The three-day celebrations began on Saturday with a recital of Yajurveda and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performing an 'abhishek' on the Ram Lalla idol.
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.
A Supreme Court order relocating an elephant to a care facility in Vantara has sparked public outrage in Maharashtra by putting the state government in a difficult position over issues of animal welfare and public sentiment.
The Odisha government is working to secure copyright for the rituals of Lord Jagannath temple in Puri to protect its traditional cultural expressions, following concerns over untimely celebrations by ISKCON and the declaration of a temple in Digha as 'Jagannath Dham'.
Karishma, however, claimed the entire thing was forced upon her, and said while she had an ongoing discord with her husband, she was not in a relationship with Shivraj, locals said.
'When I undertook a study of temple desecration in precolonial India, it was not enough simply to document what temples were desecrated, by whom, when, and where.' 'It was also important to explore the total historical context of such incidents, with a view to discovering patterns, which in turn could reveal the reasons why they occurred.'
Rammu Guru, the head priest of the temple, said, "Sai Baba was being worshiped without proper knowledge, which is forbidden according to scriptures."
In yet another decision to please the priest community after withdrawing the Chardham Devasthanam Board Act, the Uttarakhand government has reconstituted the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee under a new head to manage the affairs of the two Himalayan shrines.
This was the second incident of desecration at a BAPS temple in less than a month in the US amidst the growing trend of temple vandalism as part of a systematic hate crime against the Hindu community in the country.
"There was no water leakage but the rainwater came down from the pipes fixed to install electric wires," Mishra said.
Explore some of the majestic temples dedicated to Lord Shiva across the country.
Temple priest Gaurav Goshwami said limited number of devotees should be allowed inside the shrine at a time and a barrier system should put in place outside it to manage crowd.
Maharashtra minister Prakash Abitkar said efforts are underway to bring back elephant Mahadevi from a rescue center in Gujarat. The elephant was relocated following a court order due to health concerns. Local leaders are protesting the relocation and seeking her return.
The Badrinath temple in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand opened for devotees on Sunday, May 12, 2024, after remaining closed during the winter.
The complainant also alleged that Narsinghanand used abusive language against the Ghaziabad police commissioner and the assistant police commissioner of Loni in a video.
If the eyes can be seen, an investigation should be done on who revealed the eyes and how the pictures of the idol are going viral'
The chief minister stressed that faith of every sect and religion should be respected.
"The sanctity of the temple will be revived by cleaning it with the water from the holy Ganga and Yamuna," temple priest said.
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The first image of the new idol placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple with eyes covered with a cloth had surfaced on social media late Thursday night.
The Indian government defended the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 in the Supreme Court, arguing that waqf, while an Islamic concept, is not an essential part of Islam. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that waqf is essentially charity, which is recognized across religions, and cannot be considered a fundamental tenet of any faith. He also argued that the amended law addresses secular aspects of waqf and activities unrelated to Islam, and that "waqf by user" does not grant ownership of public land. Mehta highlighted the extensive consultations involved in the bill's creation, including feedback from various stakeholders. The hearing will continue on Thursday.
A mahant at the Hanumangarhi Mandir in Ayodhya on Monday invited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to stay on the temple premises after he vacates the government bungalow allotted to him as member of Parliament.
The priests arrested belonged to the Kalupur sect of Swaminarayan temple at Ahmedabad but worked under its branch in Surendranagar.
In the last 11 years, India and the world witnessed what he stood for, what he promised and did not deliver, and what he actually stood for and practised without fearing how history would judge him. Modi's tenure has been punctuated with headline-grabbing decisions, symbolic gestures, and stage-managed moments that continue to define his leadership and India's politics, points out Ramesh Menon.
Thousands of people participated in a 'silent march' in Kolhapur on Sunday, demanding that 36-year-old female elephant Mahadevi (also called Madhuri), be brought back from Vantara wildlife rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar district.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Ghaziabad's Loni seat Nand Kishore Gurjar has alleged that the crowd which had gathered on Friday night to protest against Yati Narsinghanand had pelted stones at the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad and police should have 'shot' the attackers.
US Vice President JD Vance and his family began their four-day trip to India with a visit to the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in Delhi. The Vances, along with their three children dressed in Indian attire, spent an hour at the temple, admiring its intricate architecture and receiving a traditional welcome. The visit comes amid ongoing trade negotiations between the US and India.
"The Pujari is only a grantee to manage the property of the deity and such grant can be reassumed if the Pujari fails to do the task assigned to him, i.e, to offer prayers and manage the land. He cannot be thus treated as a Bhumiswami," the bench said.
The TDB has decided to appoint 19 lower caste people, including 18 belonging to the scheduled caste and one from the scheduled tribe
'Instructions may be given for the representation of Akhil Bhartiya Tirth Purohit Mahasabha in the management of temples and religious places,' Mahesh Pathak, national president of the body said in a letter to the PM.
Confirming the incident, a Mahakal police station official said they resorted to cane-charge to disperse the protesters.
He also appealed to the Muslim side for a peaceful solution for all these three temples.
'People want to do business in the name of the Kedarnath temple.'
Gehlot's comment comes after he came under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party and other Opposition parties over the incident in which a temple priest was burnt alive in Karauli district over a land dispute.
India has stated its neutral stance on religious matters following the Dalai Lama's announcement of his succession plan, which China has rejected. The statement comes as the Dalai Lama approaches his 90th birthday, with China urging India to exercise caution on Tibet-related issues.
A prominent Hindu temple in Brisbane was attacked by Khalistan supporters on Saturday, in the latest incident of vandalism against Hindu temples in Australia.
The administration has declared that devotees will not be permitted to bring external colours into the temple premises in Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh.
Two devotees were killed and seven others injured in a stampede-like situation at the famous Bankey Bihari temple in Mathura during Janmashtami celebrations in the early hours of Saturday, officials said.
He said that Chief Minister MK Stalin has been implementing a number of initiatives through the HR&CE department since the DMK came to power in 2021.
The recent arrests made by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the Samjhauta Express blast case could see the probe meeting a logical end soon. Vicky Nanjappa reports
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