SourceBHUBANESWAR, INDIA, April 7, 2004: Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra, the doyen of Odissi dance, passed away in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday following a brief illness, family sources said. He was 79. The artiste, who was instrumental in projecting Odissi dance on the world stage in a big way in the early 70s and who took the classical art form to an…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, April 9, 2004: Chinmaya International Foundation [CIF] conducts “Bharat Darshan” program every year. Youth from abroad between the age group of 15 to 21 are taken on a guided tour to various places of historic importance as well as important Chinmaya Mission centers and ashrams in India. These youngsters are provided with the opportunity to study first hand…
Religion News ServiceUSA, April 1, 2004: A group of Christian Pentecostal bishops has declared that Bishop Carlton Pearson of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a “heretic” because he preaches the controversial doctrine of “inclusionism.” “We do hereby declare that the doctrine of Inclusionism is an unorthodox teaching and shall be classified as a heresy by the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops…
SourceUJJAIN, INDIA, April 4, 2004: In an atmosphere wafting spirituality, hundreds of thousands of sadhus and devotees today joined a relentless stream of pilgrims from various parts of the country for the Kumbha Mela beginning here tomorrow amidst tight security. More than 30 million devotees are expected at the month-long event which transforms this temple city into a mini-India, and…
SourceNADIAD, INDIA, March 30, 2004: It was a chance meeting with Pramukhswami Maharaj of the Bochanvasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) in the U.S. in 2000 that Mangalnidhidas, newly initiated into the world of sainthood in Nadiad on Tuesday morning, says was responsible for his change of heart, begins this article. Mangalnidhidas, a graduate from Harvard, was the only…
SourceTAMIL NADU, INDIA, April 1, 2004: Thousands of devotees came to worship the Goddess, with new gold kavasam (decorative covering) and ornaments worth US$320,000, at Mariamman Temple near Thanjavur. The article explains, “Gold contributions by devotees and gold given by Rajaram Rajah Saheb, grandfather of Babaji Rajah Bhonsle were used for making the new kavasam and ornaments. Mr. Divakar contributed…
The Houston ChronicleHOUSTON, TEXAS, March 27, 2004: The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, Texas, recently celebrated a four-day festival where the main deities were removed from the sanctums so that the temple could be cleansed, reconsecrated and repaired. Normally the event called Maha Kumbhabhisekham takes place every 12 years. Housing three main icons, Meenakshi, Siva and Vishnu, the temple leaders…
SourceDELHI, INDIA, April 8, 2004: The Animal Welfare Board of India publishes a long list of ingredients of animal origin that may be contained in food, cosmetics, clothing, etc., at “source” above. Note that this is specifically dealing with products available in India. Here’s just a few samples. Food: Aspic: jelly derived from meat & fish Ajinomoto: Japanese product made…
SourceTRIPURA, INDIA, April 02, 2004: A Kumbh Mela in Tripura may sound unbelievable when there are others in Ujjain, Haridwar and Nasik. Yet this Kumbh is an annual pilgrimage thousands take. It attracts about 200,000 devotees on the 7th, 8th and 9th days of Chaitra, the month prior to Poila Boisak, the Bengali new-year in April. It is held in…
SourcePATNA, INDIA, March 23, 2004: Japanese devotees, accompanying their guru, Mizo Guchi, prayed for world peace on the banks of the river Ganges recently. Travelling from Nagono, Japan the group of 61 men and 23 women prayed with such devotion and concentration that even the locals were surprised. The article says, “Guru Guchi told the devotees that Lord Siva had…