Source PURI, INDIA, August 31, 2019 (Orissa Post): The ongoing eviction drive around the Jagannath Temple in Puri ran into rough weather once again Saturday, with Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati declaring the recommendations of Justice B.P. Das commission illegal. Based on the recommendations of the commission, the Odisha government and the Puri district administration launched an eviction drive…
Source BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, September 1, 2019 (Hindustan Times): The ongoing demolition drive of mutts and other commercial structures around the 246-foot perimeter of Jagannath temple in Puri has taken a political turn with the Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party lashing out at the BJD government over the drive. Since August 27, the…
Source That dark dweller is my only refuge. O my companion, worldly comfort is illusion; as soon you get it, it goes. I have chosen the indestructible for my refuge, Him whom the snake of death will not devour. My beloved dwells in my heart all day. I have actually seen that abode of joy. Meera’s lord is Hari, the…
Source GOA, INDIA, September 12, 2018 (inditales.com, by Anuradha Goyal): This is that time of the year when Ganesh Chaturthi fervor is in the air. Like every festival, Ganesh Chaturthi also has popular bhajans and songs associated with it. The first worshipped, the remover of obstacles is the favorite Devta across India. However, there is nothing like celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi…
Source HYDERABAD, INDIA, September 2, 2019 (Deccan Chronicle): The 61-foot Khairatabad Ganesha statue is set for the festival on Monday, together with a 1,653 lb. laddu, and a 70-foot shawl that was contributed by devotees. The bamboo scaffolding used during the construction was removed on Sunday, revealing the statue in its glory. Devotees thronged Khairatabad to have the first look…
Source The winds of grace are always blowing, but it is you who must raise your sails. — Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), celebrated Bengali writer
Source JAPAN, August 28, 2019 (CNN): It may seem like an out there move, but a 400-year-old Japanese temple has brought in a robot named Mindar to preach sermons. The adult-sized android, modeled after Kannon Bodhisattva, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, was introduced to the Kodaiji temple in Kyoto earlier this year. Although some critics have compared it to “Frankenstein’s…
Source INDIA, August 30, 2019 (Silicon India): Any celebration in India is incomplete without special song dedications. With the proper emotional touch and also the dance numbers, this 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi celebration is no different from the others. The festival marks the birth of Hindu God Ganesha and to make the celebrations exciting, devotional songs brings that spiritual atmosphere into…
Source ALTARE, ITALY, August 28, 2019 (IVG translated from Italian): Two thousand faithful of the Hindu communities participated, as every year, in the Pellegrino ad Altare area at the Ganesh Festival. The pilgrims also came from outside to then find themselves, as tradition dictates, the anniversary dedicated to the God Ganesh. The celebrations took place at the Shri Lalita Mahatripurasundari…
Source HOUSTON, TEXAS, August 8, 2019 (Houston Chronicle): The last day of school is the beginning of the countdown to Hindu Heritage Youth Camp. Namita Pallod remembers eagerly awaiting the start of camp each year, crossing off the days on her calendar along with her friends. “We always called camp the best five days of the year,” she said. Now,…