SourceDURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, September 6, 2003: Hundreds of delegates from all parts of the country are in Durban for a two-day National Hindu Convention. The gathering is to assess Hinduism and its place in South Africa. President Thabo Mbeki is to officially open the meeting later this morning. The convention is being hosted by the South African Hindu Maha Sabha…
SourceBANGALORE, INDIA, September 4, 2003: A temple priest from Kolar district and two others were arrested in the city by the police when they were trying to sell antique icons (of Chola dysnasty) worth over US$3.2 million in the international market on Wednesday. Giving details of the thieves and their operation, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Mohan said archeological…
SourceKERALA, INDIA, September 6, 2003: The festival of Onam commences from Monday in Kerala and many homes roll out flower carpets, locally known as athappoo. The flower carpet welcome is for the legendry King Mahabali. Efforts are being made to revive this floral tradition for which a competition was organized in Kochi. Many people took part in that competition for…
SourceDHARAMSALA, INDIA, August 31, 2003: Himachal Pradesh has the reputation for being the land of Gods and Goddesses and is known as Devbhoomi. The state has many historical and modern temples of various sects. The Masroor temple located in the Jawali sub-division of Kangra district, around 35 miles from Dharamsala, is one such temple. The rock-cut temple is a unique…
SourceKATHMANDU, NEPAL, September 5, 2003: Next Tuesday, tourists in Nepal will have the rare opportunity of seeing a living Goddess. Normally, the Kumari appears for tourists through an intricately carved window at her residence in the Hanumandhoka palace square. But for the past six months six-year-old Preeti Sakya — the living Hindu Goddess or Kumari — has been hidden away…
SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, AUGUST 23, 2003: On Saturday evening at Ananda Ashram’s Blue Sky Center in Monroe, the students of renowned Kathak artist and guru Pt. Satya Narayana Charka presented a marvelous display of dance technique and expression in the East West School of Dance’s annual Krishna Leela dance-drama. Graduates Mayura Casuba and Romanee Kalicharran dazzled an appreciative audience…
SourceMAURITIUS, September 1, 2003: A brand new Murugan temple has been constructed in the village of Belle-Vue-Maurel on the East coast of Mauritius. The consecration took place on August 31st. The architecture and construction of the building was done by workers from India. A sum of US$172,000 was invested in the construction of the temple, known as the Belle-Vue-Maurel Bala…
SourceYUBA CITY, CALIFORNIA, September 1, 2003: The Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds, venue for such events as the “Sutter North Chili Cook Off,” “Two Cities Kennel Dog Show” and the “Harvest Hoe-down-Square Dancing Competition,” was full of bright colors Sunday as the fifth annual Tian de Mela, presented by the Punjabi Women’s Cultural Organization, brought together women of all ages. More than 3,000…
SourcePYAPLI, INDIA, September 1, 2003: Four people were injured when a group of upper caste persons from Pyapili village in Andhra Pradesh in India rained stones on a police party which tried to restore order between the village Dalits (“Untouchables”) and the upper castes. Sources said the upper castes started the trouble by destroying the Lord Ganesha icon being taken…
SourceTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA September 1, 2003: Wherever they are, Keralites look forward to Onam as a great occasion to reminisce their long traditional past. But at home, part of the beauty and grace of the festival appears to have been lost to the demands of consumerism. With Onam just a week away, the state wears the look of an extended market…