Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Opens in Toronto

info@bapscanada.org TORONTO, CANADA, July 4, 2007: The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Toronto, Canada, will celebrate their grand opening July 15 – July 27. The temple will be Canada’s first traditional hand-carved stone and marble mandir. Using 6,000 tons of marble and stone, 1,500 craftsmen worked over three years to assemble the temple to last 1,000 years. Sunday, July 21,…

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Articulate Performing Arts Troupe Comes to U.S.

www.articulateindia.com UNITED STATES, July 1, 2007: Articulate brings to the US Panchavaktram, a dance feature that’s both fiery and extraordinary. This production is made further special by five visually challenged dancers performing as part of a 12-member ensemble. On a single platform and in a evening presentation spectators see different dance forms of India beautifully strung together by Indian philosopy…

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Nepal Kumari Looses Divine Post For Visiting U.S.

news.bbc.co.uk KATHMANDU, NEPAL, July 3, 2007: A 10-year-old girl who is worshipped as a living Goddess in Nepal has been stripped of her title for defying tradition and visiting the U.S. Sajani Shakya was one of the three most-revered Kumaris, who are honored by Hindus and Buddhists alike. Chosen after undergoing tests at the age of two, she had been…

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Siddhivinayaka Temple Lifts Ban on Coconuts

www.ibnlive.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 1, 2007: The ban on carrying coconuts inside Mumbai’s famed Siddhivinayaka temple has been lifted. However, one can now expect the police to screen the coconuts at the temple entrance. Maharashtra Home Minister R. R .Patil announced on Thursday that the ban, imposed a few days ago because of security reasons, has been lifted. Devotees…

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Third Annual Katmandu Fall Festival to Benefit Children’s Medical Aid Foundation

www.katmandufallfestival.org SONOMA, CALIFORNIA, July 1, 2007: The third annual Katmandu Fall Festival will take place from 10 am to 5 pm on September 8 – 9, 2007, in Depot Park, Sonoma, California. The many cultures of Nepal, and heritage of the Himalayas in general, will be celebrated with traditional foods, music, dance and other cultural presentations. Attendees will enjoy shopping…

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Indian Soldiers Use Yoga to Control Stress-Related Behaviors

www.csmonitor.com SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, August 8, 2006: In an effort to reduce the amount of stress-related behaviors experienced by soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Kashmir, the forces have turned to the ancient tradition of yoga. The news release explains, “Embraced by fashionable Westerners as a way to exercise, yoga has now become a necessary component of India’s…

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Amarnath Shiva Lingam Melted Completely

www.ndtv.com SRINAGAR, INDIA, July 1, 2007: The CEO of the Amarnath Shrine Board Arun Kumar has said that the main Shiva Lingam at Amarnath has melted away. The Shiva Lingam at the Amarnath shrine is formed naturally from ice, and Kumar has said that the melting of the Shiva Lingam was due to environmental reasons. However, Kumar has added that…

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HH Pramukh Swami Attends BAP’s Centenary Celebration in United States

indiapost.com BARTLETT, ILLINOIS, July 1, 2007: Celebrating 100 years of selfless service and spiritual growth, BAPS held its’ Centenary Celebration at the Grand Sears Center Arena at Hoffman Estates on June 17. Speeches, skits, and colorful dances were performed commemorating the past, present, and future of BAPS, a socio-spiritual organization dedicated to serving society. Held in the divine presence of…

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New US Visa Regulations Halt Jain Temple Construction

www.chicagotribune.com BARTLETT, ILLINIOS, July 1, 2007: In the parking lot of the new Jain temple in Bartlett, workers are prying open crates of white marble shipped from India – slabs, carved columns, elephants and lions, intricate domes for the interior niches where 24 stone deities sit. All would seem to be ready for wrapping the cinder-block walls in marble and…

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Archaelogists Rediscover a Musical Rock Art Site in Southern India

news.bbc.co.uk SOUTHERN INDIA, March 19, 2004: (HPI note: this is an old, but interesting story.) Kupgal Hill was first discovered in 1892 but it has only been recently that archaelogists have documented the significance of the site in their journal Antiquity. The news release explains, “The Kupgal Hill site includes rocks with unusual depressions that were designed to be struck…

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