SOUTHEAST ASIA, November 20, 2023 (Pew Research, by Manolo Corichi): The populations of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand each have large religious majorities, with at least seven-in-ten adults being Buddhist or Muslim. In some of these countries, there have been significant tensions with minority religious groups in recent years. Yet a 2022 Pew Research Center survey finds that,…
KAPAA, Hawaii November 21, 2023 (Associated Press, by Deepa Bharath): It is the only all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in the West built without power tools or electricity, and it’s nestled on one of the smaller islands in Hawaii surrounded by lush gardens and forests. On the island of Kauai, the presence of the Iraivan Temple — a white granite edifice…
INDIA, November 18, 2023 (The Organiser): Badrinath Temple in the Himalayas was decorated with 3,300 pounds of marigold flowers in the early hours of November 18. The portals of one of the country’s holiest shrines will be closed for winter today. Devotees who reached the Badrinath Dham for worship on the 18th applauded the decoration and were seen clicking pictures…
TAMIL NADU, INDIA, November 18, 2023 (Organiser): Tamil Nadu’s state government informed the Madras High Court that they would live stream the opening of donation boxes at 48 temples. The State government announced its decision in wake of the public interest litigation pleas filed by Rangarajan Narasimhan, who brought attention to the theft of cash and gold ornaments from temple…
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, November 18, 2013 (Kathmandu Post): The Chhath festival is observed with great care and purity. Chhath celebrations revolve around offering homage to the Sun. The festival spans four days, starting from the fourth day of the waxing moon to the seventh day in the month of Kartik, as per the lunar calendar. Throughout this festival, all activities are…
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, November 16, 2023 (Religion News): An ancient ritual as old as Hinduism itself has traveled through time and space all the way to the waters of California’s Bay Area. Starting at sundown on Friday (Nov. 17), hundreds of Hindus will wade into the waters of Quarry Lakes, a man-made lake in Fremont, California, to express reverence to nature,…
BANGKOK, THAILAND, November 16, 2023 (Religion News): The human rights group Amnesty International has strongly criticized UNESCO and its World Heritage program for failing to challenge the Cambodian government’s ongoing mass evictions at the famous centuries-old Angkor Wat temple complex. The London-based organization in a report released Tuesday charged that the evictions of an estimated 10,000 families by Cambodian authorities…
MUMBAI, INDIA, November 14, 2023 (RNS): In a leafy neighborhood of central Mumbai, classic Parsi-style bungalows with their deep porches and balconies adorn the streets, a historic Parsi school has been recently renovated and at the Dadar Athornan Institute, 14 students dressed in T-shirts and skullcaps are immersed in learning the sacred scriptures and rituals of the Zoroastrian faith. But…
HOUSTON, TEXAS, November 10, 2023 (Indo American News): The 12th International Diwali-Dussehra Festival, organized by the Shri Sita Ram Foundation, USA, unfolded in a grand spectacle, leaving a lasting impression on attendees, including local dignitaries and consul generals from nearly a dozen nations. This vibrant celebration of culture and tradition took place at the new state-of-the-art Fort Bend Epicenter in…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, November 10, 2023 (RNS, by Richa Karmarkar): As this year’s Diwali Motorcade passed through the heart of Ozone Park, Queens, last weekend, Lakshmee Singh explained how the parade, which her mother helped launch more than 30 years ago, is at once her inheritance and the future of her largely Hindu immigrant community. “We were around when…
