Puri Jagannath temple's meeting with ISKCON over 'untimely' Rath Yatra ends inconclusively

Bhubaneswar: A meeting convened here to resolve a dispute between the ISKCON and the revered Jagannath Temple in Puri over the "untimely" Rath Yatras held abroad ended inconclusively, a senior official said.

The meeting was held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Divya Singha Deb, and was attended by religious scholars of both ISKCON and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

The participants discussed the impact of holding the "untimely" Rath Yatra that "hurt the religious sentiments of crores of Jagannath devotees".

"The meeting was very cordial, and we apprised the ISKCON representatives of our concerns and requested them to conduct Rath Yatra as per the schedule in Puri across the globe. However, no firm decision could be taken at the meeting," SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee told reporters.

Mukunddas Ji Maharaj, who represented ISKCON in the meeting, said, "The discussion was positive and I appreciate the king's (Gajapati Maharaj) concern over the matter. He had earlier written to us twice to hold talks over the issue... We will take up the matter at the governing body commission of ISKCON." The meeting was held in the backdrop of ISKCON holding "untimely" Rath Yatras of Lord Jagannath across the world over which the temple and the devotees have expressed concern.

The latest Rath Yatra was planned by ISKCON in Houston in the US in November, 2024.

Padhee said that representatives of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) were told that Rath Yatra should be held between the second and tenth day of Shukla Paksha in the Ashadha month of the Hindu calendar in accordance with scriptural guidelines.

The SJTA chief said that this year, Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is on June 27 and the ISKCON has been requested to hold the chariot festival across the globe on the same date.

"We are optimistic that the ISKCON will respect the religious sentiments of the devotees," he added.