The Odisha government is considering installing an anti-drone system to enhance security at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. The decision follows concerns over unauthorized drone activity near the temple, including reports of YouTubers and vloggers using drones to capture footage despite a ban. The government is also investigating a Haryana YouTuber arrested on suspicion of espionage for allegedly flying a drone over the temple in 2024.
One person was injured on Friday during the Rath Yatra procession in Ahmedabad, when a male elephant, agitated by excessive noise, broke a barricade and rushed into a narrow lane, officials said.
The Tirumala temple, dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is among the most revered and visited pilgrimage sites in India, drawing millions of devotees every year.
A Shree Jagannath Temple Administration official said devotees will be required to wear "decent clothes" to enter the shrine.
The post, which has now been deleted, read, "June 1, 1984'?' 'Saka Neela Tara'. A humble tribute to all the martyrs of the day one of the attack on the Darbar Sahib by the Congress government."
Holi, the festival of colours, was celebrated across India with traditional fanfare and gaiety.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet, will resume on June 30 after a five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The yatra will be conducted in five groups of 50 people each, with the first group entering China via Lipulekh Pass on July 10 and the last group departing on August 22. The pilgrimage, which holds great religious significance for Hindus, involves circumambulating Mount Kailash and taking a bath in Lake Manasarovar, believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva.
The Ram temple at Ayodhya will see the installation of a 'Ram Darbar' next month, which will be open for devotees from June 6. The event will also mark the completion of the construction of the temple, which started in 2020. The installation of the Ram Darbar will take place on May 23 and will be a religious ceremony with pujas being held before it is opened to devotees on June 6.
154 Hindu pilgrims from India have traveled to Pakistan's Katas Raj Mahadev Temple to celebrate Maha Shivratri.
The Jagannath temple has fostered Odisha's regional cooking styles and preserved local food traditions.
Temples across Uttar Pradesh were packed with devotees on Sunday for Ram Navami, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading prayers at the Gorakhnath Temple. Heavy crowds were witnessed at temples in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi, where security was heightened. In Gorakhpur, Adityanath performed the traditional kanya pujan ritual, while in Varanasi, a 51-foot statue of Lord Ram has become a major attraction. The festival was celebrated with enthusiastic fervor across the state.
The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust (SSGTT) in Mumbai has announced a dress code for devotees, prohibiting revealing clothing from next week. The decision follows complaints about inappropriate attire causing discomfort to other worshippers. The temple, located in Prabhadevi, attracts thousands of devotees daily and the Trust emphasizes the importance of maintaining decorum and ensuring a comfortable environment for all visitors.
Indian origin Hindus living in Europe and US are mulling opening overseas chapters of Prayagraj-based 'Ram Naam Bank' in their countries. On the occasion of Ram Navami on Sunday, the idea of opening a Ram Naam Bank was discussed among the devotees in Sweden.
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.
Inspired by the earnings of boat operators during the 2019 Ardh Kumbh, a boatman's family in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj took a bold entrepreneurial step during the recently concluded Mahakumbh Mela 2025, generating a staggering profit of Rs 30 crore.
Holi was celebrated with pomp and splendor across India on Friday, with people soaking in the festivities by smearing 'gulaal' on each other and exchanging greetings and sweets. Homes and streets wore a colourful look as the revellers splashed colours and feasted on traditional delicacies. Public transport did not ply in the morning in most major cities while metro services started functioning from noon. As Holi coincided with the second Friday prayers during the holy Islamic month of Ramzan, security -- including increased patrolling and picketing -- was beefed up in several states. In Delhi, more than 25,000 security personnel were deployed. Police closely monitored about 300 sensitive areas with CCTV cameras and drones.
Following the stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj early on Wednesday, which killed at least 30 people and injured 60 others, many devotees find themselves trapped due to blocked exit routes and severe traffic jams.
The glimpses of Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal in Amritsar, where Maharishi Valmiki composed the Ramayana and sheltered Goddess Sita after her exile by Lord Rama.
While acknowledging that they needed strong allies for a chance in the assembly polls, AIADMK cadres seemingly prefer actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to the BJP, owing to the latter's 'communal agenda' and consequent hardline Hindutva image, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
At least six people were killed and 30 injured in a stampede during a temple festival in North Goa, India. The incident occurred at the Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village, around 40 km from Panaji, as thousands of devotees thronged the narrow lanes to the temple for the annual festival.
Elaborate arrangements including a special traffic plan have been chalked out for Maghi Purnima on Wednesday and health personnel have been put on alert for the occasion when the month-long 'kalpavas', an integral tradition of the Maha Kumbh, comes to an end.
The 45-day Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj concluded on Mahashivratri with a record-breaking number of pilgrims taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. Over 65 crore pilgrims participated in the event, which took place once every 12 years.
The recent stampede at New Delhi Railway station, which claimed the lives of at least 18 people, highlights a recurring issue in India: deadly stampedes. This tragedy is not an isolated incident, as numerous stampedes resulting in significant casualties have occurred over the years. This article explores some of the most devastating stampedes in India, including the deadly event at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj just a few weeks ago, the 2024 tragedy at a 'satsang' in Hathras, and the 2013 stampede during Navratri festivities in Madhya Pradesh.
A priest named Sanju walks through a massive fire to re-enact the story of Prahlad and Holika.
Amid heightened security measures, more than two crore devotees took a dip in the Sangam till 6 pm on Wednesday on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
Devotees gathered to take a dip at the Triveni Sangam on the occasion of the first Amrit Snan during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj.
A severe traffic congestion extending for kilometers was witnessed on the routes to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Sunday with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav asking the government to make emergency arrangements for the stranded devotees.
'The country that came into existence after Partition lives on hatred for India. It only wants to harm Bharat. However, India's goals are to remove poverty, bring about economic development and become a developed nation'
Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told PTI that the accident took place above the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility due to bad weather.
Ahead of the Basant Panchami Amrit Snan at the Maha Kumbh, top officials are emphasizing the implementation of "zero error" directives to prevent a repeat of the deadly stampede that occurred during a previous snan. The Uttar Pradesh government has deployed senior IAS officers with experience in crowd management and inter-agency coordination to oversee the event.
Authorities managing the Maha Kumbh in Mahakumbh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh have issued a detailed advisory for the Mauni Amavasya "Amrit Snan" on Wednesday, urging devotees to follow safety protocols and cooperate with officials. With millions of pilgrims expected to participate, extensive arrangements have been made to ensure a smooth and safe experience for all attendees. The advisory highlights crowd-management guidelines, health and environmental concerns, and prohibited actions. The Mauni Amavasya is considered auspicious based on the alignment of celestial bodies and attracts the largest number of devotees to the Triveni Sangam.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday criticized the Uttar Pradesh government over the severe traffic congestion in Prayagraj, claiming it has led to a shortage of essential commodities and inconvenienced devotees visiting the Maha Kumbh Mela. He also posted a video on X with people sharing their experiences and pointing out at the chaos. Yadav alleged that the officials are giving orders sitting in their rooms but are not coming down to the ground and that residents of Prayagraj have got nothing except filth, traffic jams and price rise.
The incident comes on the day Ram Navami processions were being taken out in many parts of Prayagraj.
A month after a deadly terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, locals in the south Kashmir resort town are facing mounting livelihood losses. Despite a massive crackdown by security forces, the perpetrators of the attack have evaded capture. Tourists have stopped visiting Pahalgam, leaving businesses struggling to survive. Local residents say the situation is becoming desperate and call for government intervention to help revive the tourism industry.
The glimpses of the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, January 13, 2025.
Traffic flow is smooth on all major routes to the Maha Kumbh and vehicular movement in Prayagraj city is also normal ahead of the Maghi Purnima, police said on Tuesday.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust board on Friday expressed condolences over the recent stampede here and decided to offer free education for the deceased victims' children at its institutions.
On Friday, March 21, 2025, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu along with his family offered prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.
The Hindu Munnani staged a protest in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, against a group of people consuming non-vegetarian food on the sacred Thiruparankundram hill. The protest, which was initially banned, was allowed by the Madras High Court with some restrictions. Several thousands of devotees, Hindu Munnani functionaries, and BJP members participated in the protest, raising slogans hailing Murugan (Lord Subrahmanya). Hindu Munnani state president Kadeshwara Subramaniam and scores of activists were arrested.
"For five minutes we thought all of us were dead. I have been coming to the temple for the past 25 years and it has never happened like this," D Venkata Lakshmi said, recounting the horrific Tirupati stampede that killed six persons and left over 40 injured.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances