Misleading devotees: Puri king slams ISKCON over untimely Rath Yatras
A fresh dispute has broken out between the Shree Jagannath Temple authorities in Puri and ISKCON over the timing of Rath Yatras held outside Odisha
A fresh dispute has broken out between the Shree Jagannath Temple authorities in Puri and ISKCON over the timing of Rath Yatras held outside Odisha. Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb has accused ISKCON of attempting to mislead people through statements on what he described as "untimely" Rath Yatras abroad. Deb was reacting to a press release by ISKCON which, according to him, claimed that Puri's scholars were "defeated in a debate" with the organisation's scholars on the issue of holding Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra. Read Full Story The Jagannath temple authorities maintain that the Rath Yatra should be held only during the nine-day period from 'Asadha Sukla Dwitiyatithi' of the Hindu calendar, while ISKCON has said it wants to hold Rath Yatras throughout the year and that its discussion with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on the matter has "ended once and for all." Calling the ISKCON statement false, Deb said, "The press release issued by ISKCON's Juhu branch in Mumbai contains completely false and irrelevant information.
A discussion and debate had taken place at Shri Nahar (palace) in Puri between scholars from Puri and ISKCON scholars. However, ISKCON is now spreading a completely fabricated story claiming that the Puri scholars lost the debate." He added that the SJTA would issue a firm reply on the matter of "untimely" Rath Yatra. Deb, who is also the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), the apex decision-making body of the 12th-century shrine in Puri, said ISKCON's highest body, the governing body commission (GBC), had been informed about the deviations being committed by holding untimely Rath Yatras.
However, he said, ISKCON continues to organise Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra at various places across the world. Responding to the row, ISKCON's Odisha unit regional secretary Banamali Das told reporters, "On behalf of Odisha ISKCON, we tender an apology from the core of our heart if Gajapati Maharaja was hurt. We have the highest regard for him... We, in Odisha, are conducting Rath Yatra as per the Puri tradition and never deviate from prescribed dates and 'tithis'." He said Odisha ISKCON has no control over what is happening abroad. "We conduct Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra on particular days across India.
This time, Rath Yatra will be conducted in the UAE on July 16, the day it is observed in India," he said. Ends
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