PURI, Jan 31 : The Jagannath Chetana Gaveshana Pratisthan organisation has decided to submit a memorandum to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, during her visit to Puri, urging her intervention to prevent the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) from organising the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath on “inauspicious days”, which they alleged is in violation of long-established religious traditions and prescribed rituals.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Naresh Chandra Dash, General Secretary of the Pratisthan, said the organisation had earlier submitted similar demands to the Prime Minister, union Home Minister, Governor of Odisha, and the Chief Minister, requesting immediate steps to stop what it described as an “unethical and inappropriate practice that makes a mockery of sacred traditions”.
Dash pointed out that the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration had previously written to ISKCON, instructing it not to observe the Rath Yatra on any day other than Ashadha Sukla Dwitiya, the traditionally sanctioned date.
In its reply last October, ISKCON reportedly stated that it would not organise such observances within India but remained silent regarding Rath Yatras conducted abroad.
Dash further noted that the “untimely observance” of the Rath Yatra has drawn objections from Gobardhan Peeth Sankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingh Deb, and several NRI devotees, all of whom have expressed concern over deviations from established religious norms.
The Jagannatha Chetana Gavesana Pratisthana (SJCGP) is a national-level research organisation based in Puri, Odisha, dedicated to studying and popularising the “Jagannath Consciousness.” It brings together scholars and experts to explore the historical, ritualistic, and philosophical aspects of the Jagannath Temple and its cultural synthesis.
(UNI)
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