Bhubaneswar: The stand-off between International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) over the former’s untimely celebration of Rath Yatra abroad has escalated, with the Puri temple body slamming the society of “peddling misinformation”.Days after Iskcon defended holding Rath Yatra overseas on dates digressing from the Puri temple calendar, SJTA on Tuesday issued a scathing rebuttal, dismissing the claim as “false, misleading and mischievous”.The pushback came even as Iskcon’s Bengaluru unit backed SJTA’s call for uniformity in the festival schedule. Earlier, Iskcon’s Bhubaneswar unit too endorsed timely observance of Rath Yatra worldwide.“The statement circulated by Iskcon’s national communications office on July 12 is false. It seeks to mislead the public regarding untimely Rath Yatra in foreign countries,” the SJTA said in a release.The temple body also objected to Iskcon’s reference to Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb’s past participation in the organisation’s Rath Yatra in Berlin in 1991-92.“Iskcon is attempting to create an impression that Gajapati Maharaja’s participation amounted to his approval of the untimely celebration. This is a deliberate and mischievous statement casting aspersions on his integrity and conduct,” the SJTA asserted.According to the administration, the king had attended an inter‑faith conference in Berlin in 1991‑92 at Iskcon’s invitation. During the three‑day event, Iskcon organised a Rath Yatra on a date not prescribed by scriptures. On that occasion, the Gajapati Maharaja urged organisers to desist, citing violation of tradition.“Upon his return, the king engaged Iskcon leaders in dialogue to stop the practice. When informal discussions failed, the Jagannath temple managing committee passed a resolution on Feb 15, 2008 formally opposing untimely Rath Yatras through written representations,” the SJTA said.
