SourceSeptember 1, 2003: Prakash Mody of Canada (“source” above) sent us this description of an admirable Jain custom. “It is at this time, Kshmapana (which falls on August 31, September 1 or September 10, depending on the specific tradition), that Jains embark on their respective annual pratikramana, a reflection on their spiritual journey for the past year. On this day…
Press Trust of IndiaMUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA, August 31, 2003: The Elephant God Ganesh today descended on a 10-day sojourn to Earth as the festival began in Maharashtra amidst fanfare and revelry with police making elaborate security arrangement in view of the recent twin bomb blasts. Around 30,000 policemen have been deployed all over Mumbai to maintain law and order, and…
Deccan ChronicleHYDERABAD, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, August 29, 2003: Devotees throng shops and stalls to buy Ganesha icons for installation on Sunday, when the Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations begin. Ganesha icons in varied colors and sizes are on display at the shops. The biggest icon installed at Khairatabad has become the central attraction with devotees from different parts of the city coming…
SourceVISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, August. 29, 2003: Ganesh Chaturthi celebration committees in the city are disappointed by all the restrictions imposed on them by the police, municipal corporation and the Eastern Power Distribution Company. Most of the festival committees have decided to reduce the celebrations to three or six days, from the regular nine or 11 days. The municipal corporation…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, August 29, 2003: As a gesture to ryots, (small and marginal farmers), the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to sell temple land now held by ryots under lease to them if they want to purchase the land and if such a deal benefits the temple concerned. The ryots will be asked to pay only two-thirds of the market…
SourceMAURITIUS/TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, 1992: Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean and Mauritius off of Africa are both poly-ethnic island-states with large population segments of Indian origin. Brought to British islands colonies, particularly plantation colonies, during the British colonial indentureship scheme from ca 1840 to ca. 1910, the Indians were in both societies politically marginal until the electoral reforms of the…
SourceCHENNAI Aug. 28. In another initiative pleasing to animal rights activists, the Tamil Nadu Government today banned animal and bird sacrifice in temples throughout the State. This is the second time in three days the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, has intervened in the interest of animals. On Tuesday, she ordered that temple elephants be given a one-month holiday every year. The…
SourceMADURAI, INDIA, August 31, 2003: S. Sankaran Sivacharyar, a priest at the Sree Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, has introduced a web site for the Saiva Agamas (“source” above) in both Tamil and English. The Saiva Agamas are the scriptures, equal in authority to the Vedas, which explain many aspects of Saiva philosophy and the details of temple…
SourceMALAYSIA, August 31, 2003: In 1998, many scholars and devotees of Lord Murugan convened in Chennai to exchange findings about the Lord Murugan and His worship from prehistoric times to present. That was the First International Conference Seminar on Skanda-Murugan which was remarkable both for the sheer size, board range of research topics and expertise of scholars and devotees. At…
SourceUSA, August 31, 2003: Click “source” above to learn several effective methods to treat water. The material was assembled for trekkers, but is useful for any world traveler. The introduction states, “Dipping your head into a cold mountain stream and taking a long refreshing drink is an experience that has basically vanished from the wilderness areas of America. With the…