Bhubaneswar: Akshaya Patra Foundation, in a public statement issued Sunday, clarified the recent discussions concerning the observance of the untimely Rath Yatra by ISKCON.
The outfit distinguishes between the ISKCON Bangalore Group of Temples and the ISKCON Mumbai Group.
“There are two groups in ISKCON, one is the Swadeshi (Bangalore) group and the other is the majorly Bideshi (Mumbai) group, which are two separate legal entities having their own temples around the world.
The Bangalore Group of Temples is administered independently through Swadeshi (Indian) devotees through its Governing Body Council (GBC) of Hare Krishna Movement, which operates various spiritual, educational, and charitable initiatives, including the world’s largest Mid-day Meal Programme through The Akshaya Patra Foundation.
The Supreme Court of India has legally recognised and distinguished the Bangalore organisation from the ISKCON Mumbai group.
The ISKCON Mumbai Group is governed and controlled majorly by foreign devotees and managed through some local Indian devotees,” the statement said.
“The Bangalore Group of Temples follows Indian culture, and wherever the group has a Jagannath temple, we strictly adhere to and follow the culture, direction, and calendar of Jagannath Temple, Puri,” the statement further read and appalled the ISKCON Mumbai Group to strictly adhere and follow the Puri Jagannath Temple administration’s direction.