India
Kashi Vishwanath Temple Innovates
Kashi vishwanath temple of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples, has introduced 12 minutes of virtual reality darshan starting in June, 2024. PTC News reports this will cater to devotees who wish to avoid standing in a long queue in the scorching heat. It is partly in response to the increase of pilgrims since the recent massive expansion of access to the temple. In the adjacent Durlabh Darshan Kendra hall, pilgrims can witness rare sights of Lord Bholenath and watch the five-part arati through virtual reality headsets. Temple CEO Vishwa Bhushan Mishra said, “3D virtual reality is a new technique which has been implemented in various temples like Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar and Mata Vaishno Devi temple.”
Meanwhile, Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Aggarwal is making changes within the police force to more harmoniously manage bustling crowds and facilitate smooth darshan, according to the Organizer. Police officers now dress as pujaris to help foster a sense of reverence and warmth among visitors. They adhere to a no-touch policy to prevent incidents of pushing or mistreatment. Officers in uniform are stationed outside the sanctum to maintain order, while those dressed as pujaris are inside, guiding devotees. Aggarwal emphasized that these officers must undergo rigorous training, including learning basic English to communicate effectively with non-Hindi speaking devotees.
Scotland
Global Yoga Day Turns Ten
T he international day of Yoga celebrated its tenth year on June 21st, 2024 with the theme, “Yoga for Self and Society.” The message is that yoga enhances personal well-being and fosters a more positive and harmonious society.
In Scotland, North Edinburgh News says the annual event is hosted by the Scottish Hindu Foundation. This year’s function, held at the Kelvin Hall Art Gallery in Glasgow, began with traditional Vedic chants to bless the proceedings and participants.
Attendees then witnessed a Bharatanatyam dance recital dedicated to Lord Siva, performed by Mrs. Manimegalai Arun, invoking the spirit of rejuvenation, well-being and positivity for the soul. It was followed by the live hatha yoga demonstrations and lessons by instructors. Guest speaker Shri Amit Kumar Chaudhary, Vice Consul of India, shared that India’s government Ministry of Ayush is enthusiastic to collaborate with Scotland in advancing yoga as a holistic health system beyond just physical postures.
Video Series
Benoy Behl’s Lens on India
Benoy Behl
Documenting india’s art heritage is a monumental task, and historian Benoy K. Behl has embraced the challenge for nearly five decades. His wikipedia page says he has taken more than 50,000 photographs of Asian monuments and produced 140 documentaries which are regularly screened at major cultural institutions worldwide.
Behl’s photos of Brihadeeshwara Temple and Ellora Caves have been featured in magazines like National Geographic. He produced a series of documentaries called Spectacular India for Doordarshan TV channel, covering temples and sites from north to south. For a time these films were only on TV, but now are available at youtube.com/@art
nbuddhism/videos. In The Temple Cosmos, uploaded in June, 2024, Behl visually explores how Indian temples are conceived as a place of self-transformation for devotees, where the noise and confusion of the material world are left behind.
Estonia
First Siva Temple Inaugurated
Shiva Temple Estonia
Estonia’s first siva temple was opened in June, 2024, in the picturesque region of Lilleoru, near the capital Tallinn, reports News18.com. Nestled in a forested area, the complex spans 5,500 square meters.
Surrounding the main circular, dome-like structure are many murtis for Ganapati, Murugan, Karpaga Nadhar, Brahand Nayagi, 18 Siddhas and more.
Founder Ingvar Villido Acharya Ishwarananda, who teaches Kriya Yoga, said the temple “symbolizes our dedication to the eternal teachings of Sanatana Dharma, following the footsteps of the great rishis and siddhas.”
There are only a few hundred Hindus in Estonia, which is one of the least religious countries in the world today. They include Estonians who have adopted Hindu practices, Indian expatriates and students. Hinduism has influenced Estonian society particularly through the teaching of yoga and meditation. Many Estonians practice yoga and other Hindu-derived activities. Historically, Estonians worshiped nature, with thousands of ancient sacred sites scattered throughout the country.
France
Cambodia Sends Bronze for Restoration & Exhibition
Guimet Museum
The great reclining vishnu of Western Mebon, the largest bronze statue found on the Angkor Wat site, arrived in France in June, 2024, to be studied and restored before its exhibition in 2025 at the Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris.
The French embassy in Cambodia writes that the restoration is a symbol of the exceptional Franco-Cambodian partnership. Dating from the 11th century, the sculpture was discovered in 1936 by French curator Maurice Glaize. An unrivaled masterpiece of Khmer art, it captivates researchers and curators worldwide, particularly with its symbolism and unique form, unprecedented for a Khmer bronze of this size. After the Guimet museum, the reclining Vishnu will be exhibited in several cities in the United States before being returned to Cambodia.
North America
Lord Ram Is Paraded to 1,000 temples across the US & Canada
For the first time in north America, a murti of Lord Ram road-tripped from temple to temple in March/April, 2024, to celebrate the inauguration of the finally rebuilt Ram temple in Ayodhya, India. The Ram Rath Yatra, or chariot procession, echoed such a procession held in India in 1990 to inspire building efforts in Ayodhya. This new pilgrimage lasted two months and covered 16,000 miles, reports Religion News Service. Temples in the US (851) and Canada (150) each made themselves available for a short but sweet darshan of Ram Lalla, the child form of the Deity. Perched in the back of a decked-out Honda Odyssey “chariot,” Ram visited an average of 14 temples per day, spending 30 minutes at each. “I bought the van and said, ‘I’m going to go, anybody want to join?’” said Amitabh Mittal, joint general secretary of the World Hindu Council of America, the group behind the yatra.
“I would say I had a blessing from Shri Ram,” said Manan Raval, one of the four road-trippers who were on the move from 6am to midnight each day. “If He wishes something, He will make it done, and He has willed that Amitabh Mittal called me.” Raval is the head of Bharat TV, a online news service that covered the pilgrimage.
For Catherine Vander Vliet, another passenger who works for Bharat TV, the journey has already made her a “different person,” meeting people she would have never met, whom she credits with introducing her to the “patience, warmth and perseverance” of the Hindu faithful. Americans like her, she says, “don’t know the real Bharat.” “At the end of the day, we’re all one, no matter who we say our prayers to,” she said. “They’re doing the same thing that we’re doing, they’re putting their heart and their soul into their God. That’s the same thing I do when I go to church.”
Pakistan
Hinglaj Yatra Festival Brings Mountainous Region to Life
The ascent of steep mud volcanoes marks the beginning of Hindu pilgrims’ rituals in southwestern Pakistan. They climb hundreds of stairs and clamber over rocks to reach the summit, tossing coconuts and rose petals into the shallow crater while seeking divine permission to visit Hinglaj Mata, an ancient cave temple that is the focus of their three-day worship.
The dramatic surroundings of Hingol National Park in Baluchistan province are the setting for Pakistan’s largest annual Hindu festival, Hinglaj Yatra, reports News18.com, which takes place in late April. Organizers say more than 100,000 Hindus participated this year. Muslim-majority Pakistan is home to 4. 4 million Hindus, just 2.14% of the population, and Hinglaj Mata is one of the few Hindu sites that continues to draw large numbers of pilgrims yearly from across the country.
Hindus believe Hinglaj Mata is one of the places where the remains of Sati, the Goddess of marital felicity and longevity, fell to Earth after she ended her life. Maharaj Gopal, the temple’s senior priest, explains, “It is the most sacred pilgrimage in the Hindu religion here. Whoever visits and worships accordingly during these three days will have all of their sins forgiven.”
The journeys begin hundreds of miles away, mostly from neighboring Sindh province. Hundreds of packed buses depart cities like Hyderabad and Karachi, traveling along the Makran Coastal Highway that hugs Pakistan’s south and southwest. There’s scant vehicular access to holy sites in Pakistan, so many pilgrims disembark and complete their travel by walking over parched and rocky terrain, sometimes barefoot and carrying children or luggage. It’s a few miles from the main road to the mud volcano and then almost 25 miles to Hinglaj Mata.
Winds buffet the desert-like conditions, churning up dust that whips the eyes, nose and mouth. The pilgrims’ festive cheer and brightly colored apparel are in contrast to the arid landscape. Strong gusts distort people’s celebratory cries of “Jai Mata Di” and “Jai Shiv Shankar!”
Kanwal Kumar, 28, was visiting the temple for the first time in 2024 with her husband. “We have yet to conceive a child after six years of marriage, so we are hopeful for help from the Goddess,” she said. “We believe that no one returns empty-handed. All wishes are granted by Hinglaj Mata.”
Briefly
Christian ministries operating in India are continuing to lose the government’s authorization to legally collect foreign donations, reports Christianity Today, which is a devastating financial blow. This March, Vision India, an organization that provides leadership training for Christian young people, was unable to renew its Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act license.
The Divine life society of South Africa celebrated the opening of Sivanandashram in Sandton, Gauteng province, this June. Their press release explains that this center will support the significant migration of devotees from Durban and elsewhere to the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.
Conflict in myanmar continues to escalate, with increased fighting between the military-led Junta army and ethnic rebel groups across many parts. New Idian Express reported this May that nearly 5,000 homes of Buddhists and Hindus were destroyed in Buthidaung, just 15.5 miles from the Bangladesh border.
Hindus in switzerland can now scatter ashes of their deceased in the Aare River in Bern state. Baern Today wrote this January that the Saivanerikoodan association obtained a “water protection permit,” but for only 20 times a year. With around 60,000 Tamils living in Switzerland, they hope to increase the limit.
Taranaki, a coastal and mountainous region on the western side of New Zealand’s North Island, welcomed it’s first Hindu temple in New Plymouth in late 2023. Indiannewslink.co.nz said it features Lord Rama as the main Deity. Taranaki Hindu Cultural Trust received a very positive response from local residents.
On the occasion of guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s 50th anniversary this January, Guyana’s president, Dr. Irfaan Ali, noted that it plays a pivotal role in producing well-rounded leaders and driving positivity within society, as reported in the Guyana Times. Over time, the Sabha has expanded its work to include social issues, health and well-being, and community service.