Bhubaneswar: Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has urged the district administration in Jaipur, Rajasthan, to stop a proposed Rath Yatra scheduled to be held there on Aug 16, saying the event is contrary to the established traditions and scriptural prescriptions governing the worship of Lord Jagannath.On Wednesday, SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee wrote to Jaipur district collector Sandesh Nayak, seeking appropriate administrative action against the proposed celebration, which is stated to be organised by Jaipur Govinda, Shri Radha Madanmohan Mandir and Sevakunj Foundation.Padhee said the festivals and rituals associated with Lord Jagannath are governed by well-established scriptural prescriptions and an unbroken religious tradition centred on the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, regarded as the Moola Peetha of Lord Jagannath.He pointed out that the annual Rath Yatra is a specifically prescribed sacred festival that begins on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya and forms part of the traditional Navadinatmaka Yatra. This year’s Ratha Yatra at Puri commenced on July 16, in accordance with the prescribed tithi, he said.“Holding a Rath Yatra on an unrelated date, such as Aug 16, therefore constitutes a departure from the prescribed tithi and the time-honoured tradition of Lord Jagannath worship,” the letter stated.The temple administrator further said the proposed celebration was inconsistent with the established traditions followed at the Moola Peetha in Puri and is likely to hurt the religious sentiments of devotees of Lord Jagannath.The temple chief administrator requested the Jaipur collector to take appropriate administrative steps to stop or withdraw permission for the proposed Rath Yatra on Aug 16 and advise or direct the organisers not to conduct the ceremonial procession on the said date.The letter said the request was made with the objective of preserving the sanctity and continuity of the established traditions of Lord Jagannath as followed at Puri.
