SourceORISSA, INDIA, September 2, 2003: Heavy rains and floods in Orissa this year did not deter children from celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival is usually celebrated with much enthusiasm by students seeking Lord Ganesha’s blessings for success in their studies. “Our school is flooded with water. So we decided to have the puja by the roadside,” said one student. Ninety…
SourceSOUTHALL, U.K., September 4, 2003: British Home Secretary David Blunkett was welcomed with a garland of flowers when he visited Shree Ram Mandir in Southall, Middlesex on Thursday. The Shree Ram Mandir is one of UK’s oldest temples. Mr. Blunkett was given a tour of the Deities and listened to a traditional instrumental performance on sitar as well as a…
SourceREUNION, FRANCE, July 7, 2003: July, 2003, marked a highpoint in the religious life of the Tamil community of Reunion island. Thousands gathered on July 6 for the Maha Kumbahishegam of the Siva Soupramanien temple of Petit-Bazar on Avenue Ile-of-France in the town of Saint-Andre. The ten-day ceremony was presided over by Shivacharia Kayaroganam Bala Soupramanien from Tiruchy (Tamil Nadu).…
SourcePATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA, INDIA, September 5, 2003: The hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala will open for Onam festival on September 6. Melsanthi Perikamana Sankaranarayanan Nampoothiri will open the sreekovil (main sanctum) at 5.30 a.m. in the presence of Thantri (chief priest) Kandararu Rajivaru. Udayasthamana pooja, Pushpabhishekam and Padipooja will be conducted on all four days from September 7. The…
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…