CHINO HILLS, CALIFORNIA, October 22, 2024 (India West): To celebrate the festival of Diwali and foster international relations, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir here hosted a first-ever “Diplomatic Diwali.” On October 17, diplomatic missions and organizations from over 15 countries including consuls joined BAPS for the evening. The event was inspired by Mahant Swami Maharaj’s vision, “In the spirit of…
ZAMORA, SPAIN, October 19, 2024 (La Razon, Google translated from Spanish): Mireia Fresno from Barcelona is wearing a silk dress of an intense yellow color, which distinguishes her from the rest of her companions. She slowly descends the gentle slope that gives access to the Kailash Ashram, the physical space that houses the Advaita Vidya community, on the outskirts of…
INDIA, October 15, 2024 (The Commune): After centuries of surviving persecution under mleccha rule by restricting their faith to the boundaries of their individuals homes and shrines, Hindus are reclaiming their sense of being a sociopolitical community. This collective sense of being, which had existed since the Vedic era, had been rendered dormant first as an adaptation to oppression under…
UNITED STATES, October 20, 2024 (New India Abroad, by Aprameya Rupanagunta): As fall rolls around, the myriad of Indian festivals and celebrations come closer. For most Indians who were born and brought up in India, this season has always been a part of their lives and those around them but for Indian Americans who never actually lived in India, these…
INDIA, October 21, 2024 (The Hindu): After the five-day-long monthly pujas, which drew an unprecedented influx of devotees, the portals of the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala were closed on Monday. According to estimates from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the number of pilgrims saw a significant surge, with over 180,000. devotees visiting the hill temple from October 16 to 21.…
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, October 16, 2024 (Borneo News, Google translate from Indonesian): The Directorate General of Hindu Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia presented the National Outstanding Hindu Religious Teacher Award for 2024, Tuesday night (15/10) in Bogor, West Java. This award is a form of appreciation that is intended to motivate educators in carrying…
MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 (MPR News): In May through July, at least four Hindu and Buddhist temples in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) were burglarized. Two men have been charged in connection to those burglaries and others in a sprawling case police say connects to a national ring targeting temples. Religious leaders say their communities are…
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, October 21, 2024 (serioustimes.org, by Dr. James Emery White, a Christian pastor): If you aren’t familiar with it, Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, symbolizing the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.” It is marked with home decorations, shopping, fireworks, gifts, feasting, family gatherings, and more. This year,…
TIRUMALA, INDIA, October 8, 2024 (The Hindu): The abode of Lord Venkateswara turned into a sea of humanity on the occasion of Garuda Seva on the fifth day of the annual Brahmotsavams at Tirumala temple on October 8 (Tuesday). The temple town wore a festive look with the gathering of hundreds of thousands of devotees from various parts of the…
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, October 12, 2024 (Public Radio Tulsa): As many parents know, the line between passing along cultural traditions and mortifying your children in public can be perilously thin. For one mother, that dilemma arose this year ahead of Navaratri, a Hindu festival celebrating female strength that culminates today. One of the festival’s key components is garba, an intricate folk…
