News

BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA, May 27, 2022 (COHNA): The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) expressed its strong disappointment around California Assembly’s decision to pass Bill AB2282, titled “Hate crimes: nooses, crosses, and swastikas,” whose purpose is to criminalize the display of hate symbols. While the bill is well meaning, it perpetuates confusion by once again using false and hateful…

NEPAL, May 27, 2022 (The Wire): Hindus believe the rudraksha, the dried seeds of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus tree that grows in the foothills of the Himalayas, are made from the tears of Lord Shiva and hold them sacred. While there is no such story in Buddhism, the depiction of the Buddha, like many sacred figures in the region, wearing rudraksha…

NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 24, 2022 (Tribune India): Amid a raging controversy over claims and counter-claims on historic monuments, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday opposed before a Delhi court a plea demanding restoration of worship of Hindu and Jain Deities inside the Qutub Minar complex. The ASI, which has the mandate to protect and preserve ancient monuments,…

INDIA, May 20, 2022 (The Hindu): The Thiruvattaru temple is being readied for Kumbabhisekam after 400 years; the structure of the Deity, damaged at many places, required refurbishing. The statue of Adikesava is unique not just because it is the longest among the Deities of the 108 Divya Desams, but it is also the longest Kadusarkarai yogam Deity in India:…

VARANASI, INDIA, May 20, 2022 (Indian Express): In claims likely to deepen the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi row, two reports on a videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex state that debris of old temples were found at the corner of the northern and western walls outside the barricading, and Hindu motifs such as bells, pots, flowers and trishul were visible on…

PORTLAND, OREGON, May 15, 2022 (AP News): Wedged into a recliner in the corner of her assisted living apartment in Portland, Skylar Freimann, who has a terminal heart condition and pulmonary illness, anxiously eyed her newly arrived hospital bed on a recent day and worried over how she would maintain independence as she further loses mobility. There to guide her…

INDIA, May 15, 2020 (Bar and Bench): In a wave of litigation initiated over the last few years, several petitioners have approached courts across the country to determine the religious origins and true nature of historical monuments and sites in India. In what some are describing as a consequence of the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Ayodhya case, Hindu petitioners…

VARANASI, INDIA, May 17, 2020 (Times Now News): Kashi Vishwanath temple is one of the 12 main jyotirlingas whose first archaeological evidence dates back to 9th-10th BC. It was renovated to grandeur during the Gupta period (4th to 6th century ce), a fact mentioned by Chinese historian Hsuan Tsang. It was demolished repeatedly by invaders like Mohd Ghori, Mahmud Sharqi…

UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, May 17, 2022 (News of Bahrain): A gang of thieves have returned more than a dozen murthis they stole from an ancient Hindu temple in India, saying they had been haunted by nightmares ever since the crime, according to police. The group last week stole 16 Deity statues from a 300-year-old temple, police inspector Rajiv Singh said.…

AUSTRALIA, May 16, 2022 (Hindu Council of Australia Press Release): Prime Minister, Mr. Scott Morrison announced a grant of $250,000 (US$174,000) to Hindu Council of Australia for its Karma Kitchen program. The announcement was made by him during a Hindu Council’s Meet and Greet Political Parties event at Park Royal, Parramatta. “Karma Kitchen” is an initiative taken by the Hindu…