INDIA, February 12, 2023 (Hindustan Times): MahaShivaratri, the grand night of Shiva falls on February 18 this year (or the 17th, depending on your location). Just as Om is the verbal form of the Nirakara Paramatma, the Lingam is His visual form. Shiva is the Adi-Guru or Adi-Yogi because he first taught yoga to Parvati. The 14th day of the…
BANGLADESH, February 6, 2023 (Swarajya): Fourteen Hindu temples were desecrated by Muslim fundamentalists at Baliadangi in northwestern Bangladesh’s Thakurgaon district, that borders Uttar Dinajpur district of Bengal. Radicals suspected of belonging to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and affiliated radical Islamist organizations carried out orchestrated attacks on the 14 temples in the early hours of Sunday (5 February). https://swarajyamag.com/world/islamist-radicals-attack-14-hindu-temples-in-bangladesh-trigger-migration-of-hindus
GEORGE TOWN. MALAYSIA, February 3, 2023 (New Strait Times): Devotees have expressed happiness and gratitude that they are able to celebrate Thaipusam this year without any restrictions. After two years of muted celebration due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s three-day state-level Thaipusam celebrations kicked off early this morning to a spectacular start. A. Jeyasree, 32, a senior Human Resource…
AYODHYA, INDIA, February 2, 2023 (MSN): As many as 51 Vedic gurus chanted mantras as the Shaligram Shilas from Gandaki river in Nepal were handed over to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai on Thursday morning. The Shilas were initially taken to Ram Janmabhoomi temple and from there were taken to Karsewakpuram where statues of…
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 31, 2023 (The Sun Daily): Thaipusam kavadi makers who were forced into hibernation for the past two years by Covid-19 are back in business for the festival this year with the waning of the pandemic. The lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions allows Hindu devotees to carry the kavadi during Thaipusam on Feb 5, and the kavadi…
MYAGDI, NEPAL, January 29, 2023 (Daily Excelsior): Nepal has dispatched two Shaligram stones to India’s Ayodhya for the construction of statues of Ram and Janaki expected to be placed in the main temple complex of the under-construction Ram Mandir. Found only on the riverbanks of Kali Gandaki River that flows through Myagdi and Mustang district, the Shaligrams are already on…
NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 30, 2023 (News18): A shaligram, also known as a shaligrama shila, is a specific type of stone that is mined from the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in Nepal, and is used by Hindus as a non-anthropomorphic image of God Vishnu. Typically, these are ammonite shell fossils from the Devonian-Cretaceous period, which lasted…
TAMIL NADU, INDIA, January 27, 2023 (The Print): Devotees gathered in very large numbers at Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in Palani on Friday for the grand Kumbabhishekam ceremony (consecration ceremony). As well the event was broadcast live across Tamil Nadu. There was a tight security deployment on the confined temple premises to prevent any untoward incident. Yaga pujas were performed…
GEORGETOWN, MALAYSIA, January 27, 2023 (New Straits Times): After two years of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 1.5 million people are expected at the three-day Thaipusam celebration in Penang from Feb 4 to 6. Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) deputy chairman Datuk Seri P. Kuvenaraju said the state could look forward to a grand celebration this time…
BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, January 23, 2023 (Indian Express): Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal has backed the entry of foreign nationals inside the world-famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, wading into a debate that has lasted for decades and periodically triggered controversy. “If a foreigner can meet Gajapati, servitors, and Jagatguru Shankaracharya, he/she should also be allowed to meet eyes with the Chakanayana (a…
