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Jammu (PTI): A large number of Pakistani Hindus hailing from the Sindh province on Tuesday began their trek to the cave shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi to pay their obeisance, official sources said here. The Hindu pilgrims from Pakistan numbering 52 had reached Katra, the base camp to the holy shrine, on the night of April 6 and 7 and were accommodated at Trikuta Bhawan where adequate arrangements had been made to provide them security, they said. After having darshan and performing pooja at the cave shrine, the visiting guests from Pakistan will have a night stay at the Bhawan and will return to Katra tomorrow, the sources said, adding, they will then proceed to other shrines in the country. The Pakistanis, mostly hailing from Jakababad and Kashmor districts of Sindh province, had entered India via Wagah border on April 5 on a 15-day visa, they said. This is for the first time that Pakistani pilgrims in such a large number have visited the the holy cave shrine since the constitution of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) in 1986, they said.

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MADURAI: Thousands of sculptures in the towers of the famous Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here are being documented for posterity. Each and every sculpture in the towers has been photographed using digital cameras to ensure that the ongoing renovation works do not alter its pristine beauty or heritage. “Sculptures in nine of the 14 towers are being documented. Each sculpture on these huge towers is being photographed individually and assigned a number,” B. Raja, Joint Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, and Executive Officer of the temple told The Hindu here on Sunday.

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LONDON, ENGLAND, March 31, 2008: UK scientists are proving meditation based psychological therapies are effective. A popular course called Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which primarily consists of meditation is currently available in every county across the UK, and can be prescribed on the NHS. One of the pioneers of MBCT is Professor Mark Williams, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. He helps to lead group courses which take place over a period of eight weeks. He describes the approach as 80% meditation, 20% cognitive therapy. He said: “It teaches a way of looking at problems, observing them clearly but not necessarily trying to fix them or solve them. “It suggests to people that they begin to see all their thoughts as just thoughts, whether they are positive, negative or neutral.” MBCT is recommended for people who are not currently depressed, but who have had three or more bouts of depression in their lives. Trials suggest that the course reduces the likelihood of another attack of depression by over 50%.

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