On Girnar Mountain, A Hindu-Jain Controversy Is Brewing

cities.expressindia.com RAJKOT, INDIA, July 2, 2005: For more than four months, pilgrims have had to pass a police security check before climbing to the highest peak of Mount Girnar, where a pair of footprints is worshipped as that of Lord Dattatreya by Hindus and Lord Neminath by Jains. Now policemen have also been deployed at another peak, atop which another…

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3,000 Hindus Attend Prayer Ceremony in South Africa

news.webindia123.com PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, July 1, 2005: An annual prayer ceremony to invoke the blessings of a South Indian deity, Shri Ayyenaar Swami Thiruvizha, held in an Indian township in South Africa, attracted more than 3,000 people this year. “Lord Ayyenaar is the God who protects and brings righteousness and justice into the lives of devotees,” said Thayalin Pillay, public…

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Swami Pragyanand Tours USA and Europe

Press Release DELHI, INDIA, June 29, 2005: His Holiness, Swami Pragyanandji Maharaj, who just returned for pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, will be touring from July 7 to August 28. He itinerary takes him through California, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Illinois, Colorado, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He will proceed on August 18 to Europe, to the UK, Holland, Sweden, Germany,…

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Doctor Advocates a Vegan Diet and Ethical Issues in Medical Research

www.satyamag.com WASHINGTON, D.C., April, 2005: For the past twenty years, Dr. Neal Barnard has been passionately pursuing his work as founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). The news release explains, “The PCRM has successfully waged and won campaigns to eliminate the use of live animal labs in the majority of the nation’s medical schools, challenged federal dietary…

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Sri Lanka Tamils Appeal to UNESCO to Safeguard Tamil Heritage

www.sibernews.com PARIS, FRANCE, July 2, 2005: Expatriate Tamil activists in France held an awareness vigil in front of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Place de Fontenoy, Paris, at 10 AM Friday urging UNESCO to safeguard the cultural heritage of Tamils in their homeland against unlawful and politically motivated erection of Buddha statues in Hindu temple…

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Fiji Temple Starts Renovation Work

nknaidu@connect.com.fj NADI, FIJI, July 1, 2005: The Sri Siva Subramanya Swamy Temple here begins preparations for its 12th year Maha Kumbabhishekam scheduled for July, 2006, with the Balasthapana Puja. “Balasthapana Puja” is for taking the shakti (spiritual power) from “sthoopi” i.e. the upper most part of the gopuram (temple tower) and from all the respective Deities for bringing that shakti…

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The Airlines’ Hindu Vegetarian Meal Isn’t

www.indianexpress.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 30, 2005: Vegetarians travelling on Virgin Atlantic (VA) flights might have been misled into eating chicken and fish toppings served in the ‘Hindu Meal’ they ordered. Vipul Shah, a vegetarian, was shocked when the Hindu meal he ordered on his VA Washington-Mumbai flight came topped with what he calls a ”big smelly part.” The flight…

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Survey of Corruption in India Released

www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 30, 2005: For those who believe that corruption in India is almost an industry, here’s proof, begins this article in the Hindustan Times. A survey conducted by Transparency International India (TII) says Indians paid bribes amounting to US$4.8 billion (Rs 21,068 crore) in the past year. And no one would have guessed it, but the…

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Hindu Religious Leaders Plan Drive To Eradicate Untouchability

southasia.oneworld.net ANDHRA PRADESH/KARNATAKA, INDIA, June 30, 2005: Seers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are planning to launch a drive against untouchability. Seers and sadhus will join hands cutting across community lines to spread the message of equality. They will campaign to allow people from weaker sections to perform puja worship in village temples. As a result, all the 32,000 small…

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Pakistan Trust Sets Aside US$2 Million For Hindu, Sikh Shrines

news.webindia123.com KARACHI, PAKISTAN, 29 June, 2005: The Evacuee Trust Property Board Of Pakistan (ETPB) has set aside a sum of US$2 million for the regular upkeep of Hindu and Sikh shrines in the country. The condition of Hindu temples in areas like Jacobad in Sindh is very poor, including the famous Katasraj Temple, which is in a dilapidated condition and…

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