SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, June 2, 2003: A coconut in the hands of a devotee is unlikely to cause any alarm. For security analysts, however, the humble offering could well be stuffed with explosives and used with maximum effect to launch an Akshardham-type attack. The very thought of such a scenario being enacted in Tirumala has made the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, June 4, 2003: A dress code has been established for the Lord Venkateswara (also known as Balaji) at Tirumala hills. The Tirupathi-Tirumala Devastanam (TTD), which runs the temple, has announced men will not be allowed to participate in any rituals unless they are wearing a dhoti and angavastram and women should be wearing sari or salwar kameez. The…
SourceSRINAGAR, INDIA, June 3, 2003: Security has been increased for the upcoming yatra, beginning July 12, to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath where over 100,000 pilgrims are expected this year. Officials do not want a repeat of last year’s shootout in which nine pilgrims were killed. Anantnag district authorities, who reviewed the arrangements for the yatra in a meeting…
SourceNOIDA, INDIA, June 2, 2003: They’ve seen Nisha Sharma, a girl in their neighborhood, send back her groom and his family from the wedding because they wanted dowry; they’ve seen a groom die accidentally in some celebratory shooting. Now Gujjars in the area have announced a ban on dowry and ostentatious weddings. On Sunday, leaders from over a hundred Gujjar…
Religion News ServiceWASHINGTON, D.C., June 2, 2003: Nearly two-thirds of new immigrants to the United States are Christian, fueled mostly by Catholics coming from Latin America, according to research sponsored by several government agencies. Forty-two percent of immigrants are Catholic, 19 percent are Protestant and 4 percent are Eastern Orthodox, according to a study of almost 1,000 adult immigrants in…
SourceROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, June 4, 2003: On May 26, HPI carried an announcement on the Working Group Agni’s plans for an international human rights conference to be held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to discuss the human rights of Hindu refugees and victims of ethnic and religious violence. At the request of many attending the conference, the dates have been changed…
SourceSUVA, FIJI ISLANDS, June 3, 2003: Police have recorded some 73 cases of acts of vandalism in the country since May, 2000, and religious groups are concerned with these growing incidents and want the government to toughen penalties for such crimes. The plea comes in the wake of a break-in at the Olosara Hindu Temple in Sigatoka last week. A…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, June 2, 2003: Nicotine-addicted MPs may soon be confined to a smokers’ den in Parliament as part of a national drive against public smoking. A report quoted Health Minister Sushma Swaraj as saying that her ministry was planning to declare the upper and lower houses, main lobby and the Central Hall used for joint sessions as smoke…
SourceTHIRUKKOVILAR, INDIA, May 30, 2003: Many temples around Thirukkovilar are in a state of disrepair, often lacking in simple supplies such as oil for lamps. At a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, a temple chariot catches the eye for it is decorated with marvelous art depicting Hindu legends and stories. The chariot was last used 15 years ago in a…
SourceWASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A., May 29, 2003: Americans are making yoga stand on its head with creative innovations and marketing muscle in what appears to be the second coming in the United States of the ancient Indian practice. The number of Yoga practitioners in the US has tripled from 5 million in 1998 to 15 million, according to a survey to…