Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the erstwhile King of Puri, stated that the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration has renewed its fresh appeal to ISKCON, urging the organisation to conduct its overseas Jagannath Rath Yatra celebrations in strict alignment with traditional scriptures and limit them exclusively to the mandated nine-day festival period.
Speaking to ANI, Deb explained that scholarly discussions between ISKCON representatives and Puri temple scholars had failed to yield a consensus regarding year-round international celebrations, which prompted the temple administration to send new correspondence asking ISKCON to rethink its stance.
“When the Puri Temple Administration came to know about Rath Yatras being held not only outside India, but also within India, they started writing to the ISKCON headquarters in Mayapur to stop this,” he said.
Deb stated that these ongoing talks had previously led to a major decision by ISKCON’s Indian governing body in 2021 concerning celebrations within the country.
“After a lot of discussion, in 2021, the ISKCON Bureau decided to perform Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath according to the tradition. Within India, we do not really find ISKCON now holding Rath Yatra. But so far as Rath Yatras outside India are concerned, the ISKCON Bureau said that it will not be able to say anything about this,” he explained.
He added that the communication between the two sides persisted, resulting in an in-depth scholarly debate early last year.
“We resumed the dialogue with ISKCON headquarters in Mayapur. They wanted a scholarly discussion. So a scholarly discussion was held between the scholars of the ISKCON Scholars Board and the scholars of Jagannath Temple Puri in March 2025 in Bhubaneswar,” he said.
According to Deb, the panel of Puri temple scholars ultimately dismissed the arguments presented by ISKCON after a meticulous evaluation.
“The view which was given very elaborately by the ISKCON scholars was analysed and studied by the Jagannath Temple scholars, and they found that those views were not acceptable. The Jagannath Temple scholars gave a final opinion extending about 94 pages, which was approved by the Jagannath Temple Managing Committee and sent to the ISKCON GBC Chairman in Mayapur,” he said.
He pointed out that while ISKCON accepted the temple’s stance on Snana Yatra, it maintained an entirely different position regarding global Rath Yatra events.
“They replied that so far as Snana Yatra is concerned, which is the day of manifestation or the birthday of Lord Jagannath, we will hold it on the prescribed date as laid down by the scriptures and tradition, both within India and outside India. So far as Rath Yatra is concerned, they said within India we will follow the tradition and the scriptures… But for celebrations outside India, we cannot accept your suggestion to confine it to the nine-day festival period,” he said.
Terming ISKCON’s response as highly disappointing, Deb said the temple administration again appealed for a review of the decision.
“So we were very disappointed with that reply and therefore we wrote back again to the ISKCON chairman to reconsider this decision to hold a Rath Yatra outside India throughout the year,” he said.
Deb noted that he personally reached out to the newly appointed ISKCON chairman on July 4, 2026, to voice serious concerns regarding what he characterized as departures from long-standing religious customs.
“On 4th July, 2026, I once again wrote to the new ISKCON chairman… drawing his attention that ISKCON GBC has already decided that Snana Yatra, the Lord’s birthday, is to be celebrated on the specific tithi, and that is not being done. It is a breach of our Sanatana Vaidika Dharma that you are taking the Moola Vigraha out of the temple when you are not supposed to take Him out,” he said.
Furthering his observations, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb mentioned that ISKCON has since made it clear that it will not reopen discussions regarding its practice of holding year-round Rath Yatra celebrations in foreign nations.
“On the 7th of July, ISKCON Governing Body Commission gave us the reply that so far as Rath Yatra outside India is concerned, there is no further discussion which is required and they stick to their decision of organising Rath Yatra around the year in various countries outside India,” he said.
Deb added that the Jagannath Temple Managing Committee has now resolved to look for the Central Government’s intervention after holding consultations with the Odisha state authorities.
“Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, in consultation with the state government, has decided to bring the matter to the notice of the Central Government,” he said.
“When the ISKCON GBC chairman took the first decision on 19 October 2025, I immediately brought the matter to the notice of the Prime Minister through my letter dated 24 October 2025. I personally met the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 20 April 2026, submitted our representation and explained the matter to her,” he said.
Affirming that the temple administration plans to ramp up its approach, Deb revealed that a high-profile delegation is scheduled to travel to New Delhi following the culmination of this month’s festival.
“Now, as things have come to a particular situation, the Temple Managing Committee has decided that after the Rath Yatra is completed on the 27th of this month, a high-level delegation will go to Delhi to once again bring the matter to the notice of the President, the Prime Minister and other ministers and seek their intervention,” he said.
