SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, July 30, 2003: Hundreds of thousands of devotees took a holy dip in Godavari river at the start of the 12-day Godavari Pushkaram in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Pushkaram is revered as the “Kumbh Mela of the South,” and occurs once in 12 years. State officials said over 35 million pilgrims are expected to visit the state for…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, July 31, 2003: New Delhi: Astrologers and seismologists are meeting in New Delhi on Friday to pool their ability to foretell earthquakes quickly and accurately, according to Vijay Madan, an executive member of the Astrology Study and Research Institute. “Scientists will analyse the seismic data recorded before the Gujarat earthquake as well as during its aftermath. We…
SourceFAIZABAD, INDIA, July 31, 2003: Ramchandra Paramhans, chief of the Ramjanmabhoomi Trust and one of the main figures in the Ayodhya movement for close to eight decades, died this morning in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh. He was 90. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has condoled the death of the mahant. “The death has shocked me profoundly. His contribution towards the Ramjanmabhoomi…
SourceBHOPAL, INDIA, July 30, 2003: The Muslim community in a small town in Madhya Pradesh has set an example in communal amity by generously contributing to the renovation of a 300-year-old dilapidated temple. The temple was in urgent need of repairs and few people visited it. In fact, many in the area did not even know about its existence. “Had…
SourceSCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, USA, July 29, 2003: Several people stood Sunday morning near the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Scottsdale holding signs directed at a Hindu celebration across the street. The Hindu Temple of Arizona was celebrating the last day of its Ratha-Yatra festival by pulling a chariot down Hayden Road when several people appeared with signs bearing messages about Jesus…
SourceUTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, July 27, 2003: If visiting the River Ganga and experiencing first-hand the spirituality of Varanasi and Allahabad has been a life-long dream, then consider this cruise. In a fully air-conditioned luxury boat, tourists and seekers will be able to set sail on a seven-day voyage between Varanasi and Allahabad with stop-overs at the ghats of Varanasi. Sponsored…
SourceNASIK, INDIA, July 30, 2003: The Kumbha Mela began at Nasik on Wednesday, amidst a total boycott of the opening Dhwajarohan (flag hoisting) ceremony by sadhus and mahants from various akhadas (monastic orders). Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi and Maharashtra chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde opened the 13-month-long celebrations of Kumbha Parva by jointly hoisting a flag at Ramkund on…
SourceAHMEDABAD, INDIA, July 21, 2003: After last year’s communal killings in Gujarat, huge gates came up around Hindu- and Muslim-dominated areas of Ahmedabad to keep mobs from each other’s communities at bay. Fear among the Hindus and Muslims led to iron gates being erected in as many as 13 places. However, on Sunday, the 20-feet high iron gates in Sayed…
SourceBANKURA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA: August 3, 2003: Ten sanyasins from the Matrivedi Shamayita Math in West Bengal, India have founded a group called Atmadwip to make the poor economically self-reliant. The sanyasins are between the ages of 25 and 33, are very well-educated and come from middle class families. They help poor farmers in West Bengal’s Bankura district, organise mobile…
SourceALAPPUZHA, July 26, 2003: As many as 1,474 organizations in Kerala received foreign contributions totaling US$75 million during 2000-2001. Almost 90 per cent of them belong to the Christian community. Gospel for Asia tops the list of organizations in Kerala to receive foreign contributions worth $12 million, followed by Mata Amritanandamayi Mission with $4.8 million. At the all-India level, 14,598…