Elaborate security arrangements were also made at the temples in view of the rush of pilgrims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to people on the beginning of Navratri and wished them happiness, peace and prosperity.
Kovind, who is on his first visit to Ayodhya after the landmark 2019 Supreme Court verdict paved the way for the construction of the temple, also offered prayers at the Hanumangarhi shrine, about 2 km away.
'Both the BJP and SP have workers and cadres across the state, and now it will boil down to which party manages booths smartly and gets its voters to come out.'
'The 10% increase in women voters was a determined bloc of voters.' 'They were willing to try this third party, specially because it seemed it had done something in Delhi.'
'I am confident that it will be a good day for the BJP'
Disciples and followers of music legend Pandit Jasraj in the United States paid their tributes to the Indian classical vocalist and described his passing away as an irreparable loss to India and its cultural heritage while fondly recalling his humble and gentle nature.
One of India's greatest music legends, Pandit Jasraj leaves behind a storied legacy spanning almost eight decades.
We bring you some unusual Ganesha themes from Mumbai's Khetwadi.
The prime minister will also visit the Hanuman Garhi temple and the buildings on roads leading to it too are being spruced up.
Protests broke out in some states on Friday, including Delhi's Jama Masjid and stone-petling at policemen in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj and Saharanpur, over the controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad by two now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries with demonstrators in Jharkhand injuring a few policemen while authorities in Jammu imposed a curfew in few areas and parts of Kashmir observed a shutdown.
Mahendra Nath Pandeysaid that Gandhi has "no gotra", going by the traditional male lineage.
Minutes after the Delhi CM posted the cartoon, which had been published in a national daily, that #Kejriwalinsultshanuman started trending.
Trains were set afire and blocked, and public vehicles attacked as protests over 'Agnipath' swept across several places in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu on Thursday amid partisan political voices in favour and against the new recruitment scheme for the defence forces that has set off a firestorm.
He will be one of the few in the audience for this year's Ramlila as general spectators will not be allowed to watch the show physically due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The nine-day enactment of the life of Lord Ram as per the epic Ramayana will be a virtual affair this year.
It was also the shortest speech by Sitharaman, who had delivered the longest speech last year. Her first Budget speech in July 2019 went on for around 137 minutes and in 2020, it went on for more than 160 minutes and was cut short after she felt unwell.
One of Modi's foremost critics will contest if he is the common candidate of a united Opposition, but fielded by the Congress.
The TMC chief had said that she would never allow the Centre to conduct a similar exercise in West Bengal.
We used to hear of the Modi-Shah pair as the hyphenated top of the BJP leadership. Lately, the hyphen has disappeared and it is only Modi at the top. Yogi Adityanath gets honourable mentions, but he is still a good distance away from being anointed a worthy successor, observes Shreekant Sambrani.
At present, there are 18 Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
'Goddess Laxmi doesn't come just by praying to her.' 'You have to make yourself attractive to Laxmi for her to come to you.'
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party convenor and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal on Saturday announced a split from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance over the Centre's new farm laws.
As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced his resignation late on Friday evening, the party office at the Hanuman Road at Connaught Place was all geared for it well in advance.
Despite all its drawbacks, I was engrossed in Toofaan and the intensity Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra imbues it with for most part, observes Sukanya Verma.
"We particularly want Bajrang Bali because he is linked to my own Dalit caste," Mayawati said.
With the 'bhoomi pujan' for a temple at the spot where many devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born, priests are enlivened with the hope that their Badhi Devkaali Mandir too will get footfalls from far and wide.
With the Bhoomi Pujan scheduled to be on August 5 and the who's who of Indian politics likely to make a visit in Ayodhya, the district administration has deployed hundreds of people for a beautification drive in the temple town. Roads, walls, streets are being painted, cleaned to give them a new refreshing look. Thousands of municipal workers have been deployed to do a cleanup drive in the town which will see visits of dignitaries on August 5. Take a look.
Amid signs of chill in Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan's ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday reached out to him for aligning with the Opposition, saying he can carry forward his father Ram Vilas Paswan's legacy only by joining the 'existential fight' against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue M S Golwalkar's thoughts.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah on Saturday became only the third Indian to claim a Test hat-trick as he tore through the West Indies batting order, on Day 2 of the second Test, in Jamaica.
'The BJP has the torch and with that same torch, the BJP is trying to light up its house in Bihar.' 'The BJP is trying to burn Nitish Kumar's house with that torch.'
The BTP, a Congress ally which supported chief minister Ashok Gehlot during the revolt in his party earlier this year, is upset that the ruling party candidates chose BJP over it.
Dara Singh, who passed away early this morning was cremated at Pawan Hans crematorium in Juhu, a western suburb in Mumbai.
The Congress president offered prayers at the Churva Hanuman Mandir on the Lucknow-Rae Bareli road hours after landing in the state capital where enthusiastic party workers greeted him with garlands.
Investigation into the attacks on some temples in Andhra Pradesh has revealed that most offences were committed by treasure trove hunters, believers in superstition, drunkards and others, Director General of Police D G Sawang said on Wednesday.
As the campaign peaked, AAP leaders evidently realised they had to deflect their chief opponent's attempts to polarise the electorate over religious identity, explains David Devadas.
Vibhishan was a seeker of justice who risked it all to be on the side of truth, says Sudhir Bisht.
As the number of COVID-19 cases is witnessing a spike in India, religious places across the country remain closed to encourage social distancing, a key component in preventing the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
According to the new guidelines, footwear/shoes to be taken off inside own vehicle, if needed, keep in separate slots for each individual/family by persons themselves and people should wash their hands and feet with soap and water before entering.
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