Source “Maha Sivaratri is the most important religious day in the calendar of the Hindus and Hindu temples. The government declared this day Public and Bank Holiday but not a Mercantile Holiday in spite of our repeated requests. We, as the Federation of Hindu Religious Associations and Trustees of Hindu Temples of this country appeal, once again to the government…
Source HAIBOWAL, PUNJAB, INDIA, February 19, 2012 (Times of India): The Shiv temple in Haibowal has been witnessing a unique activity since February 7. People of all age groups are all busy making clay Siva Lingams, and it’s not just one, two or even thousands, but over 400,000 that they have made till now. The number will reach 500,000 by…
Source SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA, USA, February 19, 2012 (Salisbury Post): The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let stand a ruling that Forsyth County commissioners’ opening prayers are unconstitutional is rippling across the state as other governments examine their own practices. The nation’s highest court declined in January to hear an appeal to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2011 ruling…
Source COIMBATORE, INDIA, January 2012 (The Hindu): The Rest and Restoration camp for temple elephants was doing a world of good not only for the pachyderms but also their handlers (mahouts), observed the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments M.S.M. Anandan at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on Sunday. With the camp for 36 female and one male temple elephant…
Source Give up everything to Him, resign yourself to Him and there will no trouble for you. Then you will come to know that every thing is done by His will.— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
Source KAUAI, HAWAII, February 18, 2012 (HPI): Maha Sivaratri will be celebrated throughout the Hindu world on the 19th or 20th (depending on location). On “Siva’s Great Night,” Maha Sivaratri, the fourteenth day of the dark half of Kumbha, or Aquarius (Phalguna February/March), devotees fast all day in preparation to worship Lord Siva from evening until early dawn bathing the…
Source BATU CAVES, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSSIA, February 7, 2012 (The Star): It was a fitting pre-Thaipusam tribute as thousands of devotees gathered here while others joined the chariot procession in preparation for the annual festival today . The chariot carrying the statue of Lord Murugan made its way from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Bandar, starting the journey…
Source MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, February 10, 2012 (Knox Leader): A group of 12 young Indian students are the first Hindu chaplains to graduate in Australia. The Melbourne Hindi Foundation announced the first round of graduates after five months of intensive training, in-patient management at hospitals, spiritual services, family counseling and Hindu prayer. They will get refresher courses every six weeks to…
Source COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, February 14, 2012 (AP): The Maldives’ national museum reopened Tuesday without some of its most valuable exhibits a week after a mob of suspected religious extremists smashed images from the pre-Islamic era of this Indian Ocean archipelago. About 35 exhibits — mostly images of Buddha and Hindu gods — were destroyed. Some of the artifacts dated…
Source As righteousness resides in the hearts of the virtuous, so does deceit dwell in the hearts of thieves.— Tirukkural 288