SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, July 6, 2003: The arrest of Vaman Ghiya last month by the Indian police on allegations of stealing antiques has sent shock waves through London’s antique trade world, and is likely to lead to an investigation of Sotheby’s, the British auction house. A six-month investigation by the Indian police, called Operation Blackhole, has identified four more icons listed…
SourceJAMMU AND KASHMIR, July 9, 2003: The annual Amarnath pilgrimage got under way Wednesday morning amid confusion and chaos, as the first group of 3,500 devotees left for the Himalayan cave shrine from the Maulana Azad Memorial stadium. Charges of police harassment and protests by the pilgrims delayed the start by over two hours. The discontent against repeated frisking and…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, July 6, 2003: Because of a public outcry and litigation in the high court, the Andhra Pradesh government has backed off from its demand of US$7,774,202 from Lord Venkateswara shrine at Tirupati, however lesser known temples may not be so lucky. The Naidu government has initiated moves to take away temple lands and distribute them among poorer sections…
Deccan ChronicleVISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA, July 7, 2003: The famous Puri Jagannath Swamy Temple will soon have a US$21 million corpus fund. The temple managing committee has decided to sell “unwanted lands” of the temple which are located in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. Chairman of the temple managing committee, Gajapathi Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, told a group of newsmen…
SourceNASHIK, INDIA, July 8, 2003: This Kumbha Mela may witness the coming together of the disciples of Lord Siva and Vishnu. The Saivite mahants are trying to persuade Vaishnavite sadhus to take a holy dip at Trimbakeshwar during the fair to end an age-old feud between the two sects. Mahant Purushottamdasji Maharaj of Anand Akhada of the Saiva sect and…
The HinduCHENNAI, INDIA, July 9, 2003: Even as the taps run dry following the hottest summer in 93 years, Chennai-ites have reason to celebrate. The Chennai Water Project of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust is nearly 70% complete at the Andhra end. On January 19, 2002, after Sri Sathya Sai Baba announced that he would do something to provide…
SourcePAHALGAM, KASHMIR, June 27, 2003: Kashmir has once again become the destination for Indian families trying to escape blistering summer heat. Kashmir is a stunningly beautiful swath of Himalayan territory, but has been the scene of a brutal 13-year terrorist action and the focus of two wars between India and Pakistan. However, by June 24, 64,000 Indian and 800 foreign…
SourceBHOPAL, INDIA, July 1, 2003: After completing her class 12 examination, Deepti is now training at the Manju Sanskar Kendra to be an “ideal wife” to a boy she has only seen once. Six days a week, Deepti attends sermons at the Kendra, an institution set up to train women to surrender to the more powerful in the family —…
HPICHENNAI, INDIA, July 9, 2003: Sri T.S. Sambamurthy Sivachariar attained the lotus feet of Goddess Kaligambal on July 7, 2003, at 4:15 am in Chennai and was cremated with all rituals on July 8. Sri Sambamurthy was a diabetic, on kidney dialysis and had had heart by-pass surgery. He stopped eating solid food on January 3 of this year and…
SourceKATMANDU, NEPAL, July 4, 2003: H.H. Swami Chidananda Saraswati, affectionately known as Muniji, head of the Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, will lead nearly 200 pilgrims from 13 countries to Lake Mansarovar, near Mount Kailash in Tibet, to inaugurate a rest house for tourists and pilgrims. The project, funded by the Rishikesh-based India Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF), includes running a…