MEMORANDUM

To

Her Excellency The Hon’ble President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi – 110004

Subject: Memorandum seeking kind intervention for the preservation of the sanctity, traditional integrity, and scriptural authenticity of the sacred Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha.

Your Excellency,

We, the members of the Odia community, most respectfully submit this memorandum through Odisha Forum, Delhi, for the gracious consideration of Your Excellency, seeking kind intervention to safeguard the sanctity, spiritual authenticity, and centuries-old traditions associated with the sacred Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha originating from the holy city of Puri, Odisha.

Lord Jagannatha is not merely a Deity for the people of Odisha; He represents a timeless spiritual tradition and a civilizational heritage revered by millions of devotees across India and across the world. The annual Ratha Yatra held at Puri is among the oldest and most sacred religious festivals known to humanity. It is conducted in accordance with ancient scriptures, rituals, temple customs, and traditions under the supervision of the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, the servitors, and the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration.

Puri is one of the most sacred pilgrimage centres of India and is revered as one of the Char Dham. Shree Jagannatha Temple at Puri, dedicated to Lord Jagannatha, is central to the

spiritual life of millions of Hindus, and the Ratha Yatra is one of the most important expressions of this living tradition. It is also officially recognized by the Government of India as part of the nation’s intangible cultural heritage.

The Ratha Yatra of Puri is unique because it follows a precise ritual calendar determined by the traditional Hindu almanac and temple customs. Every aspect of the festival, including Snana Purnima, Anasara, Nabajouban Darshan, Ratha Yatra, Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha, and Niladri Bije, is spiritually interconnected and ritually regulated.

The dates of Ratha Yatra and Snana Purnima, the two most important festivals in this sacred cycle, are specifically prescribed in revered scriptures. In the Skanda Purana (Purushottama-kshetra Mahatmyam, Adhyaya 29, Shlokas 32-41, 44, and 45), Lord Jagannatha is stated to have proclaimed that His Ratha Yatra shall be a nine-day festival commencing on Ashadha Shukla-paksha Dwitiya Tithi. The same prescribed nine-day period is also referred to in the Brahma Purana and the Padma Purana and is reiterated in other sacred texts and long-established traditions.

It has, however, come to be noticed with considerable concern that ISKCON temple authorities in different parts of India and abroad have been organizing events described as “Ratha Yatras” at various times of the year, detached from the prescribed Tithis and from the traditional observance of the Ratha Yatra at Puri, which is the Moola Peetha, the original abode and principal seat of Lord Jagannatha worship.

In the considered view of many devotees and scholars, the observance of the Ratha Yatra on any day other than that ordained by scripture constitutes a departure from the sanctity of the original tradition. The concern, it is respectfully submitted, is not with devotion itself, but with the preservation of ritual authenticity, spiritual discipline, and cultural integrity.

One particularly sensitive instance concerns the reported practice of conducting a so-called Ratha Yatra on 4 July each year in Washington, D.C., where Lord Jagannatha’s chariot is included as one among several floats in the Independence Day Parade. Devotees regard the presentation of the sacred chariot of Lord Jagannatha as part of a secular parade, for purposes of public visibility or television coverage, as inconsistent with the spiritual dignity of the festival and as hurtful to the religious sentiments of millions of Jagannatha devotees across the world.

This matter has already been brought to the attention of the ISKCON administration and its Governing Body Commission at Mayapur, West Bengal. ISKCON has reportedly agreed to observe the sacred Tithis in its establishments within India, but has indicated that it would continue to conduct Ratha Yatras outside India on different dates according to local convenience. Such a position, it is respectfully submitted, gives rise to serious concern among devotees of Lord Jagannatha and among those committed to preserving the authenticity of this sacred tradition.

The views of ISKCON were duly placed before the scholars associated with the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration, Puri. After due deliberation, the scholars concluded that the Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha can be held only within the Tithis prescribed by the sacred scriptures. This opinion was approved by the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration, Puri, and formally conveyed to the ISKCON administration on 6 September 2025, advising that the Ratha Yatra may be celebrated on any day, including a weekend, falling within the auspicious nine-day period prescribed for the festival.

Param Pujyapad Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati Maharaj, Peethadhishwara of Shree Govardhan Matha, Puri, who is widely regarded as the highest religious authority in matters relating to Lord Jagannatha, has clearly stated that Shree Jagannatha Ratha Yatra must be celebrated only in accordance with the Tithis prescribed in the sacred scriptures, namely within the nine-day period commencing on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya Tithi. Most revered Shankaracharyas and Vaishnavacharyas in the various Moola Peethas of Sanatana Dharma have also expressed the same view.

It may kindly be appreciated that in Hindu religious tradition, major festivals such as Shree Krishna Janmashtami, Shree Rama Navami, Maha Shivaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Diwali, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Vasant Panchami, and Makara Sankranti are observed on specific dates sanctioned by scripture, tradition, and the Hindu calendar. These festivals cannot be arbitrarily shifted to any convenient day of the year. The same discipline and reverence must apply to the sacred Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha.

The Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha is not a symbolic procession that can be detached from its sacred timing. During this festival, Lord Jagannatha, along with Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, comes out of the sanctum sanctorum and proceeds to Shree Gundicha Temple on three separate chariots. Specific rituals are performed, prescribed attires are offered to the Deities, and the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri symbolically sweeps the chariots with a golden broom in humble service to the Lord. These rituals have been meticulously observed for centuries in accordance with sacred texts and temple tradition.

The festival also carries a profound social and spiritual message. It is perhaps the most visible occasion on which the Lord comes out of the sanctum sanctorum to be among the people, transcending barriers of caste, class, religion, and nationality. The Ratha Yatra enables millions of devotees, including those who may not be able to enter the temple, to have darshan of Lord Jagannatha and experience spiritual renewal.

While we fully respect the right of devotees and organizations to worship Lord Jagannatha and spread His divine message globally, we humbly submit that such worship should not disturb the sanctity, ritual discipline, and spiritual identity of the Ratha Yatra tradition. If ISKCON or any other organization wishes to conduct processions on other auspicious days, they may consider using Utsava Vigrahas installed in their own temples, without presenting such events as the sacred Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha prescribed by scripture.

Untimely and unrelated Ratha Yatras create confusion among devotees, especially younger generations and international followers, who may mistakenly perceive all independently organized processions as equivalent to the original Puri Ratha Yatra. Such practices weaken the unique identity of the original shrine, dilute Odisha’s spiritual heritage, and deeply hurt the sentiments of millions of Odias and Jagannatha devotees. The Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha is a sacred festival ordained by the Lord Himself and sanctioned by scripture; it cannot be reduced to a carnival.

In the above circumstances, we most respectfully pray that Your Excellency may graciously be pleased to consider the following:

• To advise the concerned ISKCON authorities and organizations, through their headquarters at Mayapur, District Nadia, West Bengal, to preserve the sanctity and prescribed traditional timing of the sacred Ratha Yatra associated with Lord Jagannatha and to celebrate this sacred festival in all their centres around the world only within the nine-day period commencing on Ashadha Shukla-paksha Dwitiya Tithi.
• To encourage all organizations conducting Ratha Yatra celebrations across India and abroad to align their observances with the traditional Ratha Yatra period of Puri.
• To recognize, protect, and promote the traditional and cultural uniqueness of the original Ratha Yatra of Puri as an important spiritual and cultural heritage of India.
• To support appropriate efforts for the recognition of the Shree Jagannatha Ratha Yatra of Puri as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

We once again respectfully submit that this memorandum is not directed against any religious organization or devotee community. Our humble appeal is solely intended to preserve the sanctity, dignity, authenticity, and spiritual discipline of one of India’s most revered religious and cultural traditions.

We earnestly trust that Your Excellency will be pleased to consider this matter with the sensitivity, seriousness, and importance that it warrants.

With highest regards,

Yours faithfully,

For Odisha Forum

Gokul Patnaik, IAS(Retd.)
President