Page 153 - Religion Belief
Telangana CM honours vow given at Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao visited the Kanaka Durga Temple located on the Indrakeeladri hillock in Vijayawada.He offered prayers to Goddess Kanaka Durga and Lord Malleswara, and gifted a nose stud to the goddess to clear the vow he had pledged at the time of Telangana agitation. The honouring of the vow takes place four years after the formation of Telangana.Known for his religious bent of mind, Rao had undertaken several vows during visits to many famous temples in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh like Tirupati Balaji and Vijayawada Kanaka Durga.Rao took a vow to offer a nose ring to Goddess Kanaka Durga.The nose ring has great significance when it comes to Goddess Kanaka Durga.It is believed that Kal Yug will come to an end when the waters of the River Krishna touch the nose ring of Goddess Kanaka Durga.Accordingly, devotees generally offer a nose ring when they pray before the goddess in the temple.Rao had vowed to offer the nose ring as soon as the united ...
185 monks, nuns from Thailand reach Leh on 'Pad Yatra'
As many as 185 monks and nuns from Thailand reached Mahabodhi campus in Shey village on June 26 after completing a month-long 'Pad Yatra' (peace march), to spread the message of peace, love and communal harmony.They walked barefoot from Bodh Gaya via Dharamsala, where the Sangha members had an audience with His Holiness The Dalai Lama before they undertook the yatra towards Ladakh.The yatra was led by lord Abbot of Royal Thai Temple, Singburi province in Thailand Phrateppariyattisuthi Thongsuk and is being organized in association with Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC) Leh Ladakh.As the Pad Yatra reached Mahabodhi Campus, a grand traditional reception was arranged by the people of Ladakh in honor of the Sangha members who successfully completed the Pad Yatra from Bodh Gaya to Ladakh for world peace.This is the third consecutive year the 'Pad Yatra' is taking place. Started in 2016, every year the yatra commenced after offering prayers at the holy shrine of the sacred ...
Modi says greed for power has united opposition
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the opposition parties and accused them of being blinded in their pursuit of power.
Modi visits Maghar, pays tributes to Kabir Das
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday offered floral tributes at the 'samadhi' and 'mazaar' of the 15th-century saint Kabir Das at Maghar in Sant Kabir Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
Haley visits temple, mosque, gurdwara and church in Delhi
The US envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley today visited a temple, mosque, gurdwara and church here, a day after she said freedom of religion was as important as freedom of people. On her first visit to India after becoming the US envoy to UN, Haley visited the Gauri Shankar Mandir, Jama Masjid, Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Central Baptist Church this morning. Haley, who is the daughter of Sikh immigrants from Punjab, also prepared rotis for langar at the gurudwara. After visiting the Jama Masjid, she interacted with a child who was sitting outside the mosque. Haley had yesterday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed ways to enhance India-US cooperation in various fields, including counter-terrorism. She had also met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and discussed ways to deepen the Indo-US strategic partnership and the ongoing cooperation between the two countries at the UN. The US envoy to the UN also met Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi yesterday and .
Congress' appeasement policy led to partition: Amit Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday said the country's partition could have been avoided if the Congress had not made the mistake of censoring part of the national song "Vande Mataram..." in line with its "appeasement policy".
NCW directs Kerala police chief to conduct probe in sexual abuse of woman by 5 priests
The National Commission for Women (NCW) today directed Kerala police chief Lokanath Behera to conduct a probe into the case involving blackmail and sexual abuse of a woman by five priests in the state. Five priests of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala have been accused of blackmailing and sexually abusing a woman. The issue came to light last week after an audio clip containing the man's purported conversation with a church official alleging sexual abuse of his wife by the priests was widely circulated on social media. The man from Pathanamthitta district alleged that some priests allegedly used his wife's secret confession to blackmail her. Taking suo-motu cognisance of it, the NCW has written to Director General of Police Behera and directed him to conduct an investigation into the matter and apprise the commission about action taken.
CM to offer nose stud to diety during temple visit tomorrow
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will make an offering of a nose stud at the Kanakadurga Goddess temple at Vijayawada tomorrow. An official release from the Chief Minister's office said that Rao and his family would visit the Kanakadurga Goddess temple at 11.30 AM tomorrow. The Chief Minister would fulfill his vows at the temple and on behalf of the Telangana government and offer the nose stud to the Goddess, it said. Rao had vowed to give jewellery and other offerings to various temples to express his gratitude for the formation of Telangana, the state for whose creation he had waged a prolonged movement. Earlier in 2017, KCRmade an offering of gold ornaments worth Rs five crore to Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati, inviting flak from the opposition over "misuse" of public funds.
UAE foreign minister to meet Telangana CM tomorrow
The possibility of setting up an UAE consulate here was expected to be discussed during a meeting between Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and visiting Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan tomorrow. A release from the Chief Minister's office here today said Abdullah would meet the Chief Minister at the Pragati Bhavan at 5.30 pm. "They both will discuss regarding establishing UAE Consulate office in Hyderabad," it said. The UAE foreign minister arrived in New Delhi on June 24 on a week-long tour during which he would also visit Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, besides Hyderabad.
NCW to Kerala DGP-Probe case of priests blackmailing woman
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo-motu notice of a media report captioned "Five Kerala priests 'blackmail, sexually abuse' woman", published in various national dailies today.It may be recalled that five priests of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala were accused of blackmailing and sexually abusing a married woman.The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala has since suspended the priests over the allegations after the woman's husband complained to the church.The man has claimed that a confession made by his wife to one of the priests was used to blackmail her."The victim was subjected to sexual abuse by blackmailing her with her confessional secrets," ANI quoted a church spokesperson, as saying.The incident came to light after an audio clip of the woman's husband narrating his ordeal went viral on social media.A major English daily has quoted the man as saying that his wife was sexually abused by one of the priests before she got married and had ...
Irish 'Nope to the Pope' boycott of papal visit
Thousands of Irish campaigners are mobilising online for a boycott of Pope Francis's visit in August, pledging to book free tickets to an open-air mass and then stay away. The Catholic Church's influence has waned following multiple abuse scandals in Ireland and many comments on the Facebook group voice anger at religious authorities. Jonathan Keane, who is taking part in the protest, said he had booked 863 tickets. "I signed up because as an Irishman, I am sick of all the scandals from the church," he told AFP. He said it was a "simple peaceful act of protest as resistance to the Catholic Church". The pontiff is visiting Ireland for the first time on August 25 and 26, for the World Meeting of Families 2018 culminating in a giant mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park. The "Say Nope to the Pope" Facebook group, which has 5,000 supporters, intends to keep the turnout down by snapping up as many of the 500,000 free tickets as possible. Several posted articles on cases of clerical abuse and ...
UAE foreign minister visits Sabarmati Ashram
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan today visited the Sabarmati Ashram here. He also offered namaz at the 16th century Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in Old City during his brief visit to Ahmedabad. Abdullah paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi who lived at the Sabarmati Ashram during 1917 to 1930. Ashram trustee Kartikey Sarabhai and secretary Amrut Modi showed him around the premises, which house an archives section, an exhibition centre and 'Hriday Kunj', the place where Gandhi lived. Abdullah also tried his hands on the spinning wheel (charkha). He was gifted books on Gandhian philosophy. Later Abdullah visited the iconic Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in the Old City which is famous for its stone lattice work. During his visit to the 16-century architectural marvel, he also offered namaz.
Pondy CM takes part in 'Maangani' fest in Karaikal
Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy joined thousands of devotees in witnessing the unique 'Maangani' festival of Arulmigu Karaikal Ammaiyar temple here today. The annual festival is celebrated in praise of 'Karaikal Ammaiyar', the only saintess among the 63 saivaite Nayanmars. The main event of the festival - the Pitchandavar procession - was held today. Alarge number of devotees threw mangoes on the idol of Lord Shiva (in Pichandavar incarnation), which was taken out on a procession through the town's main thoroughfares. It is believed that the ammaiyar gave away one of the two mangoes of a rare variety, handed over by her husband, to a Saivaite saint. When her husband asked for it, a mango fell into her hand from nowhere, which was considered as an act of Lord Shiva. So, every year on the full moon day during Tamil month 'Aani', mangoes arestrewnby the devotees with the beilef that the fruits would reach Lord Shiva directly. Police had made elaborate arrangements ..
Prince William meets young Israelis in coastal Tel Aviv
Prince William is visiting Israel's cultural and financial capital of Tel Aviv and meeting young artists and entrepreneurs. The Duke of Cambridge began the second full day of his historic royal visit to Israel today by strolling Tel Aviv's trendy Rothschild Boulevard, named after the late 19th-century British-Jewish banker and philanthropist who contributed greatly to the Jewish community in the Holy Land. There he met Netta Barzilai, winner of this year's Eurovision song contest, and had a cold drink at one of the boulevard's famous kiosks. He then attended a cultural event at a museum where he met young people engaged in youth activism. The prince, second in line to the throne, then travels to the West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
'India won't allow forces of hatred come near its people'
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted that India will never allow the forces of hatred and violence to come near its people.The External Affairs Minister, while addressing an Eid reception hosted for envoys here on Tuesday, said, "We will never allow the forces of hatred and violence come anywhere near our people, and disrupt our societies,"Swaraj further noted that like any religious festival in India, Eid-ul-Fitr too brings together people of all faiths, and is celebrated with great fervor."Whether Deepavali or Christmas or Baisakhi or Navroze or any other, Eid-ul-Fitr too brings together people of all faiths. India is home to one of the largest population of Muslims. Our celebrations of Eid are as diverse as our regions, languages, cuisine, and traditions, as vibrant as our clothes and festivities, and as sweet as our traditional meeti sevaiyan and a host of savoury dishes," she noted.Hailing the month of Ramzan as a "test of inner strength", Swaraj noted that the holy .
HC seeks info from UP govt on illegal religious structures
The Allahabad High Court today asked the Uttar Pradesh government as to how many religious structures, built up illegally on public thoroughfare and highways after January 1, 2011, has been razed down by it. A Lucknow bench of the high court also asked it as to what it did to shift such structures built before January 1, 2011. A vacation bench of Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Irshad Ali also asked the Lucknow district administration to apprise it of the time of building a religious structure allegedly on public land in Para area of the city. The bench gave the directions while hearing a public interest lawsuit on unauthorised construction of religious structures on public land. The bench was informed that the high court had on June 3, 2016 had passed a detailed order on how to deal with illegal religious structures built on public roads. It therefore asked the state government to tell it about the compliance of the said order within four weeks.
India will never allow 'forces of hatred' to come near its people: Swaraj
India will never allow "the forces of hatred and violence" to come anywhere near its people, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today as she hosted an Eid reception for envoys based here. She said like any religious festival in India, whether Diwali or Christmas, Eid-ul-Fitr too brings together people of all faiths. "India is home to one of the largest population of Muslims. Our celebrations of Eid are as diverse as our regions, languages, cuisine and traditions, as vibrant as our clothes and festivities, and as sweet as our traditional meeti sevaiyan and a host of savoury dishes," she said at the reception for Ambassadors and High Commissioners based in New Delhi. "As long as we truly practice our faiths and, as the Holy Prophet himself said: 'None of you have faith until he loves for his brother, or for his neighbour, what he loves for himself. "We will never allow the forces of hatred and violence come anywhere near our peoples, and disrupt our societies," she ...
Kamakhya temple reopens after Ambubachi Mela
The doors of the famed Kamakhya Temple reopened today after four days, when it was closed on the occasion of Ambubachi Mela and more than a lakh of devotees thronged to it. The temple doors opened this morning after the ritualistic bathing of the Goddess and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was among the early visitors. Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi and his wife visited the temple later in the day, officials said. More than a lakh devotees visited the temple as the day is considered to be very auspicious, they said. Assam Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah said that this year an unprecedented number of nearly 30 lakh devotees from across the country and abroad visited the temple, which is situated atop the Nilachal Hills, during the four-day festival. During the Ambubachi festival, Mother Earth is believed to menstruate and religious and agricultural activities are not performed during the period. The doors of the temple are closed to the ...
Was forced to resign for speaking against religious bias: IT
A 37-year-old software professional has alleged that he was forced to resign after he raised his voice against "religious discrimination" and "mental harassment" by his senior manager in a Pune-based firm. In his letter to the labour commissioner, Aman Khan, who was working as a technical lead with EXFO Electro-optical India Pvt Ltd, claimed that the company's HR had informed him about termination of his services on June 12 and "forced" him to sign his "resignation" letter. "When I was back from Namaaz on April 6 this year, a senior manager called me to his cabin and started discussing the dos and dont's over my religious practices and the handkerchief I wore while offering Namaaz. "Despite my reluctance and repeated pleas against discussing the religion matters, he continued to make remarks over my religious practices and attire," Khan stated in his complaint, which he shared with reporters. The company stated that it didn't comment on individual employees as part of ...
Togadia sets deadline for Ram temple, blames Modi for delay
Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the delay in construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.