Puri Temple Asks President and PM to Stop ISKCON's Untimely Rath Yatras

Overview

• Citing letters dated July 4, 2026, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb urged President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act to stop ISKCON from holding Snan Yatra and Rath Yatra abroad on dates the temple calls untimely.
• The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee has decided to send a delegation to New Delhi to press its case and explain why it says festival dates must follow the tithis set in Jagannath tradition.
• Deb and the temple administration say nearly two decades of talks with ISKCON have failed to resolve the dispute and that legal action remains a possible last resort if diplomatic efforts do not succeed.
• The Odisha government has backed the temple's concerns, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi criticising 'untimely' Rath Yatras and saying the state will take steps to address the matter.
• The temple notes ISKCON’s international headquarters is in Mayapur and that the organisation follows traditional dates inside India while often scheduling festivals abroad on other days; reporters were unable to obtain comment from ISKCON during this coverage.