Page 44 - Religion Belief
Sabarimala temple opens for 10-day annual festivities
A large number of devotees Monday thronged the famed Lord Ayyappa shrine here as it opened for 10-day annual festivities and monthly poojas. Head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru presided over the rituals after the portals of the hill shrine were opened after a gap of nearly one month. The routine purification ritual and dedication of the new gold-plated door of the sanctum sanctorum were held soon after the shrine opened at 5 PM, temple sources said. The old door is being replaced as it had developed cracks. The new holy door, made of quality teak wood, has been plated with at least four kilograms of gold after engraving and embossing it with copper. A group of Sabarimala devotees, led by one Unni Namboothiri, bore the expenses of the new door as an offering to the presiding deity, they said. Before being closed on March 21, the temple would witness various rituals as part of the festivities, the sources added. Compared to the heavy security blanket witnessed at the temple ...
Ramzan fasting will not impact poll percentage: Owaisi
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi Monday said coinciding of Lok Sabha polls with Ramzan would not hamper poll percentage, rubbishing claims made by some leaders to the effect. The general election will be held from April 11 to May 19 and the results will be declared on May 23 while Ramzan is expected to commence either on May 5 or 6, depending on sighting of the moon and lasts about 29 days. Leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have claimed that elections during the Muslim holy month will inconvenience the community, largely seen to be backing the opposition parties, and help the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "They say poll percentage will come down because they are fasting. That is all rubbish. Nothing of that sort will happen. I am confident that the spirituality of Muslims will increase during Ramzan. On the contrary, poll per cent will go up," Owaisi told reporters. "Elections are constitutional obligation and they must go on. Why Muslims will ...
Modi becoming PM once again 'inevitable'; S M Krishna
Former Karnataka ChiefMinister S M Krishna Monday said he believes that Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister once again was "inevitable". The former External Affairs Minister also said he would campaign for the BJP in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls to ensure that more number of party candidates win from the state and Modi becomes Prime Minister once again. "I believe in the principle that Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister of this country once again is inevitable," Krishna said. Speaking to reporters here, he said "For this reason, I will visit as many constituencies as possible and thereby ensure that more number of BJP candidates win from Karnataka and Narendra Modi becomes Prime Minister once again. With this one vision we are all putting our efforts together," he said. Senior state BJP leader R Ashoka Monday met Krishna todiscuss about the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls and requested him to campaign for the party candidates. Krishna, a former ...
Oppn parties deliberately creating row over polls during Ramzan: BJP
The BJP Monday accused some opposition parties of deliberately triggering a row over the Lok Sabha polls being held during Ramzan, when Muslims fast, saying it is a "communal" ploy to divide the country ahead of the elections. Leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are among those who have claimed that holding elections during Ramzan will inconvenience Muslims and help the BJP as the community is largely seen to be backing the opposition parties against the ruling alliance. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain pointed out that Navratas, when many Hindus observe fast, will also fall during the elections. "Muslims do not observe roza by not doing their work. Islam also does not ask us to stop our work for worship. It is not that people who have jobs do not attend them during Ramzan. They keep roza and do their work as well. Creating such a controversy is unfortunate," he said. People who want to divide the country on communal lines are causing a controversy .
Nothing wrong in holding elections during Ramadan: Owaisi
MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said elections during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan would have no impact on the voter turnout and slammed the political parties for raking up a controversy over this.
Over 4.47 cr people eligible to vote in Apr 23 Guj LS poll
Over 4.47 crore electors are eligible to cast their votes for 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, elections to which will be held on April 23, state Chief Electoral Officer S Murali Krishna said here Sunday. Notification for the election will be issued on March 28 and candidates can fill nomination forms between March 28 and April 4, Krishna told reporters. Scrutiny of nomination forms will be held on April 5, and candidates can withdraw their nomination forms by April 8, he said, adding that the model of conduct had now come into force. "There are around 4.47 crore voters in the state. Votes will be cast across 51,709 booths. Of these 4,47,464,179 voters, 2,32,56,688 are men and 2,14,88,437 women," he said. He said bypolls would also be held during this period though the state election commission had not yet received any notification regarding them. Krishna said voters can use toll-free number 1950 to get information regarding polls, voting, and also to register violations ..
RSS resolution talks of protecting Hindu society, Sabarimala
The RSS passed a resolution on Sunday stressing on the need to protect the beliefs and traditions of the Hindu society. The resolution was passed on the final day of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) meet here. The resolution described the Supreme Court ruling on Kerala's Sabarimala temple as "unfortunate" and one given without considering the "nature and premise of traditions". The RSS said it was the considered opinion of the ABPS that there was a "systematic design to insult and hurt Hindu beliefs and traditions" on the basis of a non-Bharatiya perspective by entities with vested interests. "The case of the Sabarimala temple is a recent example of this design," it said in the resolution. "A resolution to protect Hindu traditions and beliefs was passed at the RSS Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha," RSS general secretary Bhaiyaji Joshi told reporters here. The Supreme Court, in an order on September 28 last year, had allowed women in ..
Need to protect beliefs, traditions of Hindu society: RSS
The RSS, on the third day of its Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) meet here, Sunday passed a resolution stressing on the need to protect beliefs and traditions of Hindu society. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said it was the considered opinion of the ABPS that there has been a "systematic design to insult and hurt Hindu beliefs and traditions" on the basis of non-Bharatiya perspective by entities with vested interests. "The case of Sabarimala temple is a recent example of this design," the RSS said, in a resolution passed at the conclusion of its three-day meet. It said "Hindutva is not a monolithic or exclusivist thought but a view of life" manifested in diverse and varied ways of cultural expressions, characterised by the uniqueness in the modes of worship, local traditions and festivities. It is anomalous to impose monotonous homogenisation over the beauty of diversity in our traditions, the RSS further said. The ABPS is the Hindutva organisation's highest decision-making ..
Amarinder for passport, visa-free travel on Kartarpur Corridor
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday welcomed the Union Home Ministry decision to fast track the development of the Kartarpur Corridor, but demanded "passport and visa free 'khule darshan' for pilgrims visiting the historic gurdwara" across the international border with Pakistan.
Need to protect traditions, beliefs of Hindus: RSS
The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday urged Ayyappa devotees in Kerala to continue their struggle to save the Sabarimala temple traditions and sought the country's support in protecting the beliefs of the Hindu society.
China protests US criticism of policies on religion
China has issued a protest over remarks the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom made criticising Beijing's polices toward Muslim and Tibetan Buddhist minorities and saying the country was "at war with faith." The foreign ministry's office in Hong Kong said the speech Sam Brownback gave Friday "slandered" China's religious policies. It said it had registered its dissatisfaction Saturday with the US Consulate in the semi-autonomous Chinese region, where the speech was given. China's constitution and laws protect freedom of religion and critics should "cease their slander of China's policies on religion and the situation with freedom of faith and cease using religious issues to interfere in China's internal affairs," the office said in a statement. US officials and UN experts say China is believed to be holding 1 million Uighurs, Muslims and members of other majority Muslim ethnic groups in political education camps in Xinjiang. The US and other governments have ...
Modi's brother visits temple in Telangana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's younger brother Prahalad Modi Saturday visited the Veerabhadra Swamy temple in the district and participated in a special pooja. According to chairman of the temple committee Srinivas Reddy, Prahalad Modi emphasised on educating people about history, culture and rich tradition during his visit to the place of worship. Temple priests, its executive officer Sridhar and BJP state executive council Member G Raju and others were present.
Rajnath Singh visits temple in Karnataka
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Polali Shree Rajarajeshwari temple and offered prayers Saturday. Singh was accompanied by Nalin Kumar Kateel MP, Rajesh Naik MLA, and other BJP leaders. The visit was during the celebration of 'Brahmakalashotsava' at the temple. Earlier in the day, state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa also visited the temple along with his son B Y Raghavendra MP.
Make spiritual immersion from Himalayas part of higher education, says Indian author
India must consider inducting a course in spirituality from its ashrams in Himalayas especially making it part of degree and MBA courses, given that the stressed executives of international corporations have sought solace in these holy spots, according to the author of a new book. Ravi Dabral pointed out that international personalities such as Steve Jobs of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook had sought spirituality under the patronage of the Himalayan ashram gurus and yogis. "Taking such examples, a spiritual immersion course can be made part of the higher education, degree courses and MBAs as students from here onwards head for a very stressful materialistic world, Dabral, an Uttarakhand native whose latest book Greed Lust Addiction' in English and Laalach Vaasana Lath in Hindi was launched in Singapore recently, said. He said that he understood the importance of the Himalayas very late. I was embarrassed to know that foreigners understood the importance of spiritual powers of ...
UN-founded University for Peace confers Honorary Doctorate on Vice President Naidu
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the University for Peace founded by the United Nations Organisations (UNO) for his contribution "to the Rule of Law, democracy and sustainable development in India".He received the degree of "Doctor Honoris Causa" from the Dean of the University for Peace here.In his acceptance speech, Naidu said, "This (Honorary Doctorate) is an honour for my country than to me as an individual. It is an honour bestowed on a country, a civilization and a culture that has been an ardent and consistent champion of peace since time immemorial. I am privileged to receive this honour when the world is commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Gandhi Ji, the extraordinary apostil of peace."He also called for defeating the destructive forces of hatred, the fanatical cries of religious bigotry and the megalomaniac designs of despotic rulers to ensure peace for promoting the welfare of humankind. Urging the people to see
First Hindu female lawmaker chairs Pakistan Senate on Women's Day
The first-ever Thari Hindu woman to be elected to Pakistan's Senate, Krishna Kumari Kohli chaired the session of the Upper House on occasion of International Women's Day.
VP Naidu calls for defeating 'destructive forces of hatred'
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called for defeating the "destructive forces of hatred, the fanatical cries of religious bigotry and the megalomaniac designs of despotic rulers" to ensure peace for promoting the welfare of humankind. He also said that terrorism has emerged as the "biggest threat" to the world peace and India is bearing the impact of this most serious challenge. Naidu made the remarks after receiving an honorary doctorate by the University of Peace founded by the United Nations for his contribution "to the rule of law, democracy and sustainable development in India". He is the first Indian to receive an honorary doctorate from this varsity. In his acceptance speech, Vice President Naidu "called for defeating the destructive forces of hatred, the fanatical cries of religious bigotry and the megalomaniac designs of despotic rulers to ensure peace for promoting the welfare of humankind", said a statement issued by his office. "The ability to appreciate and ...
Pope hails 'irreplaceable contribution' of women
Pope Francis on Friday hailed the "irreplaceable contribution of women in building a world that can be a home for all" to mark International Women's Day. "Women make the world beautiful, they protect it and keep it alive. They bring the grace of renewal, the embrace of inclusion, and the courage to give of oneself," the pope said at the Vatican. "Peace, then, is born of women, it arises and is rekindled by the tenderness of mothers," he said during an audience with the American Jewish Committee. "Thus the dream of peace becomes a reality when we look towards women." "If we take to heart the importance of the future, if we dream of a future peace, we need to give space to women," he said. International Women's Day is an annual celebration marked with events around the world.
Pope denounces 'depraved' antisemitism and urges dialogue
Pope Francis denounced the "depraved hatred" behind a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in parts of the world and said interfaith dialogue can help counter it. Francis met Friday with a delegation of the American Jewish Committee and praised their longstanding good relations. He lamented that their meeting was taking place amid the spread of a "climate of wickedness and fury, in which an excessive and depraved hatred is taking root." And he warned that for Christians, any form of anti-Semitism is "a rejection of one's own origins, a complete contradiction." The audience occurred days after Francis responded to longstanding requests from Jewish groups to open the Vatican archives of its World War II-era pope, Pius XII, who has faced accusations of having failed to speak out enough against the Holocaust. Francis didn't refer publicly to Pius, whom the Vatican has long defended as having used quiet diplomacy to save lives. The president of the AJC, John Shapiro, did, thanking Francis for ...
Mukesh Ambani's son Anant named member of Badrinath, Kedarnath temple committee
Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani's youngest son Anant was Friday appointed as a member of the Shri Badarinath Shri Kedarnath Mandir Committee. An order issued by the Uttarakhand government on Friday named 10 members of the prestigious temple management committee. Anant Ambani's name figures at No.1 on the list. Anant has been a regular visitor to the Badrinath and Kedarnath temples along with his parents. Mukesh and his wife Nita have three children -- twins Akash and Isha and Anant. Ambanis had last year offered prayers at Kedarnath and Badrinath and sought the blessings of the presiding deities at the famous Himalayan shrines for the wedding of Isha Ambani. The temple committee is headed by Mohan Prasad Thapliyal. Badrinath or Badrinarayan Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu which is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand. The temple and town form one of the four Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. Kedarnath Mandir is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located on the Garhwal .