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…
MADURAI, INDIA, January 21, 2023 (New Indian Express)I: Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment PK Sekar Babu said, for the very first time, flower showers will be done on the kumbams through helicopter in Thandauthapanni Murugan temple Kumbhabhisekham in Palani on January 27. Addressing the media persons, Minister Sekar Babu said in view of Kumbhabhisekham, the preparatory works are…
PLANO, TEXAS, January 4, 2023 (Hinduism Today by Arunesh Eswaran): The mission of the beautifully designed site indianclassicalmusic.com is to document the Hindustani musical tradition. It offers vast resources for beginners and professionals alike. In its library of ragas, each is accompanied by an informational video discussing its history, with a short melodious improvisation. Still a work in progress, the…
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, January 14, 2023 (BBC): Converting people to another religion is illegal in Nepal, but missionaries are willing to risk prosecution to spread the Christian faith. “Victory to Jesus,” Korean pastor Pang Chang-in cries as he blesses a new church in the village of Jharlang, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Missionaries, many of them South Korean like Pang,…
NETHERLANDS, January 16, 2023 The Guardian): Ingrid de Sain is one of thousands of dairy farmers in the Netherlands who says she sometimes lies awake at night. Since a court ruling in 2019 which found the Dutch were breaking European environmental law, her farm of 100 cows in north Holland has been illegal. Like the other 2,500-plus farmers whose environmental…
AHMEDABAD, INDIA, January 17, 2023 (GG2.net): His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj (1921-2016), the fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, was on Sunday, January 15th, given a grand devotional tribute in the closing ceremony of his centenary celebrations in India in the divine presence of HH Mahant Swami Maharaj, his spiritual successor. In the month-long festival, more than 12 million people…
INDIA, January 13, 2023 (The Week): In the first week of November last year, Dr. Vishal Changela was attending patients at his clinic in Ahmedabad. In December, the focus changed completely and he was seen in the field, braving chilly winter from morning till late evening. A pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Changela, has been attending guests at the Pramukh Swami Maharaj…