SourceTAMIL NADU, INDIA, April 14, 2005: Varusha Pirappu, or the birth of New Year, marks the beginning of the first month in Tamil calendar Chithirai. (HPI note: There are also other calendars in use in India with different New Years.) In contrast to the Roman calendar, where the New Year begins on January 1 always, the Tamil calendar year does…
SourceHARIDWAR, INDIA, April 13, 2005: Thousands of Hindu devotees today heralded the traditional new year and a harvest festival by bathing in the holy Ganges river. Hindus consider a bath at Haridwar in northern India, one of the holiest spots along the Ganges’ 2,000-km (1,250- mile) journey from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, as most auspicious and millions…
SourceWAPPINGERS FALLS,NEW YORK, April 11, 2005: Singers and musicians converged on the Hindu Samaj temple Sunday to celebrate the songs of one of India’s greatest composers. The performance was the second annual Tyagaraja Aradhana Festival, held in honor of Sri Tyagaraja, a composer born in the late 1700s who wrote thousands of devotional songs. For many members of the Hindu…
SourceKATHMANDU, NEPAL, April 14, 2005: Nepal’s elite private schools said yesterday Maoist rebels have told them to shut down in 24 hours unless they cut fees and meet other demands, but the schools have vowed to defy the order. A group representing Nepal’s private schools said the rebels demanded the institutions close on Thursday unless they lower admission and tuition…
SourceTORONTO, CANADA, April 6, 2005: Under Pope John Paul II, the Roman Catholic Church has used poverty as “a tool for proselytizing,” an interfaith 360 Vision panel discussion heard this evening. Hindu and Sikh panelists argued in the broadcast on CNW TV channel that the Church has focused on aiding the destitute of Asia and Africa because it seeks to…
SourceMAHABALIPURAM, INDIA, April 11, 2005: In a major success, archaeologists in Mahabalipuram district have discovered remains of a 4th century Hindu temple built by the kings of the majestic Pallava dynasty. Archaeologists say the uncovering is the result of the December 26 tsunami that destroyed the beaches of various South Asian countries and claimed thousands of lives. The archaeologists inform…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, April 10, 2005: A pink sandstone and white marble temple complex of the Swaminarayan sect (BAPS) that opens here in November will double as a modern center of spirituality and learning about Indian culture. The Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex, coming up on 30 acres of the Yamuna bank, will be a place for cultural education and entertainment,…
SourceLUCKNOW, INDIA, April 11, 2005: The narrow lanes could get roomier and the squalor on the roads a thing of the past. Ayodhya is set for a facelift, with the Uttar Pradesh government deciding to repackage the temple town to change its image of a communal flashpoint, as the Western media has described it, to a tourist destination for both…
SourceUSA, April 14, 2005: HPI received this request from Martin Ostrow: “I am a documentary film producer who is researching a film about the wide variety of things that are being done by different religious faiths around the world, to focus attention on and to try to remedy the current environmental crisis. I am having trouble finding examples of ecology…