Puri erstwhile king seeks Centre’s intervention after ISKCON refuses to reconsider overseas Rath Yatra

BHUBANESWAR: The erstwhile king of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, said the Shree Jagannath Temple administration has renewed its appeal to ISKCON to conduct overseas Jagannath Rath Yatra celebrations in accordance with traditional scriptures and confine them to the prescribed nine-day festival period.

Deb said scholarly discussions between ISKCON and Jagannath Temple scholars failed to produce a consensus on year-round overseas celebrations, prompting fresh correspondence seeking reconsideration of the practice. “When the Puri Temple Administration came to know about Rath Yatras being held not only outside India, but also within India, they started writing to the ISKCON headquarters in Mayapur to stop this,” he said.

Deb said the discussions led to a key decision by ISKCON’s governing body in India in 2021 regarding celebrations within the country. “After a lot of discussion, in 2021, the ISKCON Bureau decided to perform Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath according to the tradition. Within India, we do not really find ISKCON now holding Rath Yatra. But so far as Rath Yatras outside India are concerned, the ISKCON Bureau said that it will not be able to say anything about this,” he said.

#WATCH | Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Speaking about Rath Yatra, Erstwhile King of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb says, “It is a tradition which has been followed since time immemorial… Lord Jagannath… has expressed his desire to visit his birthplace once in a year… that… pic.twitter.com/ztVib3OTxU

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2026

He further said the dialogue between the two sides continued, culminating in a detailed scholarly discussion earlier this year. “We resumed the dialogue with ISKCON headquarters in Mayapur. They wanted a scholarly discussion. So a scholarly discussion was held between the scholars of the ISKCON Scholars Board and the scholars of Jagannath Temple Puri in March 2025 in Bhubaneswar,” he said.

According to Deb, the Jagannath Temple scholars rejected the arguments put forward by ISKCON after an extensive review. “The view which was given very elaborately by the ISKCON scholars was analysed and studied by the Jagannath Temple scholars, and they found that those views were not acceptable. The Jagannath Temple scholars gave a final opinion extending about 94 pages, which was approved by the Jagannath Temple Managing Committee and sent to the ISKCON GBC Chairman in Mayapur,” he said.

He said ISKCON accepted the temple’s position regarding Snana Yatra but maintained a different stand on overseas Rath Yatra celebrations.

“They replied that so far as Snana Yatra is concerned, which is the day of manifestation or the birthday of Lord Jagannath, we will hold it on the prescribed date as laid down by the scriptures and tradition, both within India and outside India. So far as Rath Yatra is concerned, they said within India we will follow the tradition and the scriptures… But for celebrations outside India, we cannot accept your suggestion to confine it to the nine-day festival period,” he said.

Calling ISKCON’s response disappointing, Deb said the Temple Administration again appealed for a review of the decision. “So we were very disappointed with that reply and therefore we wrote back again to the ISKCON chairman to reconsider this decision to hold a Rath Yatra outside India throughout the year,” he said.

Deb added that he personally wrote to the new ISKCON chairman on July 4, 2026, raising concerns over what he described as deviations from established traditions.

“On 4th July, 2026, I once again wrote to the new ISKCON chairman… drawing his attention that ISKCON GBC has already decided that Snana Yatra, the Lord’s birthday, is to be celebrated on the specific tithi, and that is not being done. It is a breach of our Sanatana Vaidika Dharma that you are taking the Moola Vigraha out of the temple when you are not supposed to take Him out,” he said.

Continuing his remarks, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb said ISKCON has conveyed that it will not revisit its decision on conducting Rath Yatra celebrations outside India throughout the year.

#WATCH | Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Erstwhile King of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb says, “On the 7th of July, ISKCON Governing Body Commission gave us the reply that so far as Rath Yatra outside India is concerned, there is no further discussion which is required and they… pic.twitter.com/LEcLvEcwiB

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2026

“On the 7th of July, ISKCON Governing Body Commission gave us the reply that so far as Rath Yatra outside India is concerned, there is no further discussion which is required and they stick to their decision of organising Rath Yatra around the year in various countries outside India,” he said.

Deb said the Jagannath Temple Managing Committee has now decided to seek the Centre’s intervention after consulting the Odisha government. “Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, in consultation with the state government, has decided to bring the matter to the notice of the Central Government,” he said.

“When the ISKCON GBC chairman took the first decision on 19 October 2025, I immediately brought the matter to the notice of the Prime Minister through my letter dated 24 October 2025. I personally met the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 20 April 2026, submitted our representation and explained the matter to her,” he said.

Stating that the temple administration will now escalate its efforts, Deb said a delegation would visit New Delhi after the conclusion of this year’s Rath Yatra. “Now, as things have come to a particular situation, the Temple Managing Committee has decided that after the Rath Yatra is completed on the 27th of this month, a high-level delegation will go to Delhi to once again bring the matter to the notice of the President, the Prime Minister and other ministers and seek their intervention,” he said. (ANI)