Page 5 - Religion Belief
Jyeshta Abhishekam festival at Tirumala temple, idols adorned with pearls
As the annual Jyeshta Abhishekam festival entered its second day on Saturday, the colossal effigy of Lord Balaji, Goddess Sridevi and Goddess Bhudevi adorned with pearls, was carried around the sacred streets near the Tirumala temple area.The three-day festival is celebrated every year to protect idols from damage that may have occurred while taking out processions and Tirumanjanam (holy baths) throughout the year.On the second day, "Maha Santi Havan" is performed amidst chanting of Vedic mantras. In the evening, after Sahasra Deepa Alankara Seva (offering of 1000 lamps), the Almighty is decorated with Muthyala kavacham, an armour studded with pearl.On the first day, the idols are adorned with Vajrakavacham (armours studded with diamond), while on the third day, idols are embellished with Svarna kavacham (armours studded with gold).
Andhra, Odisha, Telangana CM to attend a spritual event
Andhra Pradesh newly elected Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao will attend a program organised by Sarada Peetham sheer Swami Swaroopanandendra on Monday.The three-day program is being held at Ganapati Sachidananda's ashram on the banks of river Krishna in Undavalli village, Guntur district.Swaroopanandendra, the spiritual guru of Reddy, has named Kiran Kumar Sarma as his successor to Sarada Peetham in Visakhapatnam.Karan who is as of now as 'Bala Swami' will be made a full-fledged sanyasi on June 17.Hundreds of devotees thronged the ashram on the first-day of the event. Andhra Pradesh Endowments minister V Srinivas, DGP Gotam Sawang and Vijayawada Police Commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao also attended the event.
Life, Philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev discussed
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Saturday organized a seminar on the "Life And Philosophy of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji" here to spread the message of peace, service, harmony and humanity. Attended by the members of all faiths, the event was held prior to the nationwide celebration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Roop Singh, Chief Secretary, SGPC, Amritsar Sahib, said "With long ties of cultural and business exchanges, Kolkata has held a very special place in heart of the Sikh Community. There is a thriving Sikh community here. Kolkata was also the venue for release of the Bengali translation of the Holy Granth Sahib." The organisers hoped the event will spread the Guru's message of peace, service, harmony and humanity. "June 15 is a very significant date for our community. The foundation stone of Sri Akal Takht was laid by Sri Guru Har Gobind Sahib ji on this day in 1606," said Sardar Taranjit ...
Visiting Ayodhya a matter of faith, not politics: KP Maurya
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday said visiting Ayodhya is not a political matter but one related to faith."All who wish to visit pilgrimage sites are welcome, it's not a political matter but matter of faith. We have full faith, as per hopes of devotees and saints, Ram temple will be constructed soon," Maurya said in a presser when asked if Shiv Sena is trying to snatch Ram temple issue from BJP.The BJP leader's response came a day before Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with his party MPs, is scheduled to visit Ayodhya."Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Saheb Thackeray will offer obeisance to Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on June 16. The MPs of Shiv Sena too will be accompanying him for darshan of Lord Shri Ram," read a tweet by Shiv Sena Communications earlier this month.Thackeray had last visited Ayodhya in November 2018, wherein he urged the central government to announce a date for the construction of Ram temple. He had also promised full support if an ...
Law on Ram temple if all options fail: UP Dy CM
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya has said that if the two options for a solution to the Ayodhya dispute fail, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will bring in a legislation for the construction of Ram temple.
UAE urges world powers to protect shipping, energy supplies
The United Arab Emirates urged world powers Saturday to help secure maritime traffic and energy supplies, following twin attacks on tankers in a vital Gulf shipping channel. "The international community must cooperate to secure international navigation and access to energy," the UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said at a summit in Bulgaria.
WB: Bomb hurled at TMC workers' house, 2 dead
Two TMC workers, named Khairuddin Sheikh and Sohel Rana died after a bomb was hurled at their residence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district.Khairuddin (55) and Sohel (19) are from the same family."We were sleeping. Suddenly our house was bombed. They shot my father. Few days back my uncle was also killed. Congress is behind this," said Khairuddin's son Milan Sheikh.Further details are currently awaited.
Muslim students bag 80% of government scholarships
Students from the Muslim community received about 80 per cent of total scholarships offered under 20 Central government schemes in 2018-19, official data shows.
Lord Balaji devotee from Tamil Nadu to donate golden hands worth over Rs 2 crore
A devotee of Lord Balaji from Tamil Nadu, is donating jewellery worth Rs. 2.25 crores to Tirupati Balaji temple here.Tangadorai, a resident of Tamil Nadu, will offer the "Abhaya Hastam" and "Kati Hastam" ornaments to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) officials during "Suprabhata Seva" today (Saturday).The two golden hands weigh 6kgs each.On Friday, Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Ram Meghwal offered prayers at the Lord Balaji temple here.
Berlin Jewish Museum head quits after controversial tweet
The director of Berlin's Jewish Museum resigned on Friday amid controversy over a tweet he sent linking to an article that criticised the German parliament for passing legislation against the BDS movement, which demands a boycott of Israel. Professor Peter Schaefer proposed his resignation "to avoid further damage" to the Jewish Museum, a statement on its website said. It was accepted, the statement added, but no specific reason for his departure was given. German parliament last month condemned the BDS -- Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) -- as anti-Semitic. Lawmakers said the group uses anti-Semitic methods to promote its political goals -- a claim firmly rejected by the movement, which calls for a cultural boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestinians. Schaefer came under pressure after the tweet of an article that was critical of that parliamentary decision. After the tweet, the Central Council of Jews in Germany said the museum "appears to have totally slid out of ..
Bishop Franco cartoon row: BJP flays LDF, UDF's 'hypocrisy'
The BJP's Kerala unit on Friday hit out at the "hypocritical stance" of the state's ruling LDF and the opposition UDF on the now controversial award winning cartoon, which allegedly depicts rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal in an indecent manner.
India lodges protest over Pak's refusal to grant pilgrims visas on Sikh guru's martyrdom day
India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its refusal to grant a visa to an official group of 87 pilgrims for the 'Shahidi Jor Mela' or Sikh Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day, sources said on Friday.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has directed Pakistan to "immediately grant visa without any restriction," sources added."MEA has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on June 7 under the Bilateral Protocol on Visit to Religious Shrines, 1974. MEA had earlier requested visas for the pilgrims," sources told ANI on Friday.The fifth guru in Sikhism breathed his last in Lahore, Pakistan in 1606. Indian pilgrims observe his martyrdom day by visiting Gurudwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, amongst other things. The gurudwara commemorates the place where Guru Arjan Dev Ji passed away."The Ministry expressed its concern at the disregard .
India unhappy over Pakistan not giving visa to official Sikh jatha
India has registered a strong protest at Pakistan governments refusal to grant visa to an "official jatha" comprising 87 pilgrims who wanted to go there on the martyrdom day of Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, sources said here on Friday.
India lodges protest with Pak over refusal to grant visa to 87 pilgrims
India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its refusal to grant visa to 87 Indian pilgrims who wanted to visit the neighbouring country to observe the death anniversary of fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, official sources said. According to Sikhism, the event is also called Shahdi Jor Mela or Shaheedi Purab of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The pilgrims, who were denied visa, were part of the official jatha (group), the sources said, adding that restrictive visa was granted to a private group of Indian pilgrims. The Ministry of External Affairs has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on June 7, the sources said. The pilgrims visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib on the occasion. The visa for the pilgrims were sought under a 1974 bilateral protocol on visit to religious shrines. "The Ministry expressed its concern at the disregard shown by the High
Nepal activists call for end of animal sacrifice
Nepali activists rallied in Kathmandu on Friday calling for an end to religious animal sacrifices, months ahead of a festival that in the past has seen tens of thousands of animals slaughtered. Some of the more than 100 protestors wore fake buffalo, pig and chicken heads, as they chanted against a practice deeply rooted in the country's Hindu traditions. "This is wrong and must stop," Sneha Shrestha of the Federation of Animal Welfare Nepal told AFP. "We are all equal in God's eyes, God will not ask for (the) sacrifice of her own children." Animal rights campaigners face an uphill struggle in Nepal, where Hindus make up 80 per cent of the population and where ritual sacrifice is a part of everyday life and central to major festivals. Placards at the protest also called for a halt to sacrifices at Gadhimai, a festival believed to be the world's biggest ritual slaughter. Once every five years, the tiny village of Bariyapur near Nepal's border with India flows with blood, as thousands of
Cartoon row: Left govt asks akademi to review award decision
The Left government in Kerala Friday asked a state-run akademi to review its decision honouring a cartoon depicting Bishop Franco Mullakal as a rooster and alluding to the charge of rape against him. Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan told the State Assembly that the government is of the opinion that the cartoon has "hurt" the sentiments of the Christian community. "The government has already taken a stand that the akademi should review its decision," Balan said. The cartoon titled 'Viswasam Rakshathi' (protection of faith) by K K Subhash of Chengalam and selected by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi for this years award, had appeared in a Malayalam magazine last year after Mullakal was accused of rape by a nun. Showing Mullakal as a rooster, it also has a pink coloured lingerie in the crosier (staff), carried by a bishop as a symbol of the pastoral office, while a group of nuns is shown fleeing. Replying to a submission by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala seeking ...
Palestine honours Indian with 'Star of Jerusalem' award
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has conferred an Indian national with the Star of Jerusalem medal, one of the highest honours given to foreign nationals by the Palestinian Authority. At an event organised to honour Sheikh Mohammad Munir Ansari on Thursday evening, Abbas thanked him for serving Palestine and Jerusalem, the third holiest city for Muslims, with distinction. The Palestinian President said the Ansari family's presence in the old city of Jerusalem reflects the strong traditional ties between Indian and Palestinian people. He also called upon for strengthening people to people contact between India and Palestine. Abbas plans to send Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh to India soon to boost tourist inflows from there which can contribute to strong bonding between the two people. Representative of India, Sunil Kumar, who was present the event, also appreciated the role played by the Ansari family in strengthening Indo-Palestine ties. Sheikh Munir Ansari is the ...
Pondy Lt Governor pulls chariot at temple festival
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi joined hundreds of devotees in pulling the chariot of Tirukameeswarar temple at a village near here on the occasion of the annual car festival Thursday. Bedi pulled the chariot amidst chanting of hymns by devotees at the 12th century temple in Villianur. Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy, Ministers A Namassivayam and M Kandasamy, newly-elected Member of Parliament V Vaithilingam and legislators were among those who participated in the festival. The temple is among the ancient shrines in Puducherry and as per tradition, the Head of the State should drag the chariot on the occasion of the car festival.
Andhra MLA takes oath in the name of Jagan
In a show of loyalty, a newly elected member of Andhra Pradesh Assembly belonging to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Wednesday took oath in the name of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Kerala Lalit Kala Academy to review award to cartoon featuring Bishop Franco
Kerala Lalita Kala Akademi on Wednesday decided to re-evaluate the award given for cartoon featuring Bishop Franco as a rooster.The decision comes after the Bishop's council raised an objection about the depiction in the cartoon.The prize was announced in favour of a cartoon drawn by Subash KK featuring Bishop Franco as a rooster standing on the top of a police cap.The religious body has raised an objection about the use of undergarment being carried on the holy stick. KCBC has raised the objection against this through Facebook post after which it was decided to re-evaluate the award.
