SourceRAMESHWARAM, INDIA, January 16, 2004: Ma Amritanandamayi, affectionately known as Amma, paid a visit to the Rameshwaram Temple, one of the major pilgrimage sites in South India. Rameshwaram is the place where Lord Rama began to build a bridge across the sea to rescue his wife Sita from her abductor, Ravana, the king of Lanka. It is also the place…
Press ReportsHYDERABAD, INDIA, February 12, 2004: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the richest Hindu Temple, has been known to adopt modern technology to make things easier for workers and pilgrims and save money. The ghee used for cooking the laddoo (a large sweet) and other prasadam (blessed food offered to the Diety) will now be supplied through pipes, making it…
SourceSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, February 5, 2004: Bikram Choudhury opened one of his first yoga schools in San Francisco in 1973 and now boasts 900 studios worldwide. He copyrighted, trademarked and franchised his poses, breathing techniques and dialogue, creating the first chain of its kind. He also hired lawyers who sent a flurry of cease-and-desist letters warning yoga teachers in the…
Dainik HindustanBHOPAL, INDIA, February 8, 2004: The saints of the Saiva and Vaishnava sampradayas have agreed upon the three Shahi Snan, main bathing days, of the upcoming Kumbha Mela in Ujjain, ending an uncertainty which was causing problems for the Madhya Pradesh government, who are responsible for the Mela arrangements. There are 13 akahars, monastic orders, among the sampradayas. Seven…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, February 8, 2004: The Elephanta caves on the outskirts of Mumbai play host to a unique festival each year. Kuchipudi advocates Dr. Raja Reddy and Radha Reddy performed at the two-day Elephanta festival, a favorite on Mumbai’s cultural calendar for the last 14 years. The sixth century bce caves on this island, 10 nautical miles from Mumbai, are…
SourceGUYANA, SOUTH AMERICA, February 10, 2004: The Ethnic Relations Commission here has arranged for a public inquiry into an allegation by the Indian Arrival Committee that the author of the book “Cycle of Racial Oppression in Guyana” is promoting and generating racial hatred between this country’s principal ethnic groups. An advertisement published in the media says the ERC is seeking…
SourceDURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, February 8, 2004: One of South Africa’s most respected Indian spiritual leaders, Swami Sahajananda, was on Sunday honored for his efforts in promoting the cause of education for African children. Swami Sahajananda, spiritual head of the Divine Life Society of South Africa, was honoured by the provincial KwaZulu-Natal Education Department at a function organized at the Sivananda…
SourceGANDHINAGAR, INDIA, February 6, 2004: Hectic preparations are underway at the Akshardham temple for a colourful function to be held there on Sunday, February 7, where President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam will interact with 20,000 children from different parts of the world. The President will attend the two-hour-long Balotsav (children’s festival) between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm during which…
www.nzherals.co.nzAUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, February 1, 2004: A student interested in Ayurvedic medicine now has an option of studying the ancient science of India in New Zealand. Wellpark College, a NZQA-registered tertiary institution, offers a three-year diploma course. Dr. Sebastiano De Mel, an ayurvedic practitioner in Auckland, says, “Outside India and Sri Lanka the Wellpark College diploma is the most comprehensive…
SourceKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, February 6, 2004: More than a million people swarmed Batu Caves and numerous other Hindu temples nationwide to do penance and seek blessings from Lord Murugan during Thaipusam yesterday. Among the worshippers who climbed the temple’s 272 steps to offer prayers amidst shouts of “Vel! Vel!” were many local and foreign tourists who came to witness the…