A controversy has erupted in Mysuru over the ownership of Chamundi Hill, home to the Chamundeshwari Temple, ahead of the Dasara festival. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family criticized Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's statement that the hill is not the property of Hindus alone, leading to a heated exchange and raising questions about the nature of the upcoming Dasara celebrations.
Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, who was the chief priest during the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple at Digha on April 30, on Friday joined the voices demanding withdrawal of the 'Jagannath Dham' phrase attached to the new temple in West Bengal.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging the Karnataka government's decision to invite International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara this year. The controversy stems from allegations that Mushtaq made statements in the past that are perceived by some as "anti-Hindu" and "anti-Kannada".
Temples across Maharashtra are increasingly adopting dress codes for visitors, urging devotees to wear modest and traditional attire. While temple trusts argue that these codes maintain sanctity, visitors have mixed reactions. The trend, which started with the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple in Mumbai, has spread to other temples, including those in Pune, Ratnagiri, and Ahilyanagar. The move has been welcomed by some, who believe it promotes respect and decorum within religious spaces. However, others argue that it is unnecessary and restrictive. Right-wing organizations are advocating for similar dress codes across all temples in Maharashtra, including prominent state-run temples like the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple.
When Deepika Padukone wore a hijab for a promotional ad, she probably didn't expect the trolling to be this bad.
Three men from Delhi were detained in Sambhal, India, for allegedly attempting to perform Hindu rituals, including a havan and puja, at the Shahi Jama Masjid. The incident occurred on Friday, with police citing concerns about public order and potential disruption to communal harmony. The mosque is a site of ongoing religious tensions, with four people having died in violence last year related to a court-ordered survey. The detainees claimed they were attempting to perform rituals at a nearby Vishnu Harihar temple.
What should be made out of the Madras high court order involving non-Hindus' entry into Hindu temples, when many non-Hindus are among the hundreds of thousands that have been worshipping at these temples for generations, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
A bench of the Bangladesh High Court ordered the release on bail of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested in November on charges of defaming the country's national flag. The two-judge bench granted the bail after a final hearing on their previous rule asking authorities why he should not be granted bail. Das, a former ISKCON leader, was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25.
While 44-year-old Sunak was at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden on Sunday to promise to keep trying to "make the community proud", 61-year-old Starmer chose another north London Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury on Friday to reiterate his commitment to building a "strategic partnership with India".
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has called for social harmony within the Hindu community, urging them to embrace the principle of "one temple, one well, and one cremation ground" for all. Bhagwat, on a five-day visit to Aligarh, emphasized the importance of achieving true social unity for India to fulfill its global responsibility for peace. He also stressed the significance of "sanskar (values)" as the bedrock of Hindu society, encouraging members to reach out to all sections of society and strengthen the foundations of nationalism and social cohesion.
The Bochsanawasi Aksar Purushottam Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden area London, which attracts visitors from all over the world, has won the 'UK Pride of Place' award in an online poll, the results of which were declared on Wednesday.
Karachi-based journalist and author Reema Abbasi's book, Historic Temples in Pakistan: A Call to Conscience, is a deligh.
The 'Malhar' nomenclature of a platform announced by Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane for certifying mutton shops exclusively operated by Hindu community members has divided trustees of the famous Malhari Martand temple. One trustee has demanded a name change as the deity is "vegetarian" and loves animals, while another trustee supports the use of 'Malhar'. The certification program aims to certify 'jhatka' mutton shops, which are 100% operated by Hindus.
The assailants fired indiscriminately at the temple built by the local Hindu community on Sunday, prompting a police unit led by Kashmore-Kandhkot SSP Irfan Sammo to reach the scene.
A Shiv temple in Ludhawala, a predominantly Muslim locality in Muzaffarnagar, was reopened on Monday after being closed for over 30 years. The temple, built in 1971, was shut down during the communal tensions triggered by the Ayodhya incident in 1992. The reopening ceremony was conducted peacefully with a 'havan' and local Muslims showering flowers on a procession of Hindu activists. The event was marked by a display of harmony, highlighting the importance of religious tolerance and understanding.
Right-wing organizations, including Bajrang Dal and All India Karni Sena, held a 'shuddhikaran' (purification) ceremony and chanted Hanuman chalisa at a long-abandoned Shiva temple in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. The temple, located in a Muslim-majority locality, was "reopened" by members of these groups. The ceremony took place on Wednesday night amid tight security measures. Local residents, including a former Aligarh Mayor, have voiced concerns over the state of the temple and called for its restoration.
Nurses at a Mumbai hospital allegedly threw books critical of religion at an official who gifted them, claiming the books hurt their religious sentiments. A video of the incident has gone viral.
The chief priest of the biggest Hanuman temple in Pakistan, Sant Ram Nath Mishra, has said that the Pakistani Army has always supported Hindus in their struggle against extremist groups in the country. Mishra, who is currently on a visit to Hindu religious sites across India, recounted the struggle of the Panch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir in Karachi, which was encroached upon over the decades but was restored following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2018. He said that the Pakistani Army and government swiftly implemented the Supreme Court's decision to return the temple land, despite opposition from hardline groups. Mishra also highlighted the need for easing visa restrictions between India and Pakistan, allowing Hindus on both sides to visit religious sites in each other's countries.
'Why would a highly qualified doctor with a promising future choose to wage war against his own country?'
Das served as the head priest since he was 20 years old, including during the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
It was inaugurated a day ahead of the Dussehra festival and the temple is an extension of the Sindhi Guru Darbar temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in the UAE.
Claiming the mausoleum of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer was once a temple, a Hindu outfit has demanded a survey of the premises by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday expressed concern over the vandalism of a Hindu temple with anti-India graffiti in the United States, and said extremists and separatist forces outside India should not get such space.
'Only because of the absence of a dedication record in writing, how can such properties be treated as located on misappropriated government land?'
Over 70 Indian Hindu pilgrims returned home on Wednesday after performing religious rituals at the sacred Katas Raj temples in Pakistan's Punjab province.
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.
"Over the last year or even more, the kind of things that we have seen attacking Indian diplomats, threatening, intimidating, harassing Indian diplomats...Yes, the threats have increased," he added.
Local residents shared their memories of the temple, with many highlighting its importance as a religious site for the community.
Jain told reporters that copies of the survey report consisting of 839 pages were made available to the parties concerned by the court late Thursday evening.
The blue-coloured ASI board, currently kept at the Satyavrat police outpost, is expected to be installed soon, replacing the older sign that bore the name "Shahi Jama Masjid."
Fish sellers of Chittranjan Park found themselves in a state of disbelief last week when the anti-meat overdrive of the Hindu right hit the local markets with a warning to shut shops because they were close to a temple.
'When you attend an RSS function, the nation is your first priority.'
Established in 1977, The Hindu Temple Society of North America Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam, popularly known as the Ganesh temple, is regarded as the first and oldest Hindu temple in North America.
The announcement comes days after an incident of violent disruption by protestors carrying Khalistani flags at a consular event co-organised by the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton and the Indian Consulate.
A prominent Hindu temple in Canada has been defaced by 'Khalistani extremists' with anti-India graffiti in an apparent hate crime, prompting the Indian mission in Toronto to condemn the incident and urge Canadian authorities to take swift action against the perpetrators.
The incident comes following the vandalism of three Hindu temples in Australia by Khalistani supporters.
Kailashanand Giri Maharaj of Niranjani Akhara, along with Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday visited the ancient city of Taxila, terming it an "emotive" and "overpowering" experience, and the centuries-old Katasraj temples in Pakistan's Punjab province that have recently been restored.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that the Narendra Modi government has "almost all" completed its ideological tasks, including the abrogation of Article 370, and will continue on the same path in its third tenure. Shah, a senior BJP leader, was speaking at the Hindu Spiritual & Service Fair in Gujarat, where he highlighted the government's achievements in areas such as the Ram Temple construction, abolition of triple talaq, and the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand. He also emphasized the government's success in promoting Yoga internationally and repatriating stolen idols of Hindu deities. Shah lauded Hindu temples and organizations for their service to society, especially their contributions to education and healthcare for the poor.
A man's alleged suicide in West Bengal, with a note blaming the National Register of Citizens (NRC), has ignited a political firestorm between the ruling TMC and the BJP, with accusations of fear-mongering and political exploitation.
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