In a significant move to safeguard centuries-old religious traditions, Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, serving as the Chairman of the Shree Jagannatha Temple Managing Committee, has issued an urgent letter to the Governing Body Commission (GBC) of ISKCON.
Addressed directly to ISKCON GBC Chairman Shree Madhusevita Dasa Prabhu, the communication voices a strong objection to the practice of organising “untimely” or off-season Snana Yatra and Ratha Yatra festivals across various global centres.
Following an in-depth review by a panel of scholars from the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA), the managing committee has directed strict compliance with Vedic scriptures like the Skanda Purana.
According to these texts, the Snana Yatra must strictly take place on Jyestha Poornima Tithi, and the subsequent 9-day festival (Navadinatmaka Yatra) must strictly begin on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dvitiya Tithi, falling on July 16.
Theological interpretations previously put forward by the ISKCON Scholars Board were thoroughly evaluated by the SJTA panel and deemed completely unacceptable, with the scholars firmly ruling that these sacred celestial festivals cannot be altered or rescheduled for local convenience.
“Celebration of sacred Snana-yatra and Ratha-yatra in contravention of holy scriptures and ancient well-established tradition is hurting the religious sentiments of countless devotees around the world,” said Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb in his letter.
The decisive intervention by the apex temple administration follows intense backlash from both the Odia diaspora and traditional scriptural scholars. A number of international ISKCON centres—notably those in New York, London, and Australia—have drawn heavy criticism recently for organising unseasonal, or “Adinia,” processions weeks prior to the dates mandated by the traditional Puri Jagannath Panjika.
While ISKCON has traditionally pointed to local logistical limitations and the feasibility of obtaining weekend public permissions abroad as reasons for changing the dates, temple authorities maintain that while the style of celebration can evolve, altering the core Tithi or calendar schedule is spiritually unacceptable.
The Gajapati Maharaja has called for swift, favourable consideration from ISKCON’s highest governing body to ensure global uniformity and respect for the primary abode of Lord Jagannatha.
