The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTM) has told the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) that Rath Yatra should be held between the second and tenth day of Shukla Paksha in Ashadha month in accordance with scriptural guidelines.The SJTM, the highest decision-making body of the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, emphasised that there should be no deviation from the prescribed ‘Tithi’ (dates) for the annual Rath Yatra, which is usually held in June-end or July.
This was communicated to ISKCON by Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Divya Singha Deb, who is also the chairman of the SJTM, during a meeting at the Royal Palace in Puri on Monday.
The meeting was attended by prominent figures, including Arabinda Padhee, chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Guru Prashad Swami Maharaj, head of ISKCON’s governing body commission (GBC), Premananda Das Maharaj, director of Odisha ISKCON, and regional director of Bhubaneswar, Banamali Chandra Das.