Sacred spots and soaring peaks: Bucket-listing across the heartland. Roopa Unnikrishnan and her father journey through the heart of India.
Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma was forced to address an event in the dark in his hometown Mau due to a power outage. The incident, which went viral on social media, led to action against four power department officials, including the suspension of two. Sharma was in Mau for a three-day event marking eight years of the BJP government in the state. The power failure lasted for hours, causing inconvenience to the locals and creating an awkward situation for the minister. While some BJP workers alleged that the outage was deliberate, locals praised Sharma for his composure and humility.
Floodwaters reached near the Delhi secretariat, which houses the offices of the chief minister, cabinet ministers and key bureaucrats.
In the largest display of oil lamps, 2,617,215 diyas were lit along the banks of the Saryu River. During the event, many participants engaged in a simultaneous 'diya' rotation.
The Maha Kumbh, a massive religious gathering in Prayagraj, India, is preparing for the culmination of its events with the Mahashivratri 'snan' (sacred bath) on Wednesday. Authorities have declared the entire mela area a 'no vehicle zone' and are urging devotees to take a dip at the ghat nearest to them to avoid crowding at the Sangam. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is monitoring the arrangements and has issued an advisory for devotees, outlining specific ghats for different arrival routes. The Maha Kumbh has seen a record number of pilgrims, exceeding 64 crore. Security arrangements are robust with over 37,000 police personnel and 14,000 home guards deployed. The fair has also been hailed for its cleanliness and safety measures. The event is expected to conclude with the Mahashivratri puja.
'Deepotsav aligns with the Adityanath government's vision to enhance Ayodhya's spiritual and cultural grandeur and transform it into a global pilgrimage and tourism hub.'
At least 30 people have lost their vision after they underwent cataract surgeries conducted by a charitable trust-run hospital at Mandla in Madhya Pradesh.
Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Varun Gandhi wed graphic designer Yamini Roy Chowdhury in a simple ceremony attended by a handful of people in a temple on the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi on Sunday.
This was President Murmu's first visit to Ayodhya since the Ram temple's consecration ceremony on January 22, 2024.
Before surrendering, Kejriwal paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat, offered prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place and addressed Aam Aadmi Party leaders and workers at the party office.
'It would have been impossible for any other country to manage such a vast crowd or accommodate the visit of so many devotees with such remarkable arrangements,' says Navin Mendon.
Seers from various 'akharas' took the first 'Amrit Snan' at the Maha Kumbh on Makar Sankranti on Tuesday as an unbroken stream of people converged at the Triveni Sangam on the occasion with around 3.5 crore devotees taking a dip.
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.
From the time he first rose to prominence during the movement against the then UPA government, Arvind Kejriwal has regularly grabbed headlines for his surprise moves and decisions. Here are 10 such instances.
As Ayodhya gears up for the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple next month, a set of imposing sun-themed pillars -- 'Surya Stambhs' -- are being installed along a prominent road of the temple town.
Bajrang Punia said they were ready to sacrifice medals as delivering justice to the victims would be their biggest medal.
The outline for the construction of the Ramjanaki Path and the Bhakti Path is also ready, the statement issued in Lucknow said.
Invitees to the 'pran pratishtha' consecration ceremony at the Ram temple started arriving Sunday in Ayodhya -- once a sleepy town now resplendent with new infrastructure and gripped by heightened religious fervour on the eve of a seminal event in India's political and religious history.
The proposed 18-day Bharat Gaurav Tourist train tour has its first stop at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, where tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmabhumi temple and Hanuman temple.
Glimpses of Lord Shiva being worshipped on Mahashivratri.
Tirumala-Tirupati, the most popular, and wealthiest, temple in India was cut off on Thursday following heavy rains that flooded the main shrine at Tirumala and led to the shutdown of the ghat roads that lead to it.
During her three-day visit, Priyanka will cover a distance of 100-km by boat in Ganga from Prayagraj to Varanasi.
The main streets of Ayodhya wear a scintillating look with illuminated lamps and special decorations.
Mahendra Nath Pandeysaid that Gandhi has "no gotra", going by the traditional male lineage.
'This Sunday holds special significance for us, as we woke up to a new and transformed Sunday, with a feeling of relief that the lingering issue of Ayodhya dispute has been resolved once and for all'
A tourist's leisurely experience of this popular Rajasthan city is enriched by a hands-on interaction with its craftspeople
People were seen wading through knee-deep water in several areas. Commuters, too, had a hard time as vehicular traffic crawled on the roads clogged with long tailbacks.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel participated in the celebrations.
The overcrowded state-run bus had swerved off the road and hurtled down a hillside into a gorge on Tuesday, killing 57 people and injuring 28 others in one of the worst highway tragedies in recent memory.
The ultimate consequences of Rahul Gandhi's yatra may be known only in 2024, points out Dr Sudhir Bisht.
Locals alleged that the road that was closed some time ago over safety issues was reopened at the insistence of TSRTC officials to save on fuel.
The weatherman has predicted rainfall throughout the day with the mercury settling at 19C.
This is a national leadership gone so wrong that India's most powerful prime minister in four decades has personally taken charge of medical oxygen shortages, observes Shekhar Gupta.
Thackeray recalled former prime minister Vajpayee as saying, Ab Hindu maat nahi khayega (Hindus will not be defeated now), and added, "Hindus will not sit silent."
'I may not indulge in chest thumping to express my patriotism every day.' 'I may be cynical about many things happening in our country.' 'I may not roar Bharat Mata Ki Jai at the top of my voice. But I still love my country, just as one loves one's parents with all their weaknesses.' 'Does that make me any less of a patriot?' asks Shobha Warrier.
Presenting the best of Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Awards 2015.
'I got to know things early in life.' On Childrens' Day, one of Hindi film industry's most memorable child -- Raju Shrestha - lets us into his life with a twinkle in his eye.
