Page 202 - Religion Belief
12-member panel set up to renovate Mandapam
A 12-member committee has been constituted to renovate the Vasantharayar Mandapam which was affected by the recent fire in the Meenakshi temple here, officials said today. The team, which inspected the affected areas, would give their opinion about the damage shortly, temple officials said. District collector Veera Raghava Rao said the team, including officials from electricity department, endowment board engineers, agama and sthapatis (temple engineering architects), would restore the mandapam to its original grandeur. A detailed estimate would also be prepared and the work would be undertaken shortly,an official said. The temple had enough funds to undertake the work, he added. Meanwhile, the temple executive officer Natarajar issued notice to all shop owners inside the temple premises to vacate before February 8. The notice has been issued to 115 shops in the premises. A temple shop owners welfare association functionary Nagarajulu said livelihood of 500 families ...
Nepal's last king arrives on 6-day visit to Odisha
Nepal's last king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev reached here on a six-day visit to Odisha to attend various religious programmes. Official sources said he is scheduled to inaugurate the Mission Cow Goshala at Rathipur near Jatani today and will visit the Lingaraj Temple here and Sri Krishna Temple at Sakshigopal tomorrow. Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev will visit the pilgrim town of Puri on February 9 to attend a programme commemorating the silver jubilee of Pattabhisheka of Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati. On February 11 he will visit Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri where he has the special privilege of performing the 'aarati' of the diety atop the Ratna Singhasan of the Srimandir and is even allowed to touch the idols of the Holy Trinity. The king of Puri Gajapati Divya Singh Dev and representatives of Shree Jaganath Temple Administration (SJTA) will receive the last Nepal king at the Lion's Gate of the temple, which will be closed to the public from 9.30
Prez inaugurates Mahamastakabhiskeha of Lord Bahubali
President Ram Nath Kovind today set in motion the Mahamastakabhisheka, the head anointing ceremony of the monolithic statue of Lord Gommateshwara Bahubali, a ritual observed once in 12 years. The ceremony is an integral part of the ancient and composite Jain tradition at the Jain pilgrimage centre here. Bahubali was one of the 24 Teerthankars of Jain sect. Hailing the rich Jain tradition around Shravanabelagola and the towering 57 feet tall statue, the president said Shravanabelagola has been a centre of religion, spirituality and Indian culture. It had been sending across the message of welfare to the mankind, he said. Kovind said the peace and benevolence reflected in the millennium old monolith statue of Bahubali sympathises with the ailing humanity distraught with stress and terrorism. The statue is classic example of the country's rich culture, architecture, artistry and workmanship, he said. By building this figurine, artisans breathed life into a lifeless granite ...
Former pope Benedict ready for final 'pilgrimage'
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI hinted today that is is nearing death and ready for his final "pilgrimage" at the age of 90. "In the slow decline of my physical strength, internally, I am on a pilgrimage to the House (of the Lord)", Joseph Ratzinger wrote in a letter published in the Corriere della Sera daily, which had told him many readers were concerned about his health. The former pope, who will turn 91 in April, said he was moved that "so many readers want to know how this last period of his life is going". "It is a great grace for me to be surrounded, in this last point of a sometimes tiring path, with affection and kindness that I would not have imagined," Benedict added. Since his resignation five years ago, the German-born pope has been living in a small monastery in the Vatican, with four nuns and his personal secretary Georg Gaenswein. Two years ago, Gaenswein reported that Benedict was "going out like a candle, slowly and serenely". Benedict celebrates mass every .
Centre sanctions Rs 67 crore for two projects in Nanded
The Centre has sanctioned Rs 67 crore for two projects in Nanded in Maharashtra to commemorate the 350th birth year of Guru Govind Singh. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma for accepting the state government's recommendation and sanctioning the amount for the projects in Nanded, about 570km from here in the Marathwada region. "Rs 45 crore got sanctioned for retrofitting and modernisation of Shri Guru Govind Singh ji Stadium and Rs 22 crore for construction of building of Shri Guru Govind Singh ji Adhyasan sankul and research centre at Swami Ramanand Tirth Marathwada University, Nanded, "Fadnavis tweeted. The projects have been cleared to commemorate the 350th birth year of the 10th Sikh guru, he said. The Hazoor Sahib Gurudwara in Nanded is one of the five takhts (a seat of authority) of Sikhism. It is built at a place where Guru Govind Singh left for his heavenly abode.
Owaisi's poetic jibe at Katiyar's hate speech
In his response to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vinay Katiyar's statement on Muslims, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said that since his tenure as Rajya Sabha MP is about to end soon he is talking more."Now what can we say? His tenure is about to end and before the lamp is extinguished, there is a lot of flares (aur chirag bujhne se pehle bhadakta bahut hai)," Owaisi told media jocularly.The AIMIM chief further gave a detailed explanation as to why he demanded the central government to bring out a law that would make calling Indian Muslim "Pakistani" a punishable offense."I have nothing to do with Partition but associating Muslims with partition is not correct. I want more integration, I want India to be strengthened. But people in power question our love for this country.If Modi wants new India he should make this law. Please make this law so that the love of Muslims for this country is never questioned," added Owaisi.Earlier
Former Nepal King in Odisha on 6-day visit
Nepal's former King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on Wednesday arrived here on a six-day visit to attend various religious programmes, including some dedicated to save the indigenous Indian cow.
Baba Ramdev disagrees with Vinay Katiyar's hate speech
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Wednesday expressed his disagreement with Vinay Katiyar and said that Muslims have equal right to live in this country."I don't agree with Vinay Katiyar because Muslims have equal right to live in this country. This country equally belongs to Jain, Buddhists, Dalits, Sikhs, and Christians. It is not right to differentiate people based on religions", Ramdev told ANI.The Yoga guru further urged the youths of Kashmir to be rebels and not anti-nationals."I was also a rebel. My revolt was not against the country, it was against superstitions and exploitation. One should become rebel like me within the parameters of the Constitution. I request the youths of Kashmir to become rebel like me and not anti-nationals," added Ramdev.This comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vinay Katiyar's statement that Muslims should leave the country.He had said, "...Musalman iss desh mein rehna hi nahi chahye, unhone jansankhya ke aadhaar par desh ka batwara kardia toh iss desh .
TN: Priests suspended for decorating idol in 'salwar kameez'
Two priests of a temple in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district have been suspended for decorating the idol of the presiding deity in salwar kameez, a traditional outfit worn mostly in north India.It is a usual practice in the temple to perform sandhana kaapu to the idol of Goddess Abayambigai and drape her in colour paper every Friday.This time the priest changed the attire of the goddess from sari, a traditional apparel worn by women, and adorned the idol in a pink salwar kameez and blue dupatta, a piece of cloth thrown back around the shoulders.However the move backfired after a photograph of it went viral in the social media, receiving flak from a section of devotees.Soon after that, some temple officials and devotees opined that it was against the temple's rules, as per which the goddess should be decorated only with sari.Temple officials said, "The head of Thiruvavaduthurai adheenam mutt Ambalavana Desiga Paramacharya Swamigal ordered the suspension of the two priests today.""The .
HC orders removal of temple constructed on govt land
"God has never sought a place, much less an encroached area," the Madras High Court has observed and ordered "removal" of a temple built after encroaching public land. A division bench comprising Justices M Venugopal and S Vaidyanathan made the observation while directing removal of Kottai Palayathamman temple located on a piece of government land opposite the state secretariat here. The order was passed recently on a plea by the priest of the temple, seeking a direction to forbid the authorities from demolishing the temple. In its order, the court said, "A mere glance of the photographs produced by the petitioner would make it very clear that the temple has been constructed on government land." The petitioner has also admitted that the temple land had been classified as government revenue land, the judges said, adding instead of vacating the place, the petitioner had approached the court and obtained an interim order. "Any person, including a priest, having encroached a
Rajasthan: Muslim man slapped, forced to say Jai Shri Ram;
A video purportedly showing a teenager slapping a 45-year-old Muslim man and forcing him to say "Jai Shri Ram" in Rajasthans Sirohi district went viral, prompting a protest from the community. The incident sent police into a tizzy. A video of the act, recorded and circulated by the accused, Vinay Meena (18), is doing the rounds on the Internet. In the three-minute clip, Meena is seen slapping Mohammad Salim 25 times and forcing him to say "Jai Shri Ram", to which the victim responded: "Parvardigaar sabse bada hai (God is almighty)." Members of the Muslim community protested the incident and filed a complaint at the Abu Road City police station against Meena. "An FIR was registered yesterday based on a complaint we received from members of the Muslim community," SP Sirohi Om Prakash said. Meena has been nabbed for "voluntarily causing hurt, promoting enmity, hurting religious sentiments, breaking peace", he said. On December 6, a Muslin labourer, Mohammad Afrazul, was ...
Two 'Sudarshan Chakras' to be installed at ISKCON Mayapur
ISKCON Mayapur is all set to celebrate the installation of two 'Sudarshan Chakras', the weapon of Lord Krishna, on the domes of the new 'Temple of Vedic Planetarium' tomorrow. The ceremony at the global headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is expected to be attended by 25,000 people, including dignitaries, monks, devotees, pilgrims and tourists, an ISKCON statement said. The edifice, the construction of which began in 2009, will be India's "largest Vedic temple in modern history", the statement said. Alfred Ford, the great grandson of US auto giant Henry Ford and disciple of Srila Prabhupad, has been actively involved in the project from its initial days. Of the two 'Sudarshan Chakras', the weight of Sri Radha Madhav Chakra is 1,500 kg and that of Narsimha Dev Chakra is 500 kg. The stainless steel chakras are made by a Russian firm with 24 carat gold plating on them.
Chamling for delinking religion from politics
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling today called for delinking religion from politics in view of its negative impact on the people and society at large. "Religion should be kept out of politics as it is a very private thing catering to one's emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of life," he said at a function organised by the Ecclesiastical Affairs for distribution of a token grant-in-aid to all religious institutions in Sikkkim. In all, Rs 14 crore was distributed by Chamling himself to the management of nine religious institutions. Chamling cautioned against playing out religion in public life and politics in particular and said that it creates a divide in society. "We should not let religion divide our society. Religion is a sensitive thing and should be used as an adhesive to unite people," he said. Chamling said that during his long tenure as the chief minister of the state, his government has created various religious places and related infrastructure in .
Sanjay Dalmia Group to promote spiritual tourism in India
Industrialist and Philanthropist, Sanjay Dalmia is foraying into Spiritual tourism through their recent venture Dalmia Medicare.The group has already entered into Medical Tourism offering various kinds of medical services to patients all across the world. Spiritual tourism has emerged as one of the most vital components of India's tourism industry, especially in medical tourism.In order to boost spiritual tourism in the country in a sustained way, Dalmia Medicare has tied up with a number of companies including its recent tie-up with Custom Assurance Placements, through Global Protective Solutions (GPS). GPS is the worldwide leader in providing risk mitigation solutions specifically for medical travelers / tourists, present in more than 70 countries.GPS provides benefits and services for both travel illness as well as a host of benefits in the event of a medical complication that is a result from your scheduled elective procedure. It is the only package available that provides ...
Rijiju, others criticise 'Why I Am A Hindu', Tharoor hits bacK
Congress MP and noted writer Shashi Tharoor has been on a tour of literature festivals to promote his recent book "Why I Am A Hindu" but he faced the ire of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju who took a subtle dig at Tharoors book on twitter.
Lok Sabha adjourns briefly amid protests by TDP members
Vociferous protests by members of NDA ally Telugu Desam Party today forced brief adjournment of Lok Sabha proceedings as they demanded special facilities for Andhra Pradesh. The YSR Congress also joined the protests in the Well of the House and raised slogans despite repeated requests by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urging them to go back to their seats. With agitated members continuing their protests during Question Hour, the proceedings were adjourned for ten minutes till 1120 hours. The TDP, which is the BJP's biggest ally in the south, is "disappointed" that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's budget did not address the state's needs "Please go to your seats. This is not the way," Mahajan was heard saying before adjourning the House for ten minutes. There were around 10 members from TDP and YSR Congress in the Well. In a novel protest, one of the members had tied a tuft of his hair with a red ribbon. Wearing a garland, he was also seen using 'kartal', a musical instrument ...
Lok Sabha adjourns briefly amid protests by TDP
Vociferous protests by members of NDA ally Telugu Desam Party today forced brief adjournment of Lok Sabha proceedings as they demanded special facilities for Andhra Pradesh. The YSR Congress also joined the protests in the Well of the House and raised slogans despite repeated requests by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urging them to go back to their seats. With the agitated members continuing their protests during Question Hour, the proceedings were adjourned for ten minutes till 1120 hours. Earlier this week, TDP vowed to continue to press the Centre for various allocations to Andhra Pradesh.
Palestinian prime suspect in rabbi's murder shot dead: Shin
A Palestinian man wanted over the murder last month of a rabbi near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank has been killed, Israel's Shin Bet security service said today. Ahmad Jarrar was killed in the northern West Bank town of Yamoun where he had been hiding, the agency said, describing him as an "active" participant in the January 9 murder of Rabbi Raziel Shevah.
Modi's West Asia visit: Faith and diplomacy to go hand-in-hand
Faith and diplomacy will go hand- in-hand during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to three West Asian countries, including the UAE and Oman. While during his two-day visit to the UAE, Modi will lay a foundation stone of a temple, located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, through video-conferencing, the prime minister will also visit a 200-year-old Shiva temple in Oman, Mridul Kumar, joint secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said. Both these countries have a sizable Indian diaspora. Modi will also visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat. The prime minister is visiting Palestine, UAE and Oman from February 9-12. Kumar said when the prime minister visited the UAE in 2015, there was a demand from the Indian community for having a temple there and the issue was raised during discussions. Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, had then assured that the demand will be fulfilled, .
Nepal's ex-King goes on religious trip to India
Nepal's former King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on Monday left here for Odisha to participate in a series of religious functions in the eastern Indian state, including to save the indigenous Indian cow.