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The Deepa Thoon controversy, if not allowed to die a natural death, could take the election focus away from the anti-incumbency impacting the DMK and into the secular space. Stalin would love to have it that way, all over again, after the three past elections, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rammu Guru, the head priest of the temple, said, "Sai Baba was being worshiped without proper knowledge, which is forbidden according to scriptures."
'The idol was not being worshipped for years. We decided to immerse it respectfully in the Ganga.'
Ganesh Chaturthi, one of the most widely celebrated Hindu festivals, is dedicated to Lord Ganesha revered as the remover of obstacles and the god of wisdom and new beginnings.
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.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has strongly protested about the controversial model-actress Poonam Pandey portraying Ravana's wife Mandodari in Delhi's UNESCO-endorsed Ram Leela.
Devotees attending the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj are facing transportation challenges, with many forced to walk long distances in search of transport. Thousands of pilgrims returning from the event are stranded at Varanasi Cantt and Banaras railway stations, with some missing their trains due to the rush and others stuck because of cancellations. Officials say the traffic situation in the district has returned to normal, but some pilgrims report difficulties in finding transport and reaching their destinations.
Kabir cut a ceremonial ribbon alongside visiting clerics on the dais as slogans of "Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar" were raised at the venue, where thousands had gathered since morning.
As per the practises and tradition at the temples, any offerings made into the hundial directly goes into the account of the deity of that temple. Rules do not permit the administration to return the offerings back to the devotees, Babu told reporters in Chennai.
Mahamandleshwar Swami Dharamdev said the yatra conveyed a powerful message of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood across the country.
The Indian Consulate in Chicago took strong note of the act and called it "reprehensible".
Hindu seers in Uttarakhand have urged the state government to ban non-Hindus from participating in the Kanwar Yatra and operating businesses along the pilgrimage route.
The Chopan Express had halted at platform four of the station, and the passengers chose to get down on the track, though there is a footover bridge, the railways said.
The first look of Mumbai's famous Lalbaugcha Raja was unveiled on Sunday evening, days ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
The Brampton Triveni temple in Canada has cancelled a consular event after the Canadian police warned them of an "extremely high and imminent" threat level of violent protests. The Life Certificate event, organised by the Consulate General of India, Toronto, was scheduled for November 17 at the temple premises. The cancellation comes almost a week after protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with devotees at a Hindu Sabha temple and disrupted an event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate at Brampton. India condemned the attack and called for the prosecution of those involved. Relations between India and Canada have been strained since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a potential involvement of Indian agents in Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing.
The Telangana government has issued a circular allowing Muslim employees to leave offices an hour early during the holy month of Ramzan. The move has been criticized by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which termed it "appeasement politics". The BJP questioned why similar measures are not extended during Hindu festivals. The ruling Congress party defended the decision, stating that such facilities are provided during various festivals and are not unique to Ramzan.
A similar incident had occurred earlier this year when, on March 9, a Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu temple in Chino Hills, California, was found desecrated just days ahead of a so-called 'Khalistani referendum' in Los Angeles, according to temple authorities.
'We kept importing educational models from outside that had no connection to our cultural and intellectual strengths.'
Once a quiet riverside ritual, Dev Deepawali has evolved into UP's largest soft-power spectacle -- merging faith, art, enterprise into a global cultural brand that reflects state's growing confidence.
Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya also condemned the violence and said that a "red line has been crossed" by Khalistani extremists, highlighting the rise of brazen violent extremism in Canada.
Historically, Hindus made up approximately 22 per cent of Bangladesh's population during the 1971 Liberation War.
The move drew criticism from the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad. Its president Mahant Ravindra Puri said that Mulayam Singh Yadav had always been "anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan".
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.
'We are not all Abduls, you know. Our community has any number of retired civil and defence officers, doctors, engineers, lawyers.'
The incident has brought back into focus the controversy that erupted last year when BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand directed food outlets along the Kanwar route to display the names of their owners and staff.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought response from the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea challenging the state's directive mandating the display of QR codes on all eateries along the kanwar yatra route, which reveal the names and identities of the owners.
On Sunday, protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with people at the Hindu temple and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate.
'The response from the police was disgusting -- they acted as the arm of the Khalistanis -- they attacked the Hindus, they did not push the Khalistanis off. They attacked the Hindus in their own mandir'
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday claimed that Muslims are selling puja items at various Hindu pilgrimage sites by 'concealing' their identity and urged all state governments to take effective steps to prevent them from running such shops 'so that the faith of Hindus is not hurt'.
Police in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, have booked a school teacher after a video surfaced online of him singing a song that references the Kanwar Yatra. The teacher is accused of making statements containing false information and alarming news.
The actress, who is a Bharatiya Janta Party state executive member, alleged that a temple official prevented her from having darshan and demanded proof of being a Hindu.
154 Hindu pilgrims from India have traveled to Pakistan's Katas Raj Mahadev Temple to celebrate Maha Shivratri.
Tripura's Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury alleged that a bus on the way to Kolkata from Agartala was attacked in Bangladesh.
A family feud within the politically influential Matua community has erupted between Union minister Shantanu Thakur and his brother, BJP MLA Subrata Thakur, creating ripples in West Bengal's political landscape and posing a challenge for the BJP ahead of upcoming elections.
Dahi Handi celebrations in Mumbai were marked by fervor, injuries, and political campaigning ahead of local elections. One participant died, and several others were injured during the event.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh said it was not going into the other issues over display of names of the hotel or dhaba owner and the QR code, Tuesday being the last day of the Kanwar Yatra.
The four-day Chhath Puja may be a Hindu festival, but Muslim families across Bihar are busy churning out earthen stoves for devotees.
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 Pahalgam massacre highlights the evolution of terrorism into a multi-domain challenge. India's response must similarly evolve -- from tactical retaliation to comprehensive strategic deterrence. To establish a credible and sustained deterrent, India must also carry out continuous kinetic operations, both overt and covert, suggest Sakshit Raina and Rahul Mishra. To establish a credible and sustained deterrent, India must also carry out continuous kinetic operations, both overt and covert, suggest Sakshit Raina & Rahul Mishra.
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