Source DHAKA, BANGLADESH, June 30, 2011 (msn): Religious minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh slammed the approval of the 15th constitutional amendment bill that retains Islam as the state religion as it goes against the secular character of the 1972 constitution. Bangladesh”s Parliament approved the 15th Amendment Bill 2011 that scraps the controversial nonpartisan caretaker system to conduct general elections and…
Source Everything changes, everything passes; things appearing, things disappearing. But when all is over–being and extinction both transcended–still, the basic emptiness and silence abide, and that is blissful peace.— Mystical song from a Hindu story
Source SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, July 2011: It has taken half a century, but archaeologists in Cambodia have finally completed the renovation of an ancient Angkor temple described as the world’s largest three dimensional puzzle. Cambodian King Sihamoni and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon will be among the first to tour the impressive three-tier temple during an inauguration ceremony on July…
Source KERALA, INDIA, July 4, 2011 (India Today): Opinion is divided on the ownership of the treasure at the Kerala’s Padmanabha temple. The discovery has sparked off a controversy as to what happens to the treasure now. Does it belong to the public or to the royal family? Former High Court Judge M.N. Krishnan said, “We are expected to take…
Source THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, July 3, 2011 (TImes of India): Treasure continued to tumble out of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple here on Saturday with a Supreme Court-appointed committee finding more gold idols, coins and other assets on the sixth day of inspection in the shrine’s hidden vaults. Unconfirmed reports said the total value of all assets recovered from the shrine…
Source INDIA, May 20, 2011 (RNL): For centuries devadasis played a special role in Hindu temples rituals in India, but since being banned in 1947, much of their history and art have been forgotten. Devadasi (“Servant of God”) is an old Hindu tradition in which girls were ‘married’ and dedicated to a God or to a temple. The tradition includes…
Source PURI, ORISSA, July 4, 2011 (Indo-Asian News Service): Tens of thousands flocked to Orissa’s Jagannath Temple in Puri as the annual chariot festival or Rath Yatra began on Sunday. All the rituals have began almost on scheduled time, Laxmidhar Pujapanda, the public relations officer of Jagannath Temple, said. The festival marks the journey of three Hindu Deities – Jagannath,…
Source Intelligence is finite, but stupidity knows no limits.— Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today
Source ASPEN, COLORADO, June 16, 2011 (NY Times): A new nationwide pro-veggie effort, aimed at persuading people to go meatless at least one day a week — has been embraced here more than in any other city in America. At least 20 institutions and restaurants are offering vegetarian choices on Mondays under a plan announced this month. Aspen Valley Hospital…
Source PHOENIX, ARIZONA, July 1, 2011: Paula Slamowitz just wanted Mexican food when she walked into her new neighborhood restaurant, Filibertos. “I was shocked,” she tells CBS 5 news, when she saw a red swastika symbol painted above the front door. She was immediately offended by what it stood for, to her. “Nazi-ism, Germany, Skinheads.” The owner is Hindu, and…