SJTA Rejects ISKCON’s Rath Yatra Date Claims, Calls Them Misleading

Puri: The Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA) has firmly rejected ISKCON’s claims that conducting Rath Yatras on different dates worldwide is scripturally valid.

In a strongly worded statement, SJTA described ISKCON’s press release as “absolutely false” and misleading, stressing that the sacred festival dates are inviolable.

SJTA clarified that Lord Jagannatha Himself prescribed the tithis for major rituals, as recorded in the Skanda Purana and Brahma Purana.

The Snana Yatra must be observed on Jyestha Purnima, while the Rath Yatra is a nine‑day festival beginning on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dvitiya. Any deviation, they said, violates Sanatana Dharma.

While acknowledging practical challenges abroad, SJTA insisted that only the manner of celebration can be adapted, not the dates.

The dispute dates back to objections raised in Berlin in the early 1990s, with formal resolutions passed in 2008.

Despite multiple dialogues between SJTA and ISKCON from 2021 to 2025, the latter’s Governing Body Commission ultimately rejected SJTA’s position.

SJTA also accused ISKCON of misrepresenting Gajapati Maharaja’s stance, clarifying that he had advised against untimely Rath Yatras.

Religious authorities, including Shankaracharyas and Vaishnavacharyas, have backed SJTA’s position, affirming that the festival must only be held on prescribed dates.

In a significant development, ISKCON Bangalore has aligned with SJTA, pledging to observe Rath Yatra and Snana Yatra strictly on the scriptural tithis, distinguishing itself from ISKCON Mayapur.

SJTA now plans to send a delegation to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking intervention against untimely celebrations worldwide.