GO TO SOURCE BANGKOK, THAILAND, March 4, 2003: A new project from Thailand’s Ministry of Education aimed at networking monastic communities in remote areas will bring 100 Buddhist monks to the capital next month for training in information technology and the internet. Apart from linking temples nationwide, the idea is to leverage on the teaching role that monks have traditionally…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, D.C., March 6, 2003: The Bush administration has rejected the recommendation of a US commission to brand India a violator of religious freedom. Following the Gujarat riots, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom had recommended India’s inclusion in a list of “countries of particular concern.” Acting on the commission’s omnibus report, Secretary of State Colin…
GO TO SOURCE JAIPUR, INDIA, March 5, 2003: Even Gods and Goddesses will receive relief in drought-hit Rajasthan’s annual budget for the next fiscal year. Presenting the budget in the state assembly on Wednesday, Finance Minister Pradyuman Singh said temples were falling to ruins in the absence of proper maintenance. Many temples were not in a position to manage rituals,…
GO TO SOURCE YANGON, MYANMAR, March 5, 2003: The celebration of Deepavali by the All Myanmar Tamil Hindu Foundation and donations given to the “Thanantana Dhammapala (Hindu) Association in Pabedan Township” are two Hindu events that took place in Myanmar recently. Readers may contact “source” above for news on Hindu activities in Myanmar. The stories are a bit dated, however,…
GO TO SOURCE LUCKNOW, INDIA, March 5, 2003: In a major development, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to carry out the excavation of the disputed site at Ayodhya within one week. The special full bench comprising Justices Sudhir Narain, S. R. Alam and Bhanwar Singh asked the ASI…
GO TO SOURCE THANJAVUR, INDIA, March 2, 2003: A rare sculpture of Lord Siva with a flute in his hands has been found at the Irawadeeswara temple at Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, by Kudavayil Balasubramaniyan, researcher of the Saraswathi Mahal Library, Thanjavur. It has been found on a pillar at the Rajakampeeran Thirumantapam of the temple, built by Rajaraja-II, Chola King.…
Source: Religion News Service OTTAWA, CANADA, March 5, 2003: Religious services in the Canadian armed forces are controlled exclusively by a few major Christian groups, discriminating against other faiths and minority Christian churches, a Pentecostal minister has charged in a human rights complaint. The forces have no Jewish, Hindu or Muslim chaplains, says Rev. Sheldon Johnston in the letter of…
GO TO SOURCE ST. LOUIS, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2003: Security is being stepped up for the Hindu Temple of St. Louis that was firebombed twice in a week. Federal agents are trying to determine if the attacks were youthful mischief or hate-fueled religious bigotry. No one was injured by the attacks as the temple’s massive metal doors blocked the…
GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, February 28, 2003: Bharat Keshar Simha, retired major general of the Royal Nepalese Army and honorary ADC to His Majesty the King, was recently elected unanimously as the president of the World Hindu Federation at their recent meeting in Gorakhpur, India. Asked whether the WHF, being a religious organization, can influence politics, Mr. Simha stated,…
GO TO SOURCE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, March 1, 2003: The police and FBI are at a loss why a fire bomb was thrown at the Hindu temple in St. Louis, Missouri, on the night of February 22. Officials have registered the attack as a hate crime case. “It seemed to be a crude bomb or Molotov cocktail, which set fire…