www.newkerala.com GANGOTRI, UTTARANCHAL, INDIA, July 30, 2005: The heavy footfall of a large number of pilgrims visiting the hills around the Gangotri Glacier, where the River Ganga emerges, is increasingly becoming a threat to the environment. Gangotri village once housed a temple and a few simple places to stay but it is turning out to be an environmental nightmare. Its…
www.hindu.com MONTREAL, CANADA, June 24, 2005: Traditional Hindu families encourage their children to learn classical dance or music as the art forms are a natural expression of their religion and culture. However, it has been found by many teachers that the techniques and repertoire are arduous for the contemporary urban child. In an effort to keep children interested in classical…
www.eians.com BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, July 29, 2005: Refresher courses on etiquette are on the anvil for 400 servitors of Orissa’s famous Jagannath temple after stories of their rudeness to devotees even united concerned politicos of different parties. Called Yatri Pandas, these people receive devotees in front of the gate of the temple in Puri, 56 km. from here, and escort them…
www.thebostonchannel.com RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US, July 27, 2005: The American Civil Liberties Union said witnesses in North Carolina courtrooms should be allowed to swear to tell the truth on scriptures other than the Bible. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit to permit oaths to be taken on the holy books of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and other non-Christian faiths. Judges in…
news.bbc.co.uk LONDON, ENGLAND, July 28, 2005: The statues at the Shri Venkateswara Balaji Temple in Tividale at the center of England are hand-carved. After eight years and getting on for US$13.2 million, the battle to transform a desolate West Midlands industrial site should soon be won. For the team behind what will be one of Europe’s largest Hindu temples there…
www.zwire.com FLUSHING, NEW YORK, July 28, 2005: A fierce legal battle is being fought between members of the Hindu Temple Society, who worship at the Ganesh Temple on Bowne Street in Flushing. The battle over who will lead a prominent Hindu temple in Flushing has taken on a new twist, with a lawsuit filed on behalf of a temple cook…
press.namct.com ATLANTA, GEORGIA, July 19, 2005: A new documentary which takes a serious look at how Americans are discovering reincarnation has been accepted for distribution by Films Media Group, the oldest and largest distributor marketing to academia. Produced by independent filmmaker Stephen Sakellarios through his company, Gold Thread Video Productions, “In Another Life” begins with the assumption that reincarnation is…
www.medindia.net TORONTO, CANADA, July 24, 2005: The drug regulatory agency in Canada Health Canada, has warned consumers not to use certain ayurvedic medicinal products from India, based on the recent controversial JAMA study report which found Indian Ayurvedic drugs containing high levels of toxic metal content. Health Canada has also stated that it would soon take action to remove these…
mangalorean.com MUMBAI, INDIA, July 26, 2005: (HPI note: This article is quite useful in understanding American visa procedures in India, and should especially be useful to temples bringing in priests and other religious workers.) It was singer Sonali Rathod’s turn at the visa counter at the US consulate in Mumbai. An American officer manning the counter asked her if she…
www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 4, 2005: Buddhism, which is the predominant religion in Sri Lanka, is atheistic. The Buddha was against the worship of Gods and deities, and had exhorted his followers to seek salvation through self-control and right conduct, without taking recourse to the worship of Gods and deities to achieve it. But despite this injunction, theism has…