A major controversy has erupted in Odisha after Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress was found selling doormats featuring the image of Lord Jagannath, sparking outrage and prompting police complaints and demands for an apology.
A stepwell, approximately 125 to 150 years old and covering an area of 400 square metres, was unearthed during excavation in the Laxman Ganj area of Chandausi in Sambhal, an official said.
Glimpses from India and around the world that will make you smile and cry.
Vantara did not initiate or request the relocation of the elephant named Mahadevi from a monastery in Kolhapur to its facility in Jamnagar but served only as the 'court-appointed recipient facility', the NGO said in a statement.
A group of people set fire to an ISKCON temple in Dhaka district in Bangladesh in the early hours of Saturday.
Four senior Indian-origin persons were killed in a car crash in West Virginia. The victims were reported missing from Buffalo, New York, and their vehicle was found off a steep embankment.
'The Election Commission's involvement in the avoidable SIR controversy has carried a message down to the last voter -- who just does not like it,' observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Heavy rains battered Jammu and Kashmir, triggering floods, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting normal life. Authorities issued advisories and rescue operations were conducted.
The Supreme Court of India has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of non-compliance with laws and irregularities at Vantara, a Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Gujarat. The SIT will examine the acquisition of animals, compliance with wildlife protection laws, and other related issues.
The BJP's Murshidabad unit in West Bengal announced plans to construct a Ram temple in Berhampore, days after TMC MLA Humayun Kabir proposed to set up a mosque modeled after the Babri Masjid in Beldanga. The temple construction, estimated to cost Rs 10 crore, is expected to begin on January 22, 2025, one year after the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Kabir's announcement sparked political controversy, with opposition parties accusing him of attempting to polarise communities for political gain. The BJP's counterproposal is seen as a strategic move to strengthen its presence among the Hindu community in Murshidabad.
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.
He was seen wearing a plaque around his neck while sitting in a wheelchair because of a fractured leg.
Relentless heavy rain led to a landslide on the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least five people and injuring 14, officials said.
After record rains wreaked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days, the death toll in related incidents rose to 41, most of them victims of the landslide on a Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route, while there was some let-up in the showers on Wednesday, allowing relief efforts to pick up pace.
A four-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted a survey of the recently-discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, five pilgrimage sites, and 19 wells in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, India. The survey followed the discovery of three damaged idols inside a well of the Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened after being shut for 46 years. The Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, also known as the Bhasma Shankar temple, was reopened on December 13 after authorities found the covered structure during an anti-encroachment drive. The temple houses an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling and had remained locked since 1978. The district administration has requested carbon dating of the temple, including the well, from the ASI. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has restrained courts across India from entertaining new lawsuits or passing any orders in pending ones seeking to reclaim religious places, especially mosques and dargahs, until further notice. This action halts proceedings in approximately 18 lawsuits filed by Hindu parties seeking surveys to determine the original religious character of 10 mosques, including the Gyanvapi at Varanasi, the Shahi Idgah Masjid at Mathura, and the Shahi Jama Masjid at Sambhal, where four individuals died in clashes. The Supreme Court will examine the legality, scope, and boundaries of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the conversion of places of worship and ensures the preservation of their religious character as it existed on August 15, 1947.
The sacred shrine in Amritsar draws many celebrities seeking peace and blessings. Discover the many famous faces who've visited this spiritual address.
'What we are witnessing is not a freak incidence or a freak occurrence, but a new climate reality where warming oceans, monsoon variability and local geography are combining to produce extreme events.'
The Jagannath temple has fostered Odisha's regional cooking styles and preserved local food traditions.
Mishra cited a shortage of around 200 workers and the need to replace certain stones on the temple's first floor as primary reasons for the delay.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), custodian of Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple, has banned political and hate speeches at Tirumala. The decision comes in response to recent incidents where individuals, including political leaders, made political or inflammatory statements before the media near the temple premises after Darshan, disrupting the spiritual peace. The TTD warned of legal action against violators.
India last travelled to Bangladesh in 2014 when they played three ODIs.
Sanjay Dutt visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar with Uri Director Aditya Dhar, who's directing Dutt in his next. Accompanying them was a special guest.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has caused a flutter by revealing that Hinjewadi IT Park in Pune is 'moving out' to Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
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.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com comes across a Ganesh temple in Kashmir's summer capital that remains a well kept secret.
The victim, Rajni Khatri, was working in the bhojanshala (kitchen) when her 'dupatta' (scarf) got caught in a potato-peeling machine.
Glimpses from India and around the world that will make you smile and cry.
Bewitching fragrances and a symphony of sounds would herald the arrival of Chauthi in the Someshwar home.
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.
Four devotees, including three women, died and several more were injured in a stampede at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati on Wednesday night. Hundreds of devotees had turned up for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, which begins on January 10.
Kumar, who played a key role in implementing decisions following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir during his stint in the Union home ministry, took charge as an election commissioner on March 15, 2024.
'These efforts by Beijing can be weaponised one day with economic, security and political implications for India.'
Also, as part of the IDY celebrations, entry to all ASI sites will be "free of cost" for the public on June 21, the ministry of culture said in a statement on Friday.
The Allahabad High Court dismissed a plea seeking the use of 'disputed structure' instead of 'Shahi Eidgah Mosque' in Mathura case proceedings.
Glimpses from India and around the world that will make you smile and cry.
Glimpses from India and around the world that will make you smile and cry.
Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday alleged that nearly 1,000 non-Hindus are working in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) without having faith in Lord Venkateshwara or adhering to Sanatana Dharma.
Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and his family members on Saturday attended the Rath Yatra in Puri and offered prayers. Accompanied by wife Priti, son Karan and other family members, Adani paid obeisance to Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, by standing in front of their chariots near Gundicha Temple, considered the deities' aunt's house.
Glimpses of the construction of the Shikhar and upper floors of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
Pro-Khalistan slogans were on Friday raised by supporters and activists of radical Sikh outfits at the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, while a peaceful bandh was observed around the Golden Temple and interior walled city on the 41st anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
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