Puri King Takes ISKCON Rath Yatra Date Row To PM Modi

Temples are in the news post Ram Mandir donation theft. The latest news is from Odisha. Ahead of the grand nine-day planned mega festival of Lord Jagannath Ratha Yatra at Puri scheduled on July 16, 2026, Puri’s titular King Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb — Chairman of 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple Management Committee (SJTMC) has blown the bugle. He has raised serious questions against ISKCON’s international branches and its functioning. He is now seeking the Centre’s intervention to stop Lord Jagannath’s untimely rituals being conducted outside India. While ISKCON India chapter has agreed to abide by SJTMC directives, however, ISKCON centres in Canada, U.S., UK, Europe and parts of Africa continue to host Rath Yatras based on local convenience instead of following the lunar calendar practiced in Puri, thereby deviating from Odisha’s century old tradition. The Puri King says “The sanctity of dates cannot be altered for global convenience because it hurts the sentiments of millions of devotees”. This explains why Puri King has escalated this issue to PM Modi and President Droupadi Murmu and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi seeking their urgent intervention.