Puri: Shree Gajapati Maharaja has formally requested the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to “honour sacred scriptures and ancient well-established tradition” by holding the Shree Jagannatha Ratha Yatra in all its temples worldwide exclusively within the prescribed nine-day period commencing from the Asadha Shukla-paksha Dwitiya Tithi.
The request, communicated in a letter dated today, October 21, 2025, to the Chairman of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC), Shree Govardhana Dasa is a response to the GBC’s earlier refusal to comply with this specific mandate.
The issue stems from a final decision of the Shree Jagannatha Temple Managing Committee (Puri) , which instructed ISKCON Temples worldwide to celebrate both the Snana Yatra and Ratha Yatra only on the specific Tithi prescribed by tradition and sacred scriptures. Shree Gajapati Maharaja first informed the ISKCON GBC Chairman of this decision on September 6, 2025.
The ISKCON GBC Chairman responded in a letter dated October 19, 2025. While ISKCON agreed to celebrate the Snana-yatra on the prescribed tithi (Jyestha-poornima) in all its Temples both in India and abroad, it was “unable to agree” with the decision regarding the Ratha Yatra celebration in countries outside India. The traditional period for Ratha Yatra is the nine days commencing from the Asadha Shukla-paksha Dwitiya Tithi.