Source TAMIL NADU, INDIA, March 5, 2016 (The News Minute): About 25 miles from the famous Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, is a little known temple dedicated to a formless God, built by Manikkavasakar, an iconic 9th century Tamil poet and saint. The temple, called Avudaiyarkovil, stands in a small town in the Pudukkottai district. The town was originally called…
Source RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK, March 4, 2016 (DNA Info): An annual parade to celebrate the spring Hindu festival of Holi will return to Liberty Avenue this year after one of the feuding organizers accused an NYPD boss of canceling last year’s permit as a favor to a friend. This year’s Phagwah Parade is set to kick off at Liberty…
Source Hinduism has made marvelous discoveries in things of religion, of the spirit, of the soul. We have no eye for these great and fine discoveries. We are dazzled by the material progress that Western science has made. Ancient India has survived because Hinduism was not developed along material but spiritual lines.— Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
Source NEW DELHI, March 7, 2016 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted the nation on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri which is being celebrated with devotion and religious fervor. Devotees in large numbers are reaching Shiva temples since early morning. A large number of people are expected to offer jalabhishek of holy water and special prayers at…
Source The syllable gu means shadows. The syllable ru, he who disperses them. Because of the power to disperse darkness, the guru is thus named.— Advayataraka Upanishad
Source UNITED KINGDOM, March 4, 2016 (Newham Recorder): Radha Krishna Temple in Stratford welcomed year four pupils from Ranelagh Primary School as teachers aim to expand pupils’ knowledge of community cohesion, individuality and globalisation. The temple, which was founded in 1967, opened its doors to teach pupils about Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Durga and Ganesha. Executive head teacher Angela…
Source UNITED KINGDOM, March 4 2016 (Religion Watch): In areas where they have no access to “Tamil-orientated” temples, Tamil Hindus outside of London either visit non-Tamil temples or perform their own rituals in non-institutional settings, reports Demelza Jones (Aston University, Birmingham) in the journal Religion (Jan.). Tamil temples tend to be different from those of Northern India. Their Deity images…
Source To associate with a sadhu is like sitting near a seller of perfumes. You may not be able to own any of the wonders he holds, but what emanates from them will envelop you.— Saint Kabir (1440-1518), Indian saint revered by Hindus and Muslims
Source INDIA, May 11, 2015 (First Post by Jakob De Roover): The annual reports of the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have long irked politicians and citizens from countries placed on its watch list. This is no different in India. In the 2015 report released about a fortnight ago, the country again occupies an unenviable spot in Tier…
Source U.S., March 3, 2016 (RNS): A U.S. religious freedom panel says it has been unable to obtain visas for members who planned to travel to India this week to assess conditions there. In its 2015 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom included India on its list of Tier 2 countries — not the worst offenders but…