Many were hoping that with Vajpayee's NDA gone, there would be a return to the Congress normal. Nobody was prepared for the opposite. Sonia Gandhi was sceptical. This became the only issue over which Manmohan Singh took on his party bosses and risked his government. Politically, it was riskier than the 1991 reform, recalls Shekhar Gupta.
Devotees thronged the Khaggu Sarai area in Sambhal on Tuesday to offer prayers to an idol of Lord Hanuman that was discovered in the Bhasma Shankar temple, reopened last week after being shut for 46 years.
'My aim is that the message from our ancient texts reach the younger generation of Indians.' 'The trouble is that our literature is in Sanskrit and scientists don't know the language. And the people who know Sanskrit they don't know science.'
Ajay Sharma, the chief of Sanatan Rakshak Dal, had on Wednesday said they have removed Sai Baba's idol from 14 temples so far, including the idol of Sai Baba at the Bada Ganesh temple in Lohatia.
The high court said the defence, if any, needs to be considered by the trial court on the basis of evidence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the Congress over party president Mallikarjun Kharge's recent remark on Lord Ram and Lord Shiva, and accused the opposition party of trying to divide Hindus for its appeasement politics.
A local court in Ajmer has issued notices to the dargah committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India on a plea seeking to declare the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti a temple. The petition, filed in September, has sparked a heated debate, with politicians and community leaders weighing in on the potentially volatile issue. The dargah committee has declined to comment, but the Anjuman Syed Zadgan, a body representing the caretakers of the dargah, described the petition as a deliberate attempt to fracture society along communal lines. The petition comes just days after four people were killed in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, following a local court ordering survey of a Mughal-era shrine. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which fixed August 15, 1947, as the cut-off date for status quo on the character of religious places, is at the centre of much of the debate. Several politicians, including Union minister Giriraj Singh and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, have weighed in on the issue. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called the civil court's decision to entertain the petition unwarranted and has asked the Supreme Court to immediately intervene.
The opposition Congress took a strong objection, saying while common citizens have to wait in queues for hours to take 'darshan' of the deity, VIPs were allowed entry into the sanctum sanctorum despite a ban.
The airport had temporarily suspended operations on Saturday due to strong winds and heavy rainfall caused by cyclones.
Indian men's hockey team reaches Paris for Olympics 2024
J D Chekravarthy, fondly known as Chekri, on his negative role in Vasu Varma's Telugu debut movie which also stars newcomers Naga Chaitanya and Karthika.
Thousands of devotees thronged the temples of Lord Shiva across the country to offer prayers and seek blessings on the occasion of the first Monday of Hindu sacred month of 'Shravan'.
It was a disappointing first session for Indian boxers in the World Championships quarter-finals, on Wednesday, as the seeded duo of Asian champion Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (64kg) lost, and Satish Kumar (+91kg) was declared medically unfit.
Take our quiz to test your knowledge about the Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand.
M C Mary Kom (51kg) and Shiva Thapa (60kg) were among the prominent names assured of medals as the host nation continued to dominate the ring in the US $100,000 India Open boxing tournament for men and women, in Delhi, on Tuesday.
Fourth seed Shiva Thapa (60kg) became the first Indian boxer to clinch three consecutive Asian Championships medals, while Sumit Sangwan (91kg) notched up his maiden podium finish as both boxers settled for silver medals at the continental showpiece, in Tashkent, on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Indian pugilist, competing in his second Olympics, was no match for fourth-seeded Cuban Robeisy Ramirez in the opening round and lost 0-3 while also sustaining a cut above his left eye.
The Sri Saumyakasi Shiva temple was inaugurated during weeklong festivities and ceremonies, presided over by Swami Tejomayananda, spiritual head of the Chinmaya Mission organization worldwide, before many devotees.
The police in Kanpur have lodged an FIR against The Week magazine amid a row over "objectionable pictures" of Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali that has led Hindu activists to burn copies of the magazine and economist Bibek Debroy end his association with it.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti drew comparisons between the treatment of Hindus in Bangladesh and minorities in India, sparking criticism from the BJP. Mufti expressed concerns about the alleged oppression of Hindus in Bangladesh and criticized recent surveys of mosques in India. She called for a united front against forces dividing people on religious lines and warned of a potential repeat of 1947-like riots.
'I've never seen Ramuji cry... even when his father passed away.' 'But after the special screening of Satya, he was crying.'
Flag-bearers PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal will lead the 78-strong Indian contingent, representing 12 disciplines, on a historic journey down the Seine River.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has vowed to reclaim every inch of land taken under the pretext of Waqf, stating that the state government will actively investigate all "occupied" land. He also criticized the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its leaders, alleging that they failed to uphold the principles of socialist leader Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia. Adityanath praised the Maha Kumbh, highlighting its significance as a symbol of India's spiritual heritage and national unity.
'Justice may or may not happen, but who are those people who did this to her?' 'If the hospital authorities had helped us that day, or the police, then the real culprits would have been caught.' 'Getting justice for my daughter is my goal now and I want the CM to remember that.'
Top seed Vikas Krishan (75kg) and fourth seed Shiva Thapa (60kg) were among the four Indian boxers who qualified for the World Championships and assured themselves of medals by advancing to the Asian Championships semi-finals, in Tashkent, on Wednesday.
Shiva Thapa (60kg) won a place in India's boxing team for the Asian Games after winning in the trials, while Sarjubala Devi clinched the 51kg spot in the women's squad -- a category that was thrown open after M C Mary Kom pulled out of the equation due to a shoulder problem.
As many as nine Kanwariyas died and several others were injured when their vehicle came in contact with a high-voltage overhead wire in Bihar's Hajipur.
'The more popular, the more work, the more money.'
The Supreme Court's 2023 order refusing to stay a scientific survey at the Gyanvapi Mosque complex has sparked claims over several other disputed places of worship across India. This has led to several court cases, including one in Mathura where a survey of the Shahi Idgah Mosque complex was ordered, and another in Ajmer where a claim was made that a Shiva temple existed within the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. The article also highlights a dispute over the Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh, which Hindus consider a temple and Muslims consider a mosque. The Supreme Court's order has reignited debates about the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the change of character of religious places as they existed on August 15, 1947.
Prayagraj is a must-visit place in 2025, but in January and February you can't miss the Maha Kumbh, a spectacular event like no other.
The top luge athlete of India, Shiva Keshavan, won the silver medal, clocking a total time of 1:39:750 seconds for two heats in Nagano, Japan on Sunday.
Debroy's economic interests and research work covered numerous areas such as economic theory, income inequality, and infrastructure financing.
Asian champion Vikas Krishan (60kg) and Shiva Thapa (54kg) assured themselves of not just a medal but also a berth in the Youth Olympic Games after qualifying for the semi-finals of the World Youth Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan on Friday.
To mark the festival of Maha Shivratri, here's a list of temples dedicated to Lord Siva in various parts of the world.
The Enhanced Pinaka has demonstrated a range of 75 km and an ability to strike within 10 metres of where it is aimed. This allows a Pinaka battery to destroy a terrorist camp, or an enemy post, logistics dump or headquarters, without sending soldiers across the border.
Manish Narwal claimed the silver in the men's 10m air pistol (SH1) event at the Paris Paralympics on Friday.
The noted environmentalist won the 'Reading for Environment' award for her book Tomorrow's Biodiversity.
Here are some instances of celebrities coming in the crosshairs of the underworld with cases of extortion, threats and even a killing.
Most of the artefacts at this museum are reportedly of gold and go as far back as the prehistoric times and come from 11 countries. Besides Shiva, its collection also includes Lord Ganesha from the Indonesian Archipelago.
