Page 179 - Religion Belief
Orissa HC debars devotees from entering Puri temple's sanctum sanctorum
The Orissa High Court has asked the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and district authorities to ensure that no devotee is allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine. "Darshan of the deities in the temple by the devotees, including VIPs, shall be allowed only up to Bhitar Katha," the court said in its order. It said the prayer hall of the Jagannath Temple at Puri be thrown open to the devotees by April 16. Only 'sevaks' should be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum according to the rituals, it said. The order debars all devotees and some servitors from going up to the 'Ratna Singhasan' of the deities. At present, on two special occasions each day Sahanamela and Parimanik Darshan -- the devotees are allowed to go up to the 'Ratna Singhasan' to have darshan of the deities from close proximity. The prayer hall (Jagamohan) has not been accessible to the devotees for over two years.
Israel says world Jewish population lower than pre-Holocaust
The number of Jews around the world is lower than before World War II, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics said today ahead of the Jewish State's annual Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to the CBS, there are approximately 14.5 million Jews in the world, compared to 16.6 million in 1939 when World War II began. The compilation uses census figures from 2016, it said. Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins Wednesday evening on the Jewish calendar, commemorates the six million Jewish victims of the Nazis during World War II. Nearly half of the world's Jews -- 6.44 million -- live in Israel, with the United States home to the second largest population of 5.7 million. Nearly half a million Jews live in France, 390,000 in Canada and 290,000 in Britain. There are Jewish communities of over 100,000 in Argentina, Russia, Germany and Australia, according to the Hebrew University's Harman Institute of Contemporary Judaism, the source for the CBS data. The CBS said their ...
Vatican urges Buddhists to join fight against corruption
The Vatican is urging Buddhists to work with Christians to combat corruption, saying corrupt political, business and religious leaders put lives at risk, damage the environment and threaten governance. The Vatican's interreligious dialogue office issued a message to Buddhists to mark the holiday of Vesak, which is celebrated at different times around Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In the message published Wednesday, the Vatican said the "evil" of corruption cannot be met with silence, and urged Buddhists and Christians to work with media and civil society to expose corruption and hold white-collar criminals accountable. It said: "People are scandalized by incompetent and corrupt politicians, ineffective legislation and the failure to investigate major corruption cases." It warned that populist movements backed by religious fundamentalists have arisen to protest the law-and-order breakdown.
37 Indian students visit Nepal under youth exchange programme
A 37-member youth delegation from India's prominent institutions like IITs and AIIMS visited Nepal under a youth exchange programme to promote people-to-people contact between the two countries and share their knowledge and experiences. Ajay Kumar, Charge'd Affairs, Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, today held a breakfast meeting with the youth team on the final day of their eight-day visit. The delegation comprised students from IITs, AIIMS, NIT, National Law School of India University and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development. During the tour, the students visited Chitwan, Lumbini, Pokhara and Kathmandu. The visit was part of an MoU signed in November, 2014 between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of Nepal. Kumar said the main objective of the youth exchange programme is to promote people-to-people relations between the two countries and share their knowledge and experiences. The students said ..
US State declares April as Vaisakhi month
The US State of Oregon has declared April as the 'Sikh American Community's Celebration of Vaisakhi month' in recognition of the contributions of the minority community. Vaisakhi, celebrated on April 14, is commemorated by million of Sikhs annually. Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a proclamation on Monday declaring April as "Sikh American Community's Celebration of Vaisakhi month" and noted that the community continue to make great strides towards security religious liberty as patriotic members of the US Armed Forces. The proclamation said that Sikhs in the US pursue diverse professions and walk of life, making rich contributions to the economic vibrancy of the United States as farmers, engineers, doctors, scientists and other fields. Noting that Sikh religion is based on a belief in one God, and the equality of all human beings, the proclamation said Vaisakhi is one of the most religiously significant days in Sikh history. In the last one month, Oregon is the fourth American State
Fake currency of Rs 1 lakh seized, man arrested
Fake currency with a face value of Rs 1 lakh was seized from a 25-year-old man hailing from West Bengal, police said here today. The notes were in the denomination of Rs 2,000. Shafiqueul Sheikh, a resident of Malda in West Bengal, was arrested by Unit-2 of the Mumbai Crime Branch from the Masjid Bunder railway station bridge in South Mumbai yesterday, an official said. The Crime Branch sleuths had got a tip-off that a person was arriving with fake currency notes, said the official. Police seized 50 high-quality counterfeit notes of Rs 2,000 from Sheikh, said senior inspector Prashant Raje of Unit-2. "We are investigating their source," he said. Sheikh was allegedly going to distribute the notes to some persons in the city. Police are probing his local connections and since when he was involved in this racket, said Raje. Sheikh was produced before a court which sent him in police custody till April 13, the officer added.
Pope urges church unity, blames divisions on work of devil
Pope Francis is calling for unity in the Catholic Church and blamed its divisions on the devil. It was the second time in as many days that Francis has warned about the destructive work of the devil after making headlines recently by seemingly denying the existence of hell. Francis made the comments during a Mass he celebrated today along with 550 "missionaries of mercy," the army of priests he formed during his 2015-2016 Jubilee of Mercy to highlight the sacrament of reconciliation around the globe. In his homily, Francis said the church and the world need mercy today "so that the unity desired by God in Christ prevails over the negative action of the devil." Francis has been accused by some conservatives of dividing the church with his mercy-over-morals priorities.
SM Krishna planning 'ghar wapsi' to Congress?
Rumours are rife that former Congress leader SM Krishna, who had joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a year ago, is thinking of going back to the Congress party.Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, however refused to comment on the speculations."I don't know," he told ANI when asked about Krishna's change of heart.Another Congress leader, K Rahman Khan said, "All are welcome but we do not have any information on this."SM Krishna hails from Karnataka and was the state Chief Minister from 1999 to 2004. Last year the Income Tax (IT) department raided offices and residence of his son-in-law VG Siddhartha, who owns the popular Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) and allegedly concealed income to the tune of Rs. 650 crore.Speaking about the reports of Krishna's re-joining the Congress party, BJP spokesperson S Prakash rubbished the reports, calling it a desperation of the Congress."It is a planted story by the desperate Congressmen, who have now realised the worth of SM Krishna. When he quit the ...
CWG: Mixed outing for Indians in lawn bowls events
India's Krishna Xalxo and the women's pair of Lovely Choubey and Rupa Rani Tirkey had mixed fortunes in their respective lawn bowls events at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday.
Scoreboard of the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals at the ...
Scoreboard of the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium here today. Rajasthan Royals Innings: Ajinkya Rahane c Rashid Khan b S Kaul 13 D Arcy Short run out (Williamson) 4 Sanju Samson c Rashid Khan b Shakib 49 Ben Stokes c Williamson b Stanlake 5 Rahul Tripathi c Manish Pandey b Shakib 17 Jos Buttler b Rashid Khan 6 Krishnappa Gowtham c Saha b S Kaul 0 Shreyas Gopal c Y Pathan b Bhuvneshwar 18 Dhawal Kulkarni not out 3 Jaydev Unadkat run out (Y Pathan/Saha) 1 Ben Laughlin not out 1 Extras: (LB-3, W-5) 8 Total: (For 9 wkts in 20 Overs) 125 Fall of Wickets: 6-1, 52-2, 63-3, 92-4, 94-5, 96-6, 115-7, 122-8, 123-9. Bowler: Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-0-30-1, Billy Stanlake 4-0-29-1, Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-23-2, Siddarth Kaul 4-0-17-2, Rashid Khan 4-0-23-1.
India's CWG schedule for Tuesday
Following is India's schedule on Day 6 of competitions at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Tuesday. SHOOTING Men's 50m Rifle Prone Qualification Gagan Narang (4:30 IST) Chain Singh Women's 25m Pistol Qualification Precision Annu Singh (4:30 IST) Heena Sidhu HOCKEY Men Pool B India vs Malaysia (5:00 IST) Women Pool A India vs South Africa (15:00 IST) SQUASH Women's Doubles Pool C Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal (6:30 IST) vs Pakistan's Faiza Zafar and Madina Zafar Mixed Doubles Pool E Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal (8:45 IST) Vs Guyana's Fung-A-Fat Mary and Khalil Jason-Ray Mixed Doubles Pool E Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal (14:15 IST) vs Pakistan's Madina Zafar and Tayyab Aslam Mixed Doubles Pool H Joshna Chinappa and Harinder Sandhu Pal (15:45 IST) Vs Cayman Islands' Laing Caroline and Kelly Jacob ATHLETICS Men's 400m Hurdles Round 1 - Heat 1 Ayyasamy Dharun (6:45 IST) Women's 400m Semifinal 1 Hima Das (16:46 IST) Men's 400m Final Muhammed Anas Yahiya (17:18 IST) TABLE ...
No fireworks in Kerala temple hit by tragedy
A Hindu temple where fireworks killed 114 people two years ago is unlikely to see another fireworks display again.
Ill-informed imams to blame for Muslim women's plight: Book
Poorly informed Muslim clerics are often to blame for the plight of women in the community, particularly when it comes to triple talaq, the Muslim practice of instant divorce that has been declared illegal, says a new book.
CWG: Indians impress in lawn bowls events
India's Lovely Choubey and Rupa Rani Tirkey beat Wales duo of Laura Daniels and Jessica Sims 20-16 in lawn bowls women's Pairs Sectional Play first round at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Monday.
After K'taka, Lingayats in Maharashtra demands minority status
The All India Lingayat Coordination Committee carried out a protest rally outside the Divisional Commissioner's office in Maharashtra's Aurangabad on Sunday demanding a constitutional recognition for Lingayat community.It further demanded that the Lingayat community should nationally be recognized as a religious minority group.The Mahamorcha led by Shivling Shivacharya Maharaj, 103-year-old, saw the attendance of several spiritual gurus from the Lingayat community and leaders from several other states."As long as the government doesn't grant the Lingayat an independent religion status till then morchas (rallies) such as these would continue," said Shivling Shivacharya Maharaj.The spiritual guru went on to say that Lingayat religion is one of the oldest religions and there are around four crores followers in Maharashtra.Seeking the support of people, he mentioned that the fight for recognition must go on.National convener of Lingayat Coordination Committee, Avinash Bhosikar, along ...
Golden Temple to get gold plating on main entrance
The Golden Temple, also known as Darbar Sahib, is undergoing a gold plating work on the main entrance.The task is undertaken by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).However, the main temple is all made of 24-karat gold, which is much purer than the 22-karat gold present in Indian households today.Earlier in April, the SGPC introduced eco-friendly compostable carry bags for the ' Karah parshad' at the Golden Temple to discourage the use of polythene bags.
7 persons trying to rob a trader held in Ghaziabad
Police today arrested seven persons who were planning to rob a hawala trader in Sahibabad area here. The trader was supposed to come from Delhi to handover Rs 50 lakh to some other businessman of Meerut. The police were tipped off about the robbers on the basis of which, they conducted a raid at a forlorn plot near Koyal enclave and nabbed the criminals, Senior Superintendent of police Vaibhav Krishna said. Police have seized five pistols of .32 and 315 bore and huge cache of cartridges and a stolen Qualis SUV from the gang. Those arrested have been identified as: Guddu Yadav, Budh Pal, Manoj, Akhilesh, Sanjiv, Amit and Jayant. "Upon interrogation, they confessed that they were waiting for a hawala businessman who usually goes to Meerut from Delhi with cash so that they could rob him," said Krishna. The gang has also confessed to stealing an SUV vehicle earlier in the month. "They have been sent to jail," the officer said.
Orthodox Christians hold Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem
Tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims gathered at Christianity's holiest site in Jerusalems Old City today for the "Holy Fire" ceremony on the eve of Orthodox Easter. With candles in hand, at least seven thousand pilgrims filled the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, according to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The church is built on the site where according to Christian tradition Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Thousands more stood in the square outside to receive the flame, representing the resurrection of Christ, which passed from candle to candle and will be taken back to Orthodox churches worldwide. The ceremony is the holiest event for Orthodox Christianity. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the rest of the Old City lies in east Jerusalem, occupied and later annexed by Israel following the Six Day War of 1967. The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the church. Christians made up more than 18 per cent of the population of the
Penna Cement offers Rs one crore to Tirumala shrine
Penna Cement Industries Ltd today donated Rs one crore to the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala here with a request to use the fund for Anna Prasadam Trust (Pilgrim Free Meal Trust) run by the temple. P Pratap Reddy, CMD of Penna Cement, handed over a DD for the amount to K S Srinivasa Raju, TTD Joint Executive Officer, temple sources told PTI Meanwhile, Prakash Chowdary, a devotee from Kolkata donated an air conditioned vehicle to the temple for transportation of shrines publications, they said, adding the devotee had earlier donated two buses, two ambulances and some battery cars.
I am a Hindu Vaishnav, not Jain: Amit Shah
Amit Shah today said he is a "Hindu Vaishnav", refuting Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's claim that the BJP chief is a Jain. Shah, while speaking to reporters after a rally to mark the BJP's 38th foundation day here, also said, "I maintain that the Karnataka government's move to give Lingayats a separate religion status is a move to divide the Hindus." "The UPA government had rejected the recommendation (to give Lingayats the status of a minority group) in 2013. The present decision has only been taken to stop Yeddyurappa from becoming the CM. This is an election gimmick," Shah said. When asked about the Karnataka chief minister's comment last month that Shah is a Jain, the BJP chief said, "I am not a Jain, but a Hindu Vaishnav." Responding to Shah's barb that Siddaramaiah is not an 'AHINDA' (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) leader but 'AHINDU' (non-Hindu) leader, the Karnataka chief minister had said last month in Mysuru that Shah should first ...