SourceNEW JERSEY, USA September 1, 2004: Citing traffic and environmental concerns, Bridgewater residents recently voiced strong opposition to a proposed 47,000-square-foot expansion of the Sri Venkateswara Temple. Another public hearing was scheduled for October. Resident Diane Mine said that they have no objections to a church on the allotted acreage for the Bridgewater community, but this proposal was to serve…
SourceCALIFORNIA, USA, August 26, 2004: The Huntington Library (http://www.huntington.org) in San Marino, California is presently mounting an exhibition to celebrate the centennial of Christopher Isherwood, feted as the best English prose writer of the twentieth century, and whose translations with Swami Prabhavananda of the Bhagavad Gita and selections from the Upanishads remain among the best. Born in England, Isherwood left…
SourceCALCUTTA, INDIA, August 26, 2004: A priest in a dhoti greets you at the entrance of Sri Ganesh and Sri Murugan Kovil (Temple). The hospitable fragrance of camphor, coconut oil and flowers makes the visitor feel transported to a remote village in South India. The near half-million South Indians in Calcutta have enriched the country’s cultural capital and have themselves…
SourceLAHORE, PAKISTAN, September 30, 2004: Lahore’s famous Krishna Mandir is getting set for a makeover with Hindu festivals of Dussehra and Diwali around the corner. According to the Daily Times, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) of Pakistan has announced plans to spend US$21,000 on the temple’s renovation next month. Faraz Abbas, the administrator of the ETPB, was quoted as…
SourceKAMPALA, UGANDA, September 30, 2004: The leader of the BAPS denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, yesterday jetted into the country for his fifth visit, to a rapturous welcome. Shortly after his arrival, the clergyman, wearing Hindu religious garb, praised the Government, at their temple on Nakivubo Place, for allowing freedom of worship and…
SourceMIDDLETOWN, CONNETICUT, September 27, 2004: Instruments, laptops and music textbooks were blessed on Sunday at the Saraswati Puja Ceremony in the World Music Hall of Wesleyan University. The Hindu ceremony was held as part of the Navaratri Festival, which was held at the campus from Sept. 22 through Sept. 26. The festival is a Hindu festival that honors the goddess…
SourceCALCUTTA, INDIA, September 24, 2004: (HPI note: This is a second report on the dropping of visa requirements for Indians traveling to Mauritius.) Indian Tourism and leisure minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan announced in an extended goodwill gesture that Indian travelers need only return ticket, to spend their vacations or visit for many other good reasons the Island. This will increase…
SourceANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, September 30, 2004: Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi will present a 11.5-kg gold crown to the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara on Thursday. The Sankaracharya and his junior acharya, Vijendra Saraswathi, will hand over the crown, worth about US$340,000, to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in the temple. Temple sources said the Deity would…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, September 27, 2004: Police here Monday heaved a sigh of relief as the Ganesh procession passed off peacefully amid tight security and rare scenes of communal harmony. City police chief R.P. Singh told a news conference that no untoward incident was reported. As the procession started late, icons were being carried to Hussain Sagar lake in the heart…
SourceDURBAN, INDIA, September 28, 2004: The immersion ceremony of a Ganesha icon, taking place for the first time here, went high-tech with a helicopter airlifting it over the Indian Ocean. A professional diver clutched the icon while hundreds of devotees and others watched the ceremony that marks the culmination of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Rough seas made it difficult for…