Meaning of Guru Purnima

SourceJune 22, 2004: The Hindu festival of Guru Purnima falls on July 1 or 2 this year (depending on your location). This explanation of the festival is taken from “source” above: The day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh is traditionally celebrated as Guru Purnima by Hindus. Also known as Vyas Purnima, the day is celebrated in…

Continue reading

Hindu Groups Protest Restrictions On Amarnath Yatra

SourceJAMMU, INDIA, June 22, 2004: Hindu groups are mounting a protest against the Jammu and Kashmir government for what they term its interference in the “religious affairs” of the community, including an annual pilgrimage to a Himalayan cave shrine. As the first mark of protest, a dozen youths got their heads tonsured here Tuesday after a gathering of several hundred…

Continue reading

Ahmedabad Celebrates Annual Chariot Festival

SourceAHMEDABAD, INDIA, June 19, 2004: Tens of thousands of people thronged the roads in this Indian city Saturday to witness the colorful procession marking the journey of three Hindu deities on decorated chariots. This communally sensitive city in Gujarat state breathed easy as the procession concluded without any untoward incident. The annual ritual, the 127th this year, started at 8.45…

Continue reading

Puri Chariot Festival Includes Stop at Mulsim Saint’s Tomb

SourcePURI, ORISSA, INDIA, June 19, 2004: The mammoth wooden chariots of a Hindu temple in this Indian town Saturday made a reverential customary halt before the tomb of a Muslim saint. Underscoring the traditional Hindu-Muslim amity of this temple town, the chariots drawn by thousands of Hindu devotees on their annual ceremonial journey from Lord Jagannath temple to another shrine,…

Continue reading

U.K. Hindu Temple May Be Razed For Roadway

SourceLIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM, June 18, 2004: Merseyside’s only Hindu temple faces demolition as part of a proposed US$11 million road project, the Daily Post revealed. The temple, which is attended by 450 families, could be razed to make way for a widened Edge Lane in Kensington. City planners hope to create a widened expressway which will allow better access to…

Continue reading

Hindu University Earns Degree Of Pride With First Graduates

SourceORLANDO, FLORIDA, June 19, 2004: There won’t be a commencement procession today at the Hindu University of America, and for good reason: Faculty members would far outnumber the students. Well, make that “student,” begins this article. Just two degrees will be awarded at the Orlando campus–masters in Hinduism and Vedic astrology–and only one of the graduates, Jessica Sayles, plans to…

Continue reading

Jagannath Chariot Festival to Begin in Orissa

SourceBHUBANESWAR, INDIA, June 18, 2004: At least half a million people thronged Orissa’s temple city of Puri to witness the annual journey of three mammoth chariots of Hindu deities that begins Saturday. The chariots, made of 1,130 big wooden logs, were positioned facing south Friday on the main street of the city known as Great Grant Road. The chariots were…

Continue reading

Chicago Area Hindus Bless New Temple Ground

Chicago Daily HeraldGRAYSLAKE, LAKE COUNTY, USA, June 02, 2004: Hundreds recently blessed the ground on which the Hindu Mandir, Lake County’s first temple, will be constructed. Sheltered from the rain by a white tent, traditional prayers were held before a fire and an icon of Ganesh, the Hindu God of Beginnings. “It’s very important, before we start any work, to…

Continue reading

Vrindavan Muslims Weave Clothes for Hindu Deities

SourceVRINDAVAN, INDIA, June 17, 2004: The holy town of Vrindavan is witnessing an example of communal harmony where Muslim weavers are making clothes for Hindu deities. These clothes are distributed not only in the country, but across the globe as well. This town has around 4,000 small and big temples. Muslim weavers here are trying their best to promote harmony…

Continue reading

Growing New York Congregation Celebrates

SourceALBANY, NEW YORK, June 18, 2004: The Hindu Temple Society of Albany is celebrating the 12th anniversary of the temple. Built in 1992, the temple on Albany Shaker Road now supports a growing congregation of 600 families. For the next week, which began with preliminaries on Friday and will culminate with festivities Saturday and Sunday, the members of the Hindu…

Continue reading