ISKCON’s plan to host Rath Yatra in November irks devotees
BHUBANESWAR: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has once again miffed devotees and servitors of the Puri Jagannath temple by deciding to host the ‘Snana Yatra’ and Rath Yatra of the Trinity in Houston, US, in November.
The Houston wing of ISKCON has announced plans to organise the ‘Snana Yatra’ of the Trinity on November 3 and the Rath Yatra on November 9 at American Legion Park. This will be the first time ISKCON hosts the Rath Yatra, which it has termed the Festival of Bliss, in Houston.
This decision comes despite previous assurances given to Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb by ISKCON to host the festivals of Lord Jagannath in accordance with established tradition and scriptural injunctions.
Biswanath Mishra, working president of Mukti Mandap of Srimandir, described this action as an insult to Jagannath culture. In the past, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had warned ISKCON against such initiatives. According to the scriptures, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath come out of the temple to bless their devotees only during two occasions: Snana Purnima and Rath Yatra, he stated.
The Trinity leaves Srimandir during the Dwitiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the Ashada month when the Rath Yatra begins. They return to Srimandir during Niladri Bije on Asadha Suklapakshya Trayodashi. “There is no provision in the scriptures for the Rath Yatra to be organised anywhere else after the Trinity’s Rath Yatra in Puri,” Mishra emphasised.
