SourceKANCHI, INDIA, February 15, 2004: The 35th Jayanthi (birthday) of Pujyasri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Sankaracharya Swamiji of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam will be celebrated on 18 February, 2004, on Sivaratri day, in Chennai at Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, T. Nagar. Trikala Chandramouleeswara Puja will be performed at the Temple. Several fire ceremonies and pujas will be performed at Sri Sankara…
SourceKOLKATA, INDIA, February 10, 2004: The Mahalakshmi temple in Kolkata will open to the public on February 12, 2004. It is designed by the same architect who designed the Swaminathan temple in Akshardham. It is modelled on ancient North Indian temple architecture and stands at an imposing 75 feet on 25,000 sq. ft. area. The central deity of the temple,…
SourceANN ARBOR, U.S.A., February 4, 2004: 2004 is the centenary year of Rukmini Devi, a luminary in Indian dance. She was born in Pudukotthai in South India 100 years ago and this month, two programs at the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan, celebrate Rukmini Devi’s contributions to bringing the South Indian temple dance known as…
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…