Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has sought the intervention of External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar over ISKCON’s repeated organisation of Rath Yatra and Snana Yatra abroad on dates that do not align with the sacred tithi of Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri.
Pattnaik said that despite appeals from the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and its Chairman, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, ISKCON continues to hold untimely festivals in several countries. He urged the minister to advise Indian embassies and high commissions to respect the traditional calendar before associating with such events.
Pattnaik stressed that the deviation hurts the religious sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees worldwide. He also expressed disapproval of embassy officials attending ISKCON’s Rath Yatra in Kenya, calling it insensitive to the concerns raised by devotees.
The appeal adds to growing calls for official intervention, with devotees demanding that ISKCON align its overseas celebrations with the rituals and tithis observed at Puri.
