SourceHOUSTON, TEXAS, July 21, 2004: Houston’s first traditional all-stone and marble Hindu temple, the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, is being blessed and dedicated this weekend by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The 12-day inaugural festival commenced yesterday, with the Deity installation scheduled for Sunday, July 25. For more information, click “source” above. This temple is on the same scale as the…
SourceJAMMU AND KASHMIR, INDIA, July 18, 2004: The special helicopter service for pilgrims to the holy shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir has been a big hit with the affluent amongst them preferring to fly to the cave instead of taking the treacherous trek. Since the official yatra began on July 15, private helicopters have been shuttling 30 to 40…
Antara Indonesian National News AgnecyDENPASAR, INDONESIA, July 15, 2004: Indonesia’s province of Bali was appointed to host the world Hindu Youth Summit to take place here from November 26 to 30, 2004. The summit which would be the first of its kind, was expected to be attended by at least 180 participants and observers from 18 countries, chairman of the…
Christian Science Monitor DELHI, INDIA, July 19, 2004: This report from the Christian Science Monitor is rather more balanced than most circulating these days about the rewrite of India’s school textbooks. We produce it in full: In the past five years, Indian schoolchildren of all faiths have learned quite a bit about the culture of the Hindu majority. With the…
SourceLUCKNOW, INDIA, July 17, 2004: In what appears to be a prelude to taking over administrative control of bigger temples, including disputed shrines of Ayodhya and Mathura, the Uttar Pradesh government plans to take appointment of priests/heads of temples in its hands and bring them under the purview of the state audit. In a government order dated June 28, 2004,…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, June 16, 2004: Even as India’s eastern part continues to reel under floods, lack of rains in the western parts has forced some Hindu priests — standing neck-deep in water and chanting hymns — to invoke the rain god.”Praying to Varuna — the God of rains — while standing in water is a very effective ritual,” believes K.A.…
SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 16, 2004: The age-old tradition of tolerance in India has received an honourable appreciation in a report by the United Nations. Although ranked 127 out of 177 countries, this report (more at “source”) acknowledges that India’s so-called semi-literate or illiterate majority shows greater respect to followers of other religions than in many more prosperous nations.…
HPIKAUAI, HAWAII, July 20, 2004: We received a good response to yesterday’s request for on-line audio of the Vedas and other scriptures. Here are three: http://www.vedamu.org/Media/audio/chanting.asp http://sanskrit.bhaarat.com/Dale/Audio.html http://www.urday.com/onlineaarti.htm
SourceJAMMU, July 18, 2004: The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) is planning to preserve the ice stalagmite (Siva Lingam) at the holy Amarnath cave all through the year. The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has surveyed the cave enclave and suggested that a Skating Rink Technology could be employed to improve sustainability of the Lingam even in the hottest months…
SourceKERALA, INDIA, July 16, 2004: Hindu homes and temples in Kerala resonated with the recital of the Ramayana, as Karkitakam, the lean month of the Malayalam calendar, began on July 16. Mornings and evenings, the faithful gather at temples to recite the Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, the father figure of Malayalam literature. The entire text is read in…