GO TO SOURCE VELLORE, INDIA, February 6, 2003: Thousands of devotees witnessed the first Maha Kumbhabishekam of the Balamurugan temple in Ratnagiri, near Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The new moolasthanam (sanctum sanctorum), the melvimanam, built atop the moolasthana vimanam, the new sannadhi of Selva Vinayaka and the newly-built mugappu mandapam were consecrated by Sri Balamuruganadimai, hereditary trustee, and others. Devotees from…
Source: Religion News Service WASHINGTON, D.C., February 11, 2003: The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi has been named chairman of the board of directors at the Interfaith Alliance. Arun Gandhi will lead the Washington-based group, which lobbies for religious freedom and interfaith understanding. Gandhi is the co-founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Memphis, Tenn., and a prolific author.…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 6, 2003: Popular brands of bottled water sold in India contain pesticide residues that can cause cancer or disorders of the nervous system, a study has found. Seventeen brands in and around New Delhi were taken for testing by the city’s non-government Center for Science and Environment (CSE). Using methods approved by the…
GO TO SOURCE RAJASTHAN, INDIA, February 10, 2003: The Indian state of Rajasthan plans to introduce a ban on Hindus carrying a traditional religious icon, the trident. The three-pointed spear, or trisula, appears in Hindu iconography and traditionally symbolizes the power of Lord Siva as three fundamental saktis or powers — iccha (desire, will, love), kriya (action) and jnana (wisdom).…
GO TO SOURCE HYDERABAD, INDIA, February 2, 2003: When the Department of Ocean Development scientists recently announced that they had discovered the world’s oldest human settlement in the Gulf of Cambay off the coast of Gujarat, they attracted the attention of renowned marine biologist, S.R. Rao. Rao explains, “Such a flippant and premature announcement to the media prior to publishing…
GO TO SOURCE BANGALORE, INDIA, February 4, 2003 : Many Hindu pilgrimage sites are undergoing a high tech-makeover intended to offer a superior pilgrimage experience. The prominent ones which are sinking in tens of thousand of U.S. dollars in this e-transformation process include Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD), Shirdi Sai Baba Devasthanam and Khalsa Heritage, among others. Tirupati will use an…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, U.S.A., February 6, 2003: Told to shut his eyes and shake his body vigorously, Kevin Guy began to reconsider whether he should have signed up for the workshop. “Is this guy for real?” the strapping Bronx-born firefighter wondered as he began Dr. Jim Gordon’s program of meditation, yoga and alternative therapies to help firefighters deal…
Source: The Telegraph NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 5, 2003: Apart from nostalgia and money to augment foreign exchange reserves, what is a major involvement with India and her nonresident Indians (NRIs)? The NRIs search for brides and bridegrooms assisted by parents in India and overseas is a top priority. There is an “A list” in India for prospective spouses, with…
GO TO SOURCE Jammu, Kashmir, February 4, 2003: Over 100,750 pilgrims have visited the holy cave shrine of Vaishno Devi during January this year, an official spokesman said on Tuesday. At present 4,000 to 5,000 pilgrims are reaching the shrine daily and during the last two weeks of January over 75,000 devotees worshipped at the cave shrine. Extensive arrangements are…
GO TO SOURCE KURUKSHETRA, INDIA, February 4, 2003: Jagmohan, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, announced on Tuesday that the Centre has launched a plan to unearth lost cities which once existed along the embankments of Saraswati River, and left a number of signposts of the Saraswati-Indus civilization from Adi Badri near Kurukshetra to Dhola Vira in Gujarat. Addressing the…