Bhubaneswar, Jan. 5 -- Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Dibyasingha Deb, expressed serious concern over the conduct of untimely Rath Yatras, stating that such practices amount to a deviation from the divinely ordained traditions of Lord Jagannath. Addressing the concluding day of the three-day Global Spiritual Conclave in Puri, he appealed for an end to what he described as distortions of Jagannath culture and established religious practices.

The Gajapati Maharaja emphasised that Lord Jagannath comes out of the sanctum only under specific divine instructions, most notably during the nine-day Rath Yatra held on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya.

"There is a prescribed ritual for the nine-day Rath Yatra on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya. This is Lord Jagannath's ...