UNITED STATES, April 19, 2024 (NBC News): Bees play by rolling wooden balls — apparently for fun. The cleaner wrasse fish appears to recognize its own visage in an underwater mirror. Octopuses seem to react to anesthetic drugs and will avoid settings where they likely experienced past pain. All three of these discoveries came in the last five years —…
BENGALURU, INDIA, April 18, 2024 (Indian Express): A three-minute-long Surya Tilak ceremony — where a beam of sunlight was projected onto the forehead of Lord Ram’s murti — was performed at noon on Wednesday (April 17) in Ayodhya’s newly-built Ram temple, marking the occasion of Ram Navami. This was achieved using a special mirror-lens arrangement, designed by astronomers at the…
INDIA, April 14, 2024 (Organiser): In a unique and innovative move to manage the bustling crowds at the revered Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, police officers have taken on the dress of a pujari to assist devotees during their spiritual visits. This initiative, spearheaded by Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Aggarwal, aims not only to streamline the influx of worshippers but…
INDIA, April 2, 2024 (Curly Tales): Kashi Vishwanath Dham is one of the holy pilgrimage sites for devotees practicing Hinduism. A temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the ancient city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, this sacred site is known for its extravagant Ganga aarti. Recently, Kashi Vishwanath Dham set a new record for the highest-ever footfall in the shrine…
INDIA, April 2, 2024 (Christianity Today): Christian ministries operating in India are continuing to lose the government’s authorization to legally collect foreign donations, in what is amounting to a devastating financial blow to many organizations. This March, Vision India, an organization that provides leadership training for Christian young people, was unable to renew its Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) license.…
KAUAI, HAWAII, April 2, 2024 (Hinduism Today) The amazing Ellora temple carved out of a granite mountain is the star of our April/May/June issue. Enjoy the spectacular photos as this latest issue is now available online free of charge at http://www.hinduismtoday.com. You can also download our Hinduism Today app and get the entire magazine in a mobile-friendly format for your…
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, Mach 28, 2024 (YouTube): The Saiva Tamil Sangam has just concluded a three-day (March 22-24) Bhumi puja to inaugurate the construction of a new Siva temple on the lot next to their existing warehouse temple in an industrial area (near the airport) in Zurich, Switzerland. Two very short videos of the Bhumi puja:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pITTzsK_-IUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38dw11CiGTs&t=1sAnd a short Facebook video which…
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 28, 2024 (Gallup): As Americans observe Ramadan and prepare to celebrate Easter and Passover, the percentage of adults who report regularly attending religious services remains low. Three in 10 Americans say they attend religious services every week (21%) or almost every week (9%), while 11% report attending about once a month and 56% seldom (25%) or never…
UNITED STATES, March 22, 2024 (Business Standard): The Ram Mandir Rath Yatra will kick off from Chicago on Monday to travel to 851 temples in 48 states, crossing more than 8,000 miles over the next 60 days, organizers said Thursday. The rath or chariot built over a Toyota Sienna van will carry statues of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lakshman, and…
WASHINGTON, March 22, 2024 (Reuters): Astronomers have identified two ancient streams of stars – named after the Hindu Deities Shakti and Shiva – that appear to be among the Milky Way’s earliest building blocks, offering new insight into how our galaxy came together long ago. These structures, found using observations from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope, may be…
