Puri Rath Yatra Dispute Deepens as Kalinga Sena Targets ISKCON

The Puri Rath Yatra has once again become the centre of a religious dispute after the Kalinga Sena , a Bhubaneswar-based social and political organisation, accused the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of not adhering to the traditional schedule for Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra.

Members of the organisation staged a demonstration outside an ISKCON temple in Bhubaneswar on Friday, alleging that the society had ignored an appeal by Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb to organise Rath Yatra celebrations around the world in line with the customs and scriptures followed at the Jagannath Temple in Puri.

Speaking to the media, Kalinga Sena president Hemant Rath said the group would oppose the participation of ISKCON devotees in the Puri Rath Yatra scheduled for July 16 . He also objected to any separate Rath Yatra organised by ISKCON in Bhubaneswar, claiming such events undermine Odisha's long-standing Jagannath traditions.

Rath alleged that ISKCON had shown disrespect to the Gajapati Maharaja, who is regarded as the foremost servitor of Lord Jagannath, and warned that the organisation would face protests across Odisha if it continued conducting Rath Yatra celebrations on dates that differ from those observed in Puri. He further claimed that Kalinga Sena activists would intensify their agitation, including demonstrations outside ISKCON centres, unless the society revised its approach.

The Bhubaneswar unit of ISKCON, however, has maintained that its Rath Yatra is conducted in accordance with the traditions associated with the Jagannath Temple in Puri.

The latest developments have renewed the Puri Rath Yatra dispute , underscoring longstanding tensions between ISKCON and local religious organisations over the timing and observance of Lord Jagannath's chariot festival outside Odisha. The differing interpretations of religious customs have remained a recurring point of contention between the two sides.