Puri: Ferozepur district administration in Punjab Wednesday informed the authorities of the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri that they have ensured the postponement of the Rath Yatra planned for May 23 after the shrine’s officials protested against holding the festival on random dates.
The authorities of the Puri Jagannath Temple had written to Ferozepur District Magistrate Deepshikha Sharma, requesting her to prevent the temple in her jurisdiction from holding the Rath Yatra May 23.
Responding to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee’s letter, Sharma said the Ferozepur Jagannath Temple administration, which was organising the Rath Yatra, was called May 20 and “were informed about the appropriate timing of the festival and the significance of Shri Jagannath Puri Ji”.
“The temple administrators have provided their written consent to postpone the Rath Yatra,” the Ferozepur district magistrate said.
Padhee thanked the Ferozepur district magistrate, saying, “I spoke to the DM, and her swift action and cooperation are appreciated. The Ferozepur temple has agreed to conduct Rath Yatra July 16 as per the calendar.”
Earlier, the SJTA, in a letter on Tuesday, had said that holding the Rath Yatra on random dates was a “sensitive matter” and hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.
The Puri temple reacted to the proposed untimely Ratha Yatra plan of the Ferozepur temple after it came across some publicity materials and social media posts in circulation.
The SJTA maintained that the May 23 date for Rath yatra was not in consonance with the prescribed religious calendar and the established scriptural traditions governing this sacred festival.
“As per the ‘Tithi’ and established rituals associated with Lord Shree Jagannatha, Ratha Yatra is to be celebrated on July 16 this year,” Padhee had mentioned in the letter.
He said that any observance of this sacred festival on a date other than that prescribed by the scriptures is likely to hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees of Lord Jagannatha.
The SJTA also mentioned that under resolutions adopted by the Puri Jagannath temple’s managing committee under the chairmanship of the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, it has consistently expressed its strong objection to such untimely observances.
On May 18, the SJTA had also written a protest letter to the authorities of the Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh on a proposal to conduct the Rath Yatra June 14.
PTI
