Puri, Punjab’s Ferozepur district administration on Wednesday informed the Jagannath Temple authorities in Odisha’s Puri that they have ensured the postponement of the Rath Yatra scheduled for May 23 after shrine officials protested against holding the festival on arbitrary dates.
The Puri Jagannath temple authorities had written to Ferozepur district magistrate, Deepshikha Sharma, asking her to prevent the temple under its jurisdiction from holding the Rath Yatra on May 23.
Responding to a letter from Shri Jagannath Temple Administration Chairman Arabinda Badi, Sharma said that the Ferozepur Jagannath Temple Administration, which was organizing the Rath Yatra, was called on May 20 and “was informed about the appropriate timing of the festival and the importance of Shri Jagannath Puri Ji”.
“The temple administrators have given their written consent to postpone the Rath Yatra,” the Ferozepur district magistrate said.
Thanking the Ferozepur District Magistrate, Baddi said, “I have spoken to the DM. We appreciate her prompt action and cooperation. The Ferozepur temple has agreed to hold the Rath Yatra on July 16 as per the calendar.”
Earlier, in a letter on Tuesday, the SJTA said that holding the Rath Yatra on random dates was a “sensitive matter” and hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.
Puri Temple has reacted to the surprise proposed Ratha Yatra plan for Ferozepur Temple after some publicity material and social media posts went viral.
The SJTA maintained that the May 23 date of the Rath Yatra was not in accordance with the prescribed religious calendar and established scriptural traditions governing this holy festival.
“As per ‘Tithi’ and the well-established rituals associated with Lord Shri Jagannatha, Ratha Yatra will be celebrated on July 16 this year,” Padhee said in the letter.
He said that any celebration of this holy festival on a date other than that stipulated in the scriptures is likely to hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees of Lord Jagannatha.
SJTA also stated that as per the resolutions adopted by the Puri Jagannath Temple Management Committee headed by Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, it has consistently expressed its strong objection to such inappropriate celebrations.
On May 18, SJTA also wrote a protest letter to the authorities of Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh over the proposal to conduct the Rath Yatra on June 14.
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