Bhubaneswar: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has urged the District Collector of Jaipur, Rajasthan to stop a proposed celebration of Shree Jagannath Rath Yatra scheduled for August 16, 2026, citing it as contrary to established traditions and scriptural prescriptions.
In a letter to Sandesh Nayak, District Collector & District Magistrate, Jaipur, SJTA Chief Administrator Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee said the proposed Yatra, being organised by Jaipur Govinda, Shri Radha Madanmohan Mandir and Sevakunj Foundation, does not align with the rituals followed at the ‘Moola Peetha’ in Puri.
“The Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha is a specifically prescribed sacred festival, commencing on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya and forming part of the traditional Navadinatmaka Yatra,” Padhee wrote.
He noted that the Rath Yatra at the Moola Peetha, Puri for 2025 was held on July 16, 2026, in accordance with the prescribed Tithi and traditional sequence of rituals. “Holding a Ratha Yatra on an unrelated date, such as 16 August 2026, therefore constitutes a departure from the prescribed Tithi and the time-honoured tradition of Lord Jagannatha worship,” the letter stated.
Padhee added that the proposed celebration “is consequently inconsistent with the established traditions followed at the Moola Peetha, Puri, and is likely to hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees of Lord Jagannatha.”
Requesting administrative intervention, he asked the Collector to “take appropriate administrative steps to stop/withdraw permission for the proposed Ratha Yatra on 16 August 2026 and advise/direct the organisers not to conduct the ceremonial Ratha Yatra on the said date.”
The Chief Administrator said the request was made “with due respect to the religious sentiments of all concerned and with the objective of preserving the sanctity and continuity of the established traditions of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu as followed at the Moola Peetha, Puri.”
