SourceKATHMANDU, NEPAL, April 17, 2005: His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev inaugurated the silver jubilee year celebration of the World Hindu Federation in Maharajgunj, Bansbari, on the occasion of Ram Nawami and Hindu Unity Day. Her Majesty Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah was also present at the function. His Majesty handed over the peace vessel (Shanti Kalash)…
SourceBHUBANESWAR, INDIA, April 18, 2005: In an effort to overcome its severe financial crunch, Orissa’s famous Jagannath Temple is planning to sell off all plots of land it owns in this and other states. The 12th-century temple at Puri owns about 700 acres of land in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In Orissa…
SourceTROY MICHIGAN, April 19, 2005: Navya Shastra, a global Hindu organization of scholars, practitioners and priests with members in over ten countries, has congratulated the Catholic Church for selecting Joseph Ratzinger–now Benedict XVI–as its new Pope. However, the organization expressed concern over Ratzinger’s stance towards Hinduism. “Ratzinger has described Hindu meditative practices as ‘auto-erotic’ and has stated that the Hindu…
SourceBANGALORE, INDIA, October 1, 2000: Navaratna S. Rajaram wrote this essay five years ago dealing in large part with the work of Cardinal Ratzinger, the newly elected Pope: The Pope and the Vatican have shown their true face. In a just released document titled “Declaration of Lord Jesus” (written by Ratzinger) the Vatican proclaims non-Christians to be in a “gravely…
SourceUSA, April 11, 2005: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is a human rights group whose purpose is to provide a voice for the 2 million strong Hindu American community. HAF interacts with and educates government, media, think tanks, academia and public fora about Hinduism and issues of concern to Hindus locally and globally. Promoting the Hindu and American ideals of…
SourceFAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, USA, April 17, 2005: (HPI note: This article in the Washington Post is titled, “Wiping Stereotypes Of India off the Books, Fairfax Parents Win Nuanced Lessons on Homeland.”) Fairfax County businesswoman Sandhya Kumar teaches her three daughters about other countries, cultures and religions. She wants them to take pride in their Indian heritage and Hindu faith — and…
SourceVARANASI, INDIA, April 9, 2005: A new Hindi feature film called “Dharma” has traditional Hindu priests who perform religious ceremonies on the banks of the river Ganga in Varanasi “up in arms.” The priest are insulted and outraged by two particular scenes in the movie. The news release said, “What has particularly angered the Pandas is a scene in which…
SourceBANGLADESH, April 12, 2005: A mosaic of religious sites permeate Bangladesh otherwise known as Bengal and the region boasts the birth of many religious personages on its soil. Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar explains, “Over the millenniums several places have become famous tirthas or places of pilgrimages in Bengal. A large concentration of those places are in today’s Bangladesh. Many notable…
SourceJAMMU, INDIA, April 18, 2005: In order to discuss the present position of religious places of Hindus in the Kashmir Valley, Soan Kashmir Front held a meeting under the leadership of S.L. Pandita, its president. Members said that most of the religious places of Hindus were in deplorable condition in the Valley. They said that property of most of the…
By Paras RamoutarPORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD, April 18, 2005: An episode from the famous epic, Mahabharata, will premier in the form of the “Shakuntala” play on April 26 at Queen’s Hall, Port-of-Spain. The play is being presented by Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Co-operation, Nrityanjali Theatre and the Ministry of Culture, according to a spokesman for the Indian High Commission. The play…