The Bhasma Shankar temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has reopened after being locked for 45 years following communal riots. The district administration has requested the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct carbon dating of the temple, including a well on the premises. The temple is being guarded round the clock and worshippers have started visiting. The reopening of the temple has been met with gratitude from local residents, who have expressed their desire to reconnect with their heritage.
The Maha Kumbh Mela, a major Hindu pilgrimage, commenced in Prayagraj, India on Monday, with over 40 lakh people taking the first holy dip in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the event, which runs until February 26, will elevate India's ancient cultural and religious traditions to global prominence.
With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled for 2027, political experts are observing an increasing trend of temple-mosque disputes in the state, leading to heightened polarization. Recent bypolls saw the use of divisive slogans, and analysts believe this trend will intensify as the 2027 elections approach. The recent surge in claims about the existence of Hindu temples at the sites of mosques in various cities has fueled this polarization. The BJP-led government has been accused of promoting communal polarization, while opposition parties like the SP have criticized the ruling party's actions. The RSS chief has called for restraint in raising new temple-related disputes. Experts predict that communal polarization is likely to escalate in the coming days.
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 Maha Kumbh, the world's largest religious gathering, began in Prayagraj, India, with millions taking a dip in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. Devotees from across India and the world converged for the 45-day event, which is considered to be a particularly auspicious one this year due to celestial alignments. The event is a major logistical challenge for the government, which has implemented several crowd-control measures and security measures to ensure the safety of the millions of pilgrims.
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.
Most of the members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were seen wearing face masks. However, members had crowded the Lok Sabha chamber, while hardly a handful of others, including union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Piyush Goyal, were seen seated in the Rajya Sabha chamber.
Shinde had retained most of the sitting MLAs, who chose to be with him when he led the rebellion two years ago. They delivered for him on Saturday when votes for the state polls were counted.
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It said a "sudden rise" in terrorist-financing investigations was seen in 2023 and this was attributed to events arising out of incidents in Manipur that led to such probes in more than 50 cases.
Bollywood stars celebrate Mahashivratri by sharing pictures on social media.
Rediff.com's Hitesh Harisinghani joins the Patkar family as they say goodbye to Lord Ganesha.
Rescue operations were underway on Friday to trace over 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday.
The body a 16-year-old JEE aspirant, who left his hostel for a routine test on February 11 and went missing, was found on Monday night stuck between two trees on a rock in a forest area in Rajasthan's Kota, the police said.
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They are understood to have promoted the Mahadev app and some had entertained guests at a wedding of a promoter of the app (application) that was held abroad.
Five people were killed and over 45 are missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh, where rain washed away many houses, bridges and roads, the officials said on Thursday.
Raveena Tandon and daughter Rasha Thadani offered prayers at the Somnath Mahadev temple in Gujarat.
The Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Tuesday fielded Milind Narvekar, a close aide of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, in the biennial elections to 11 seats from the legislative council, taking the number of candidates in the fray to 12.
Around 2,500 personnel from police and paramilitary have been deployed in the district this year a day before the yatra, police said.
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Rain-related incidents claimed nine more lives in Gujarat, taking the death toll to 16 in two days, while another 8,500 people were relocated and rescued from flood-affected areas with rains continuing to lash some parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, officials said.
A Mahadev tattoo on his bicep showing his devotion to Lord Shiva; a Ganesha tattoo on the forearm, and the sacred phrase Om Namah Shivay etched on his chest.
Rescue operations being conducted for those trapped in the stepwell at a temple following a roof collapse in Indore on Thursday.
The fight for freedom was long and hard and that is why it is important to go back to the monuments that celebrate those who fought the good fight.
Five people were killed and about 50 missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses, bridges and roads, officials said on Thursday.
A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered on Friday against two members of the trust of the Indore temple where a floor cave-in a day earlier hurtled devotees into a stepwell, killing 36 persons, a police official said.
Subsequently, a complaint was lodged at Alankar Police station and a search has begun for Mahadev Jadhav.
To keep their MLAs together, political parties are organising dinner meetings and arranging hotel stays for them ahead of the council elections, which are taking place just three months ahead of the assembly polls in the state.
An agitation was also held against the movie at another multiplex in the north Maharashtra city by the Nationalist Youth Congress.
Now, with the INDIA bloc putting up an impressive show in the Lok Sabha polls and managing to stop the BJP juggernaut, opposition leaders will be looking at the senior Pawar for guidance in navigating the political space against the saffron party post-elections.
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Civil judge (senior division) Vijay Gupta took up the matter on Friday and directed the Intezamia Committee managing the Shamsi Jama Masjid to present its side on September 15, when the court will next hear the matter.
Action was being taken to remove encroachments from about 10,000 square feet of land around the temple premises.
There was a quite a turn-out for the Golden Glory Awards 2023 in Mumbai over the weekend.
A string of populist promises, including extension of the free ration scheme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Mahadev betting app issue and the Hindutva card are among key factors that have catapulted the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in Chhattisgarh after five years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the attendees of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi with his speech being translated for the audience in real-time using artificial intelligence.
The large-hearted families agreed to donate the skin and eyes of their loved ones whom they lost after the roof of the stepwell collapsed during a havan held on the occasion of Ram Navami at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple, said voluntary organisation Muskan Group.
A purported video of the incident that happened in Tarpal village falling under Saira police station area on Saturday also surfaced on social media, they said.
The temple is said to be situated in close vicinity of Teele Wali Masjid at Laxman Teela.
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