Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 7 : Erstwhile King of Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb targeted the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temples for conducting Rath Yatra at a random time of the year, calling it a violation of sacred traditions.
Speaking to the reporters on Saturday, Gajapati Maharaja said, "The very well-established tradition regarding the festivals of Lord Jagannatha is that the Lord celebrates his birthday with Snan Yatra on Jyestha Purnima...These traditions have been followed since ancient times in India as well as outside India, but Rath Yatra at most of the ISKCON temples was being celebrated at any random time of the year, which is completely in violation of sacred traditions."
To take action against this, Gajapati Maharaja started a dialogue regarding this with ISKCON and ultimately, the ISKCON governing body agreed with them and said, "Lord Jaganath Rath Yatra will be performed by ISKCON temples in India according to the scriptures and traditions. However, they stated that the governing body commission will make the decision on the Yatras outside India... We discussed with them as well..."
Moreover, the erstwhile King of Puri further stated that the views presented by ISKCON were thoroughly examined by their scholars as well, but found that they were totally "baseless". "Many Yatras of different deities in different states are done according to their traditions... Similar should be done with Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra," he further added.
Gajapati Maharaja added that a 100-page report has been sent to the ISKCON authorities, demolishing all the grounds that they have been trying to justify.
"We hope that they will take cognisance of the scriptures, and a quick decision will be taken. Otherwise, legal course will be the last resort...This is the ultimate, and we are not having any more dialogues with ISKCON," he added.
The Jagannath Rath Yatra is an annual Hindu festival celebrated in the city of Puri, Odisha, in which the deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra are taken from their temple in grand, decorated chariots to the Gundicha Temple, their aunt's house. This spiritual journey, also known as the Chariot Festival or Shree Gundicha Yatra, is one of the most significant Hindu festivals and commemorates Lord Jagannath's legendary visit to his birthplace.