These traditions have survived centuries, even as India has changed dramatically around them.
Goddess Shitala, also spelled Sheetala or Seetla or Sitla, is a revered avatar of Goddess Parvati, like Goddess Durga. Her name means coolness, symbolising her role in soothing ailments & protecting her flock from diseases, particularly smallpox, chickenpox. March 21, 22 she will be honoured in countless temples across north India on her special days that come after Holi. Here are a few.
India qualified for the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup football for the first time in two decades after edging past Myanmar 1-0 in their final Group D qualifying match in Yangon, Myanmar
India beat Korea 4-2 in women's Asia Cup hockey Super 4 stage
In a heinous terror attack, two Indians were killed while one was abducted in the Dosso region of Niger, as noted by the Indian Embassy in Niger.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor alleges Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary escaped a murder trial by falsely claiming to be a minor. He demands Choudhary's dismissal and threatens to expose further financial irregularities.
India beat Iraq 5-0, a step away from Women's Asian Cup qualification
After record rains wreaked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days, the death toll in related incidents rose to 41, most of them victims of the landslide on a Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route, while there was some let-up in the showers on Wednesday, allowing relief efforts to pick up pace.
A father and daughter in Himachal Pradesh displayed extraordinary bravery during recent flash floods, saving multiple lives. The floods caused widespread damage and loss of life in the Mandi district.
The Indian women suffered their first defeat of the Asia Cup, going down 1-4 to hosts China in a Super 4s match in Hangzhou on Thursday.
The Election Commission plans to issue new voter identity cards to all electors of Bihar after the completion of the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to steal votes in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls. He also alleged that the poll panel was helping BJP leaders secure two voter cards.
'I was blessed that I had seen him very closely. There was a time when he was trying to direct a film with me when I was a teenager'
Former captain and star striker Bala Devi returned to the Indian women's football team after a hiatus of four years as the 22-member national squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2023 was announced in New Delhi on Friday.
CPGRAMS -- an online platform available to citizens 24x7 to lodge their grievances to public authorities on service delivery -- has existed for close to two decades. But it has never been this active, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
A woman and her lover have been arrested in Kheirathal Tijara district, Rajasthan, in connection with the murder of her husband. The couple confessed to the crime after dumping the body in a plastic tank.
Senior BJP leaders and an expelled MLA have questioned the Karnataka government's decision to have author Banu Mushtaq inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara festivities, citing concerns about her faith and its appropriateness for a religious ceremony.
Nepal turmoil: Kathmandu dropped as neutral venue for Blind T20 CWC for women
The Indian women's hockey team qualified for the Asia Cup final despite playing out a 1-1 draw against Japan after hosts China beat Korea 1-0 in the last match.
This divergence is likely to intensify political dynamics both within the party and across the state, particularly as the opposition Mahagathbandhan -- comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, and Left parties -- has been aggressively protesting the SIR and demanding its immediate scrapping.
After a thorough police investigation, Dinesh Kumar Sen from the same village was arrested near Basuhar turn on Tuesday.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has decided to remain silent and direct all inquiries to party spokespersons following criticism over various issues, including his singing of the RSS anthem and remarks about the Chamundeswari hill.
Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Minakshi Hooda (48kg) carved their place in Indian boxing history by clinching titles with hard-fought wins at the World Championships in Liverpool.
Hemanta, Bidusmita win in junior
Devotees who were already on the staircase route to the popular hilltop temple in Haridwar before the route could be shut, however, encountered a stampede that killed six people and left 28 injured, after a rumour of an electric current leak triggered panic.
The RSS which catapulted Jagdeep Dhankar to national prominence after 21 years of hibernation could not come to his rescue when BJP higher ups decided to seek his resignation, points out Prakash Bhandari.
Heavy rainfall across North India leads to fatalities, structural damage, travel disruptions, and school closures. Eastern states brace for more rain.
Yogesh Kathuniya won yet another silver medal in the men's F56 discus throw event at the World Para Athletics Championships.
'Take care Maa, flight take off karne wala hai, wapas aakar baat karti hoon.'
New tiles laid in a Palghar house led to the discovery of a man's murder. Police are searching for his wife and her lover, the prime suspects, after his body was found buried beneath the tiles.
Both NDA and INDIA are racing to woo marginalised groups with Assembly polls fast approaching.
Cloudbursts and heavy rains caused widespread destruction in Dehradun and surrounding areas, leaving people stranded and causing damage to infrastructure.
Cloudbursts and heavy rains overnight left a trail of destruction in Uttarakhand's capital Dehradun and its neighbouring areas on Tuesday, sweeping away at least five people and leaving more than 500 stranded in different locations.
A three-member investigation committee, led by the deputy chief medical officer, has been formed to probe the incident.
Eighty-five village sarpanchs from across India have been invited as special guests to witness the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, in recognition of their contributions to rural transformation.
Disha gets a hot photoshoot... Aahana slips into a bikini... Malaika sends love...
Lucknow celebrated the successful return of astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from the International Space Station (ISS). Family, friends, and the community rejoiced as Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, made a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Heavy rains and landslides in Himachal Pradesh have resulted in multiple fatalities and widespread disruption, including road closures and train cancellations.
The mother of Raj Kushwaha, arrested for allegedly plotting the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi with the latter's wife Sonam during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, on Tuesday claimed her son was innocent and framed in the case.
Bipasha and Karan welcomed their first child, on November 12, last year, six years after their marriage.
