Source TIRUVANNAMALAI, INDIA, May 2, 2015 (The Hindu): [HPI note: This is a remarkable event, one which our editors have participated in. It starts and ends at Annamalaiyar Temple at the base of Arunachal Hill–famed for Ramana Maharishi’s ashram. Hundreds of thousands–a large number of them young–walk barefoot 13 km around the hill.] More than 1,800 special buses will be…
Source INDIA, April 29, 2015 (Press Information Bureau): There are 1,076 temples and 250 mosques of national importance under the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) in the Country. There are 242 temples and 36 mosques from Karnataka under the ASI while 132 temples and 62 mosques from Uttar Pradesh fall under the same category. Madhya Pradesh has 96 temples and…
Source INDIA, April 30, 2015 (The Hindu): Thousands of devotees participated in the inaugural run of the new chariot chiseled for the famous Sri Brihadeeswarar temple (Big Temple) here on Wednesday. This is the first time in a hundred years that the chariot festival of the Big Temple, constructed by Chola King Rajaraja I over 1,000 years ago, is being…
Source All this universe is in the glory of God, of Siva, the God of love. The heads and faces of men are His own, and He is in the hearts of all.— Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.11
Source INDIA, April 30, 2015 (Scroll.in by Dhiman Dasgupta): An examination of a book by physicist Rajesh Kochhar [claims to] debunk the notion that the events of the epic took place in modern-day India. The primary objective of this essay is to point to the geographical location of the Ramayana. It is not the writer who has arrived at the…
Source When culture is flooding out of the temple, our actions are productive and our minds are creative, our speech is pure, our hearts rejoice and we become good citizens. Religion makes us good citizens, because we are peaceful inside and want peace in our land. Peace comes first from the individual. It is unrealistic to expect peace from our…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 26, 2015 (New York Times): While Indian parents still take the lead in arranging marriages, many are turning to websites to widen the pool, and are allowing their children veto power. Just an estimated 5% of marriages in India today are so-called love marriages–those completely conceived without family involvement. The rest have traditionally been arranged…
Source HOUSTON, TEXAS, April 24, 2015 (Houston Chronicle): Construction of Houston’s Sri Guruvayurappan Temple was anything but a standard Houston real estate deal. Planetary trajectories were factors in the design; a precise consideration of the elements – earth, air, fire, water, sky – was crucial in construction. And as workers and temple officials, many attired in traditional Indian dhotis, scurried…
Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, April 30,2015 (Huffington Post): Bells that once chimed for Nepali royals and centuries-old wooden figurines are among the mounds of treasure dotted around a city slowly trying to recover from the largest earthquake to hit Nepal in 80 years. With fears of looting and further destruction rife, scores of Nepali volunteers have come forward in recent days,…
Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, April 29, 2015 (IBNLive): The devastating earthquake that struck the Nepalese capital has turned the 500-year-old Kasthamandap temple to rubble, killing several under the debris of the historic structure from which the city derives its name. Incidentally, on the fateful day, a private company had organized a blood donation camp and most of the donors including the…