Are you surprised by the title of this post?
Yes, while it’s highly odd to have the words Rath Yatra, Trump & ISKCON mentioned in the same sentence, here’s a true story of how Donald Trump enabled New York’s first ever Rath Yatra.
The 2026 New York City ISKCON Ratha Yatra and Hare Krishna Festival concluded recently (June 12th – 14th, 2026). This year was an especially historic milestone, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the NYC Ratha Yatra and the 60th Anniversary of ISKCON.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava organisation. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is an important annual religious celebration held in India, celebrating bhagwan Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra. During this 9-day event, millions of devotees gather to pull three massive, handcrafted wooden chariots, from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha. As per the Vikram Samvat (the Hindu calendar), the Rath Yatra begins on the Dwitiya Tithi in Ashadha, Shukla Paksha. Per the Gregorian calendar, it falls in the months of June or July.
This year, today (16 July, 2026) is the start of the Rath Yatra in Puri.
The first Rath Yatra of Mahaprabhu Jagannath kicked off on the streets of NYC in 1976, on the 10th anniversary of ISKCON, with assistance from the then unlikeliest of places – from the office of the then-emerging American real-estate tycoon – Donald Trump.
This is how the story goes…
About 49 years ago, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was planning to organise the first ever Rath Yatra in New York City.
However, challenges were aplenty. The two primary ones being the permission to use Fifth Avenue and the location near Fifth Avenue where the Raths could be built.
On behalf of the Hare Krishna Movement, Tosan Krishna Das who was in charge of getting the permit had submitted a written proposal to the authorities. The Police department had initially said yes but again they said no as there was mayor’s edict since 1962 against allowing new parades on the Fifth Avenue. With no option left, Tosan finally approached the Chief of Police in Manhattan with a special request. Nobody had any clue about how the chief would respond to the application. But after a careful review, the police chief signed the papers with a smile. “I don’t know why I am doing this, the chief said. And then he signed it.” revealed Tosan.
While the grant of parade permit at the Fifth Avenue was secured, which was nothing short of a miracle, a second miracle was needed – of finding a huge empty site close to the starting point of the parade route, where the Raths / Chariots could be built. It was not going to be easy.
The best option was the Pennsylvania Rail Yard nearby. So they knocked at the doors of every person possible who owned a piece of the yard, but in vain. They explained to everyone the requirements they had to build the massive wooden Raths/Chariots. Everyone said No. They were concerned about legal issues, insurance risks etc. Many of the firm owners who were approached reportedly said they were in the process of selling the property at the Pennsylvania rail yard and didn’t want to take a chance. Desperation of devotees reached peak, hopes were nearly shattered.
A few days later, someone told them that the then ‘upcoming’ real-estate businessman Donald Trump had purchased a major piece of the old railway yard.
There were concerns approaching him firstly as a dozen other landlords they had asked for had already said no, so “Why would Trump be any different?” as well as his flashy, high profile lifestyle. Nevertheless, the devotees still tried. They sent an official request. And for reasons known only to Donald Trump, he agreed. Trump signed giving permission to use the open rail yards for construction of Rath Yatra carts.
Like others, Trump also could have easily rejected the proposal. Devotees thought the Police chief was no exception either. Why both of them agreed is still a question unanswered.
After the peaceful, incident-free successful completion of the first Rath Yatra, the precedent was set. The Rath Yatra has been held continuously since 1976 in New York, even during the Covid shutdowns in 2020, where bhagwan Jagannath was driven down Fifth Avenue in a minivan, along with a virtual online celebration.
However, in the years both before and after 2020, for the past 50 years, there has been a robust celebration in NYC of the Rath Yatra.
This is a video of the Yatra in 2025 in NY, which was celebrated with pomp – rain, et al notwithstanding…
In 2025, the number of cities in the US it grew to were – Fremont (California), Jackson (Mississippi), Centennial (Colorado), New York City (New York), Mauldin (South Carolina), Alpharetta (Georgia), Houston (Texas). The celebrations feature a traditional chariot procession, cultural performances, and rituals that attract thousands each year.
It’s amazing that a celebration so unique to India has become this widespread in the US and it all started with the successful 1976 Yatra, which almost didn’t happen.
Jai Jagannath!!!
Rath Yatra in Puri…