highlights the importance of synchronising global celebrations of the Rath Yatra with the ritual calendar observed at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, one of Hinduism's most revered pilgrimage centres. ISKCON has yet to issue an official response to the letter.