THAILAND, October 29, 2023 (SCMP): As visitors enter Bangkok’s Grand Palace, they pass supernatural security guards. Standing inside the main entrance of the royal complex in the Thai capital are two towering statues, each with sharp fangs protruding from their mouths and clubs in their grip. They not only embody the colorful excess which makes the site so photogenic, but…
GOA, INDIA, June 10, 2022 (Outlook): The violent colonial past of Goa has resurfaced as the present chief ministers seeks to undo the wrongs of the Portuguese military and Catholic church. in an orchestrated bid to correct past religious wrongs, the Goa government’s latest but still undefined thrust on reconstruction of temples destroyed during the early colonial Portuguese regime. In…
UNITED STATES, October 24, 2023 (RNS): The garba, a folk dance from western India once performed by women at home to celebrate the Hindu Goddess Durga, has improbably inspired Bollywood-sized performances at social gatherings and competitions in the United States. The garba originated in Gujarat, the state along India’s western coast, as part of celebrations of the holiday of Dussehra…
BANGLADESH, October 25, 2023 (Dhaka Tribune): Durga Puja, the biggest festival of Bangali Hindus, comes to an end with solemn immersion of the Goddess Durga in Dhaka and other districts in Bangladesh. Devotees are seen bidding farewell to the mother Deity and her children — Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh — through the immersion of their statues in the water…
KERALA, INDIA, October 26, 2023 (YouTube): Thaalam. The rhythm of the nation. The pride of Kerala. 150 men from all walks of life come together to race Chundan Vallam (snake boats) across the Alleppey backwaters in Kerala. Not a single one is a professional athlete. Yet they find their rhythm and row as one. How do they do it? Watch…
SRINAGAR, INDIA, October 24, 2023 (Siasat): Hundreds of Kashmiri pandits and Hindus celebrated Dussehra with religious fervor in Kashmir on Tuesday. On this occasion, the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnath were erected in Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar. A large gathering of men, women and children from different parts of the Valley thronged the grounds to witness the fireworks and…
NEPAL, October 24, 2023, (Organiser): The worship of Sri Durga Bhawani at Dasainghars over nine days concludes formally on the day of Bijaya Dashami after the abhishekh or sprinkling of holy water takes place marking the beginning of application of tika. People receive tika and jamara till the full moon day which is October 28 in 2023. Tika and jamara…
INDIA, October 24, 2023 (Bharat Times): The portals of the sacred Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand, one of the Himalaya’s renowned pilgrimage sites, are set to close soon due to the onset of the winter season. With the closing of the portals, the Char Dham Yatra (pilgrimage to the four famed temples in this region) will conclude. On the occasion of…
NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 22, 2023 (Business Standard): Ayudha Puja, also known as Astra Puja, is celebrated in homes and workplaces in India. On the ninth day of the Navratri, Ayudha Puja is conducted. This ceremony is held to respect the tools and weapons that one utilizes in their daily life. As per Hindu tradition, devotees customarily purify their tools…
KARNATAKA, INDIA, October 23, 2023 (Deccan Herald): Ayudha puja was celebrated as per tradition by the scion of the erstwhile royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, at Mysuru Palace, on the ninth day of Sharannavaratri celebrations, on Monday. The puja rituals began at 5.30 am, with Chandika homa and other rituals conducted. Later, Yaduveer performed puja to arms and weapons.…
