ISKCON Rath Yatra Timing Triggers Row, Puri Temple Seeks Centre’s Intervention

The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) in Puri has decided to send a delegation to President Droupadi Murmu or Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking intervention over the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) conducting Rath Yatras on dates the temple authorities say deviate from scriptural tradition .

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb , the titular king of Puri. The delegation is expected to meet the President or Prime Minister after Niladri Bije , marking the conclusion of the annual Rath Yatra in July.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee said the temple body is concerned over ISKCON holding “ untimely Rath Yatras ” in India and abroad. Temple authorities claim the organisation has conducted Rath Yatras in over 70 cities outside India on varying dates, which they say departs from established Jagannath traditions.

The issue has already been raised through earlier correspondence to both the President and the Prime Minister, with temple authorities asserting that key rituals such as Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra must follow the traditional calendar observed in Puri.

The development highlights recurring disputes over religious traditions, ritual authority, and institutional control as global devotional movements expand beyond regional temple systems.

The SJTMC also discussed administrative matters, including the Ratna Bhandar (temple treasury) inventory, which has been temporarily deferred until after Rath Yatra due to ongoing rituals. The committee also approved amendments to the inventory SOP to allow large valuables to be documented outside the inner chamber.

Separately, the temple administration said it is advancing efforts to secure intellectual property rights for official wordmarks and logos to protect the temple’s heritage from commercial misuse.