KAUAI, HAWAII, July 3, 2024 (Hinduism Today, by Lakshmi Sridharan): Cinnamon is one of the most highly valued spices, widely used all over the world for centuries. It is used in cooking, baking and as a flavoring agent for many foods and drinks. Traditional medicine systems around the world, including ayurveda, use extracts from the bark, leaves, flowers, fruits and…
SRINAGAR, INDIA, June 29, 2024 (Kashmir Observer): More than 13,000 pilgrims visited the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on Saturday, the first day of the annual pilgrimage in the south Kashmir Himalayas that is being conducted amid tight security. The first batch of pilgrims had left the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan to start their journey to the…
KEDARNATH, INDIA, June 20, 2024 (Oneindia): An avalanche occurred early Sunday morning on June 30th near Gandhi Sarovar in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath, a famed pilgrimage destination with hundreds of thousands of visitors. The avalanche struck a hill about 2.5 miles away from the Kedarnath temple around 5 am. Authorities quickly informed that there were no casualties or damage to property. Senior…
INDIA, July 4, 2023 (Hindu Human Rights): About 62 miles away from Raipur, exists a temple of Mata Chandi which is besieged by dense forest. What makes this temple special is that, every evening, when aarati worship is over, bears from the forest visit & many people offer prasad to these wild bears. The temple is situated in Ghunchapali village…
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 25, 2024 (Malaysia News): During Thaipusam, thousands of people fill the streets to watch the kavadi aattam — a frenetic dance performed by kavadi-bearers — to fulfill their religious vows to Lord Murugan. The kavadi-bearer gyrates as a group of drummers render devotional songs while fervently thumping the urumee — an hourglass-shaped double-headed drum — with…
WASHINGTON, D.C., June, 2023, (Office of Religious Freedom): The Mauritius constitution prohibits discrimination based on creed and provides for the right of individuals to change, manifest, and propagate their religious beliefs. The government recognizes seven groups as religions: Hindus, Roman Catholics, Muslims, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Seventh-day Adventists, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ). Other…
MAMALLAPURAM, INDIA, May 28, 2024 (YouTube): On the shores of Tamil Nadu, on the eastern coast of peninsular India, is a marvelous town of temples, carved out of the rock. Mamallapuram was one of the greatest sea-faring ports of ancient times. Ships sailed constantly from here to Sri Lanka, South East Asia and China. Here, over perhaps a hundred years,…
KAUAI, HAWAII, June 28, 2024 (Hinduism Today, by Lavina Melwani): When a child is born, there is so much joy and celebration—as if royalty has arrived at the home, with music, dance and sweets. Yet what happens when people get old? There is no celebration of aging bodies, grey hair, fading eyesight and memory loss. There is almost a sense…
THAILAND, October 12, 2025 (Bangkok Post): The recent reopening of the Erawan Shrine was presided over by the chief of Brahmins (photo above, Phra Maharaja Guru Bidhi Sri Visudhigun) known as the Rajguru. A man dressed in white blew into a conch as if it were a horn. Joss sticks were burning. Heads bowed but people’s lips were praying. A…
UNITED STATES, June 17, 2024 (Pew Research Center): By some measures, East Asia seems like one of the least religious regions in the world. (“East Asia” includes China, Japan, Mongolia, the Koreas and Taiwan) Relatively few East Asian adults pray daily or say religion is very important in their lives. And rates of disaffiliation – people leaving religion – are…
