Page 106 - Religion Belief
Thousands throng Belur Math to witness worship of pre-pubertine girls
Thousands from India and abroad on Wednesday thronged the famed Belur Math here to witness the annual ritual of worshipping pre-pubertine girls, also called "Kumari Puja".
Showdown near Sabarimala, two women turned back
Traditionalists opposed to the entry of women in the 10-50 age group to the Sabarimala temple despite a Supreme Court ruling took on the Kerala government on Wednesday, forcibly turning back stray women visiting the shrine despite police assurances that no one will be prevented from taking part in the pilgrimage.
Shaikh Akleem is 'Sita', Afzal Ansari is 'Lord Shiva' in this Bihar Ramlila
For nearly four decades, Muslims in this Bihar village have been helping Hindus celebrate Dussehra and playing mythical characters in the Ramlila -- a dramatic representation of the life of Lord Rama. The village is an example of India's composite culture and the communal harmony lived through Dussehra.
As Sabarimala temple opens today, protestors guard gates
With Sabarimala Temple set to open to the public for the first time since the Supreme Court allowed women of all ages to enter and offer prayers to the deity Lord Ayyappa, Social activist Rahul Easwar on Wednesday said that the believers of the old age tradition will stage a peaceful protest to stop women from entering the temple premises.Easwar, the President of the Ayyappa Dharma Sena, told ANI that protestors will guard the route to Sabarimala Temple for next five days till the Supreme Court opens and a review petition is filed in this regard."Our focus is very on point and it is a two-handed approach. On one hand, we have filed a review petition and we are hoping that the Supreme Court will show benevolence. On the other hand, we are organising a Gandhian protest where thousands of people will lie on the road. We are requesting, if someone wants to intrude into Sabarimala if someone wants to defile and attack our faith, they have to step up on our chest and do it. This is not a ..
Sabarimala protesters force Andhra woman to back down
Strong protests by Sabarimala traditionalists on Wednesday forced a 40-year-old Andhra woman and her family to abandon their trip to the Lord Ayyappa temple.
None will be stopped from going to Sabarimala: Police chief
Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra on Wednesday said no one will be stopped from going to Sabarimala as the chief priest of the Lord Ayyappa temple announced that women from the royal and tantri families will take part in the prayers.
Fears of further Orthodox Church rifts after Russia-Constantinople split
Orthodox Church leaders from numerous countries on Tuesday called for unity and raised fears of further discord after the Moscow branch announced it would break ties with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate, in what has been described as one of the gravest crises in the church's history. The rupture on Monday came after the Istanbul-based clerics agreed to launch the process of recognising the independence of the Ukrainian Church, a move Russia has long campaigned against. Constantinople's decision last week ended more than 300 years of Moscow's control over Orthodox churches in Ukraine and affects millions of believers in Russia and Ukraine. While the Patriarch of Moscow up to now has formally overseen Orthodox churches in Ukraine, the country has two other Orthodox authorities which have splintered off without being recognised by Constantinople -- until last week. The religious split comes amid deep political tensions, with Ukraine opposing Russia's 2014 annexation of its ...
Chinese bishops invite Pope Francis for historic visit
Two Chinese Catholic bishops attending a Vatican meeting for the first time following a landmark deal between Beijing and the Holy See said Tuesday they have invited Pope Francis to visit. "While we were here, we invited Pope Francis to come to China," Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai said in an interview with Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops' conference. "We are waiting for him," Guo said. Last year the pope said he would like to visit China "as soon as they send me an invitation". The trip would be of great significance as the Vatican has not had diplomatic relations with Beijing since 1951. There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China, divided between a government-run association whose clergy are chosen by the Communist Party, and an unofficial church which swears allegiance to the Vatican. Pope Francis has sought to improve relations since he took office in 2013, but previous attempts had foundered over Beijing's insistence that the Vatican give up recognition .
Bishop Franco walks out of jail, to fly to Jalandhar
Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal, arrested on September 21 on charges of raping a nun, walked out of the Pala sub-jail near Kottayam on Tuesday, a day after he was given bail by the Kerala High Court.
Rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal released on bail
Roman Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal, arrested over three weeks ago on allegations of repeatedly raping a nun, was released from a sub-jail near here Tuesday, a day after the Kerala High Court granted him bail. A large number of people, including his supporters and Independent MLA P C George, greeted the 54-year-old clergyman as he came out of the sub-jail at Pala, 25 days after he was arrested following intense interrogation by the Kerala Police. Some of the supporters were seen conducting "prayer meetings" in front of the prison's premises since morning in anticipation of the release of the bishop of the Jalandhar Diocese. Mulakkal would first go to his residence in Thrissur and later leave for Jalandhar in Punjab, church sources said. The court, while granting the conditional bail, had directed the bishop to leave the state within 24 hours of his release from the sub-jail. Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan had also directed Mulakkal to surrender his passport and not to enter Kerala ...
China backs Imran's 'Naya Pakistan' initiative
China has backed Prime Minister Imran Khan's "New Pakistan" initiative and said the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects being undertaken in the country will play an important role in Pakistan's economic development. China's Minister of International Development Song Tao met Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday and assured Beijing's support to Pakistan at all regional and international fora. He also assured Khan of China's support in his agenda of poverty alleviation, fight against corruption and agricultural development, an official statement said on Tuesday. The USD 60 billion CPEC is the flagship venture of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing Beijing's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects. India has opposed the CPEC project and protested to China as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "He (Song Tao) termed CPEC as a flagship project of .
Devotees' rights will be protected at Sabarimala: CM
Emphatically emphasising that the Kerala government will protect the rights of all devotees, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that all those who go to pray at the Sabarimala temple will be protected.
This Muslim family is making Ravana effigies for decades
Setting an example of communal harmony, a Muslim family in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur city has been making Ravana effigies for Dussehra celebrations for decades.Speaking to ANI, Zahid Khan, a member of the family said, "I have been making these effigies for 35-40 years. My family has been making them for generations. Hindus and Muslims all live together happily here and together make these Ravana effigies. We celebrate each other's festivals as well."Khan said that labourers working with him belong to both the Hindu and Muslim community.He further said that despite selling around 20-25 statues every year in various parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi and Haryana, they could not earn a lot of money out of it."Whoever takes these Ravanas from us praise us a lot, they say we do good work and always come back next year. However, we don't make a lot of money out of these effigies. We work hard, but financially, we are stuck," Khan added.He said that, despite the low-profit ...
Ex-TDB chief opposes appointment of non-Hindus as Devaswom Commissioner
Former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president Prayar Gopalakrishnan has approached the Kerala High Court with a writ petition challenging the state government's move to appoint Non-Hindus as Devaswam Commissioners.In a petition filed before the court, Gopalakrishnan mentioned "Section 29 of Travancore- Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act was amended with an ill motive to appoint non-Hindu officers in Board. By the amendment the "who shall be appointed by the board, he shall be a Hindu" has been omitted and as per the new amendment a non-Hindu can be the Devaswom Commissioner."The petition further read, "Devaswom Commissioner shall be appointed by the Board is omitted and he can/may be a non-Hindu. This amendment is an encroachment to the religious rights of the Hindus as a whole."The petitioner also stated that as per Section 29 of the Act, Devaswom Commissioner is the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Devaswom and Hindu Religious Endowments.He further explained in .
Bangladeshi Hindus celebrate annual Durga festival
Durga Puja, the biggest annual Hindu festival, began on Monday in Bangladesh capital Dhaka and elsewhere in the country with due religious fervour.
Assam CM greets people on the occasion of Durga Puja
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Monday greeted the people of the state on the occasion of Durga Puja beginning Wednesday. Durga Puja is not only a religious festival but a festival of compassion, love and affection and mutual and peaceful co-existence, Sonowal said. "On the festive occasion of Durga Puja, I extend my best wishes and greetings to the people of Assam and hope it is celebrated to rejoice the victory of good over evil," the chief minister in a message. He hoped the festival would give people an opportunity to celebrate "our strong unity as a nation and work to strengthen our bond of friendship and camaraderie." "Let the celebrations of Durga Puja remain a prime source of all our strength, virtues and wisdom and it is the divine blessings of the Goddess inspire us to remain united amidst our rich diversities", he added.
: Highlights from the
: Highlights from the southern region at 1730 hrs. MDS1 KL-SABARIMALA-RALLY Thiruvananthapuram: Thousands of BJP activists march to the secretariat here to protest against the implementation of the supreme court verdict allowing women of all age groups entry into the Sabarimala shrine. MES1 TL-POLL-CONG Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and other party leaders inspect the arrangements for the visit of party president Rahul Gandhi to Telangana on October 20. MES4 TL-BJP-OPPOSITION Hyderabad: Political parties are divided over the BJP's proposal in its yet-to-be-released election manifesto to restrict sale of liquor in Telangana. SRG11 TL-MLC-SUSPENSION Hyderabad: The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi suspends a legislative council member for alleged anti-party activities. LGM3 KL-HC-CLERIC Kochi: The Kerala high court acquits prime accused undergoing double life imprisonment in the case relating to the mysterious disappearance of ...
Assam governor greets people on the occasion of Durga Puja
Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi Monday greeted the people of the state on the occasion of Durga Puja beginning Tuesday. "I believe the celebration of Durga Puja festival adds sanctity and also contributes to the strengthening of universal brotherhood as people cutting across caste, creed and community come out to embrace Goddess Durga", Mukhi said in a message to the people of the state. The governor also hoped that may Goddess Durga, the deity of Shakti guide all in the path of righteousness and bless everybody with peace, joy and prosperity "Durga Puja marks the eternal essence of victory of good over evil and ushers in hope and bright future. I hope that the festivity strengthens the spirit of unity to fight against all evils", he added.
Sabarimala Board to hold meeting tomorrow ahead of temple reopening
Travancore Devaswam Board, which manages Kerala's Sabarimala temple, has invited representatives of the Pandalam Royal family, Sabarimala priests and Hindu organisations, on Tuesday to discuss various crucial affairs ahead of the reopening of the temple.The doors of Lord Ayyappa shrine is scheduled to open on October 17, implementing the recent Supreme Court's verdict that lifted a ban on entry of women aged between 10-50 years into the temple.During the meeting, which will be held on Tuesday at 10 am at the Devaswam Board's office in Thiruvananthapuram, the current situation surrounding the uproar among a section of followers against the apex court ruling will also be discussed.On September 28, the apex court allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple saying that "no physiological and biological factor can be given legitimacy if it doesn't pass the test of conditionality".Although many, including the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government, have welcomed the decision, a .
Show some courage, start Ram Temple construction: Shiv Sena to BJP
The Shiv Sena on Monday called upon the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government to "show some courage" and pass an ordinance for the construction of the controversial Ram Temple in Ayodhya.Speaking to ANI, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "They should show some courage; the Ram Temple issue has been their agenda for over 25 years now. Slogans like 'Mandir wahi banayenge', 'chalo Ayodhya', were ours as well, not just of the BJP. It is very unfortunate for the Hindus of the country that we have to raise the same slogans after so long."Raut further stated that even Muslims of the region have agreed to the construction of the Temple, adding there is no reason left for the BJP to delay the construction as they have a majority in the Centre and the state, and a President who will pass the ordinance."Despite a majority in Parliament, the Uttar Pradesh assembly, even the Rashtrapati Bhawan is ours, the Ram Temple is not being constructed. The saints and priests there are resorting to