Shree Jagannath Pancharatra Prachar Samiti condemns ISKCON's decision to organize Ratha Yatra in America in November
Bhubaneswar(28/10/2024): The decision of ISKCON to organize the Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath on November 3 and Ratha Yatra on November 9 in Houston, Texas, USA, has faced opposition.
Earlier, similar attempts to organize Ratha Yatra in Ludhiana and Delhi were strongly opposed by devotees of Lord Jagannath. Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingh Deb had also criticized this decision and requested ISKCON not to organize it.
After much controversy, ISKCON had agreed in 2021 to organize the Snana Yatra on Jyestha Purnima and Ratha Yatra on Ashadha Shukla Pakhya Dwitiya Tithi. Premananda Prabhu of ISKCON Bhubaneswar, had assured that the organization would inform the higher authorities and follow the traditional schedule.
However, despite this, ISKCON has decided to organize the Ratha Yatra on a different date. Debendra Pati, former president of Odisha Culture Center, has also expressed his disagreement with the decision, stating that it is not appropriate. The Odisha Culture Center, Houston, has been organizing Ratha Yatra since 2008, following the traditional schedule of Puri Jagannath Temple. President of Puri Mukti Mandap Sabha Vishwanath Mishra, has also opposed the decision, terming it an insult to Lord Jagannath's culture. Rabi Narayan Samantaray and Binayak Das Mohapatra, servitors of Puri Jagannath Temple, have also expressed their disagreement, stating that organizing Rath Yatra on a different date is an insult to Lord Jagannath's culture. The Shree Jagannath Pancharatra Prachar Samiti, in a meeting presided over by its General Secretary, Prabhakar Mallik, has condemned the decision and requested the Odisha government and temple administration to take immediate action. The meeting was attended by Samiti's Secretary Dr Narayan Mohapatra, Vice President Baikuntha Mohapatra, Trilochan Nayak, Bansidhar Nayak, Akshay Sahu, Tanmay Sahu, Treasurer Suresh Mishra, Deputy Treasurer Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik, Professor Ramachandra Mishra, Srinibas Rao and other members.
