Bhubaneswar, August 10: A fresh controversy has erupted over the observance of Lord Jagannath’s festivals by ISKCON in the United States, with devotees and traditional Jagannath culture practitioners objecting to the scheduling of the Rath Yatra outside the traditional dates followed in Puri.

The controversy has resurfaced at an ISKCON temple in the Berkeley area of California, where the Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath was observed on Monday. The temple is also scheduled to organise its Rath Yatra on August 23, a date that critics say does not correspond with the traditional tithi-based calendar followed for the festival at the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri.

The issue has drawn objections from Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb of Puri, regarded as the foremost traditional servitor of Lord Jagannath. The Gajapati Maharaja has repeatedly urged ISKCON to reconsider its decision to allow Rath Yatras outside India to be organised on dates other than those prescribed by the traditional Jagannath calendar.

In an urgent letter dated July 4, 2026, the Gajapati Maharaja wrote to Madhusevita Das, Chairman of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC), requesting a reconsideration of the GBC’s October 19, 2025 decision concerning the scheduling of Rath Yatras abroad.

However, according to the information cited in the controversy, Madhusevita Das rejected the request in an email dated July 7, 2026.

The dispute has subsequently triggered protests and rallies by sections of Jagannath devotees and supporters of the traditional calendar. There have also been calls for restrictions on the entry of ISKCON devotees into Puri during the annual Rath Yatra.

The issue has further drawn criticism from sections of devotees and temple servitors, who maintain that the dates of major Jagannath festivals should follow the traditional tithi system associated with the Puri temple.

ISKCON, meanwhile, has historically played a significant role in popularising the Rath Yatra festival outside India. Its founder-acharya, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, organised the first ISKCON Rath Yatra in San Francisco in 1967. The event was initially organised in accordance with the traditional festival calendar of the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri.

The present dispute, therefore, centres on whether ISKCON temples outside India should continue to follow the traditional dates of the Puri Jagannath calendar or be permitted to schedule Rath Yatras independently based on local circumstances.

The matter has reportedly also been brought to the attention of the President and Prime Minister of India through written communications. With opposition continuing from sections of devotees and traditional stakeholders, attention is now focused on whether the government or other concerned authorities will intervene in the matter.