Dates with reverence: Partition at Puri’s Rath Yatra festival

There is an outrage against the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Puri, one of India’s most famous temple cities. The global movement is organizing Rath Yatra processions in many countries to promote devotion to Lord Krishna through chanting of mantras. In most cases, the dates differ from those prescribed by the age-old ritual calendar of the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. Furthermore, the organization refused to follow the program of the managing committee of the temple in Puri.

This year’s Rath Yatra began on Thursday (July 16, 2026) at the Sri Jagannath temple in Puri and across India, with Lord Jagannath and his siblings – Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra – carried on three tall wooden chariots through the Bada Danda (Grand Road) in Puri. However, ISKCON is organizing the festival internationally from May 9, according to its press release, and it will cover 26 locations in Asia, North America, Europe and Africa. They are also organizing Rath Yatra at 66 places in Madhya Pradesh between July 16 and 25, two of which are outside the recommended nine-day period as per the calendar of the Jagannath temple in Puri.

Badri Mishra, a 67-year-old cultural activist standing near one of the chariots, hurled abuses against ISKCON in his voice shaking with anger. “If ISKCON comes to Puri,” growled Mishra, “it will have to face the wrath of the devotees of Lord Jagannath.”

Stepping up his attack, Mishra said, “We want governance like Yogi Adityanath (Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh).”. Jadi kaunasi organization bharatara sanatan dharmaku ehra charit pavitra sthana madhyaru gotiyare assamman karibaku sahas kare, tebe tahku nischint kada karjyanusthanra samukhina karibaku padiba. (If any organization dares to insult Sanatana Dharma in any of its four holy centers in India, it will face strict action.) It should no longer be allowed to operate in Odisha or in India.

Shri Jagannath Temple Management Committee has been raising this issue for many years, but it has come under greater pressure in the last few years. People in Puri feel that with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government both at the Center and the state, and the country’s President from Odisha, they have a better chance of being able to influence ISKCON’s stance.

request letter

Binayak Das Mohapatra, a Biswabasu service, who serves the temple hereditaryly, stood with Mishra next to the chariot, and said, “Will the Christian community allow others to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on March 2 or October 5 instead of December 25? How can ISKCON take the liberty of celebrating the Rath Yatra on any day other than the day specified by the Sri Jagannath temple in Puri?”

This resentment is not limited to people directly associated with the temple. Devotees coming to Puri have also expressed concern over this matter. He says the state government did not act on the request of Raja Dibyasingha Deb of Puri, who is considered the king of Puri. TeacherThe most prominent servant of Lord Jagannath.

Deb, who is also the chairman of the Shri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, had sent two-page letters, each containing a 152-page annexure, to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4.

Seeking his intervention, the letters raised concerns over ISKCON conducting Sri Jagannath Snana Yatra, ritual bathing of idols and Rath Yatra outside the scheduled dates. Deb also wrote a letter to ISKCON, appealing to them to reconsider their stand.

Got a paltry answer to this. On July 7, ISKCON Governing Body Commission chair Madhu Sevita Dasa rejected the appeal, saying, “There is nothing to add now, and therefore we respectfully withdraw from this discussion once and for all.” ISKCON’s stance comes despite other major Hindu religious chairs advocating adherence to established religious norms.

Deb is worried. He said, “We have been able to stop untimely Rath Yatras within India by writing letters to various state governments. But we have not been successful in convincing ISKCON to stop organizing Rath Yatras on foreign soil.”

In July this year, the Puri district administration had sent a request to the Rajasthan government to stop the Rath Yatra scheduled to take place in Sikar on July 10. The BJP government of Rajasthan helped stop it that day. Deb emphasizes that the dates are important because unlike other traditions where the presiding deity remains in the sanctum sanctorum and only the Utsava Vigraha (festival idols) are taken out, in the Jagannatha tradition, the presiding deity himself comes out of the temple during the Rath Yatra. In other areas the consecration of idols is done as per the tradition of Puri. Therefore, they also need to follow this date (date).

Deb also questioned the overall purpose of ISKCON. “In various Rath Yatra announcements, ISKCON asks for donations for almost every ritual. If this is not profit-motivated, then what is?”. He said.

The ongoing tussle between the Shri Jagannath Temple Management Committee and ISKCON is seen as part of a broader effort to protect Puri’s unique religious identity.

Earlier, the Odisha government led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had expressed deep concern over the naming of the Jagannath-inspired temple in Digha, West Bengal. It was named Jagannath Dham, another alleged deviation. Dham refers to the four religious sites considered most sacred to Hindus: Jagannath Puri in the east, Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west and Rameshwaram in the south. Despite repeated requests from Odisha, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government did not act on its appeal to remove the word ‘Dham’ from the temple complex. However, after the change of power in West Bengal, now with BJP in government, the word ‘Dham’ has been removed.

Beliefs of Rath Yatra

Rath Yatra is the most famous festival associated with Shri Jagannath Temple. A large number of devotees gather at Bada Danda to pull three chariots as the deity travels 3 km to the Gundicha temple and returns on the ninth day. Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati, one of the most prominent religious leaders of Hindus, said the Rath Yatra would be held after the puja “on the morning of the second day of the bright fortnight of the month of Ashadha”, the fourth month of the Hindu lunar calendar. This corresponds to June–July in the Gregorian calendar. Other Shankaracharyas from Sringeri and Kanchi Peeth as well as heads of various monasteries supported the Puri Shankaracharya.

The Rath Yatra, consisting of intricate rituals, presents a grand spectacle on the wide road connecting the two temples. Every year three chariots are newly constructed by the named temple.service.During the festival, chariots containing the deities are pulled by devotees and assisted by police personnel. Since non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the temple, the visit provides them with a glimpse of the deities.

“Even the king of Puri plays the role of a sweeper, ritually cleaning the chariot platforms,” said Sumant Mishra, a devotee of Lord Jagannath.

maximum protection

In 2025, the Sri Jagannath Temple administration constituted a committee to examine ISKCON’s rationale for holding the festival outside the scheduled date. Harekrishna Satpathy, a member of the committee, said the Mukti Mandapam, the supreme decision-making body on temple rituals, has historically shown flexibility with Jagannath followers in various aspects, including the size of the chariot and offerings.

“However, the day of Rath Yatra cannot be compromised. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court allowed celebrations within the scripture-mandated nine-day period with minimum attendance.serviceAnd adherence to safety protocols,” said Satpathy, former vice-chancellor of Rashtriya Sanskrit University.

Amid widespread criticism over the change in timing, ISKCON said it has aligned the dates of 247 Rath Yatras in India with those scheduled, about a third of which it organises.date. However, it cited logistical obstacles in doing so internationally.

Govardhan Das, former chairman of the ISKCON (Mayapur) Governing Body Commission, responded to Deb, saying that it was difficult to obtain permission abroad for minority religious programs, and most volunteers were unavailable on weekdays due to professional commitments.

He said that many temple cities in the West share chariots, and climate differences mean that some areas experience harsh winters during the Rath Yatra period. “It should be strictly followed.”date“The 600 Rath Yatra festivals held in the West across the world will be reduced by 90%,” he said in a letter to Deb.

Satpathy explained that over the past four years, ISKCON now operates as two groups. While the Bengaluru-based unit has agreed to follow the rituals of Puri, the group based in Mayapur, West Bengal, has not done so.

Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan is skeptical about being able to influence the dates. “We have no control over ISKCON on foreign soil. Even the ISKCON temple in Mayapur does not have much influence over its affiliates working outside the country.”

Meanwhile, Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON has separated itself from the Mayapur-headquartered ISKCON. Madhu Pandit Das, chairman of the governing body commission of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON Group of Temples (a Bengaluru-registered body), said, “We will conduct the Ratha Yatra as per the dates advised by the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri.”

Deb said that after the festival ends, a delegation will leave from Puri to meet the President and the Prime Minister. “Both are great devotees of Lord Jagannath. They know the rituals. Hopefully, they will take up the issue.”

satyasundar.b@thehindu.co.in