Puri Jagannath Temple administration issues ultimatum to Iskcon over ritual violations

Bhubaneswar: The Puri Jagannath Temple administration on Saturday gave a one-month ultimatum to Iskcon to stop conducting untimely ‘Snana Yatra’ and Rath Yatra in different places across the world, violating the scriptures and traditions.Puri king and chairman of the temple managing committee, Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, said the shrine administration would be forced to consider taking legal action if Iskcon continued to violate the age-old traditions.“Iskcon has been committing the blunder of conducting sacred rituals of Lord Jagannath on random dates for the last 50 years. By doing this, the institution has been hurting the religious sentiments of countless devotees of the Lord around the world.

Despite repeated discussions, they have been violating the scriptures and putting forward weird and illogical arguments in favour of their violation,” Deb said.Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has sent a 100-page recommendation to the Iskcon Governing Body Commission at Mayapur in West Bengal to take appropriate steps as early as possible to ensure that the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is performed in all Iskcon temples and centres around the world in accordance with the sacred scriptures and well-established traditions, read an SJTA statement.

“The 100-page report we sent to Iskcon is a scripture-based documentary proof of the violations they have been committing for years. Quoting various sacred scriptures, experts have placed counter-arguments in favour of conducting the festivals following the traditions. We have requested them to conduct Snana Yatra on Jyestha Purnima tithi and Rath Yatra on any day during the nine-day festival in the month of Asadha.

Any other day except this would be considered a violation,” said Deb, adding, “We want to resolve this amicably. But if they continue to violate, then we would resort to legal action.”This year, Iskcon conducted untimely Rath Yatra at 68 places and Snana Yatra at least at 40 temples in India and abroad beyond the scheduled date in the Puri temple, violating the sacred scriptures and traditions, the Puri king informed.He also urged Iskcon that, like other festivals they have been celebrating, including Janmashtami, Ram Navami, Mahashivratri, Holi and Diwali, and also Christmas and Eid-ul-Fitr, Wesak and Paryushan Mahaparva, Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra should also be celebrated on the same day across the world.Chief administrator of SJTA, Arabinda Padhee, newly-selected members of the temple management committee, and several experts in religion and scriptures were present.State public relations officer of Iskcon, Bhubaneswar, Radhakanta Das said, “There is a need for more discussion on the issue and to find out a solution. We also believe that Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra should be held on Jyestha Purnima and Asadha Sukla Pakhya dwitiya tithi, respectively. But we have little control over centres and temples across the world.”