Puri: The authorities of the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri has opposed the decision of a temple in Ferozepur of Punjab to hold the Rath Yatra, untimely.
IAS officer Arabinda Padhee, the chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), urged the Ferozepur district administration to prevent the proposed Ratha Yatra May 23, saying it violated the scriptures, thereby hurting the religious sentiments of the devotees.
He pointed out that the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath will be held July 16, following the Hindu almanack.
In a letter to Ferozepur District Magistrate Deepshikha Sharma, the SJTA chief administrator described the proposed conduct of Rath Yatra at the Jagannath Mandir of Ferozepur Cantonment on random dates as a “sensitive matter”.
Padhee came to know about this schedule from publicity materials and social media posts in circulation, and attached those to the letter.
“The proposed observance is 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 mentioned in the letter.
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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.
“I request you to take appropriate steps to prevent Jagannath Mandir, Ferozepur Cantonment, from conducting Ratha Yatra on the aforementioned date, and to ensure that this sacred ritual is observed strictly in accordance with the established religious traditions and scriptural prescriptions of the Moola Pitha of Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri,” the letter stated.
On Monday, 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 on June 14.
PTI
