Author: Kiran
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Indonesian Hindus welcome Murugan to Java
Java, Indonesia: Mahakumbhabhishekam rituals took place to inaugurate Jakarta’s Murugan Temple, (Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam) @jktmurugantemple this February. At 400 square meters, this is Indonesia’s first temple dedicated to Murugan. Built with a towering 40-meter high Rajagopuram (entrance tower), it is now Indonesia’s largest temple built in the Dravida style of architecture (native to Southern Bharat). Home…
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10-year-old Krish Arora beats Einstein in IQ test
Krish Arora; a 10-year-old British Hindu from Hounslow, has scored the maximum possible IQ of 162, placing him in the top 1% of the population and surpassing the estimated IQs of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking (160). From a young age, Krish was well ahead of his peers. He was reading fluently by age 4…
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St Albans; a new home for the Madhva Vaishnavas in the UK
22nd December 2024: Inauguration rituals took place at the new Venkata Krishna Vrundavan Mandir in St Albans. Located in a former church, this is the UK branch of the Sri Puthige Matha. The Puthige Matha is one of the Ashta-mathas, or eight monasteries established by Shri Madhcacharya, who lived either between 1199-1278 or 1230-1317 CE in…
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South African Hindu National Conference held in Durban
9-10th November 2024: Vishva Hindu Parishad (‘VHP’) South Africa held the South African National Hindu Conference at Durban (KwaZulu-Natal province). Themed “United Communities, Stronger South Africa”, the event brought together 300 delegates and leaders from 42 Hindu organisations and representatives from South Africa’s Sanyasa Council. The previous gathering took place in 1995. Two resolutions were…
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Vasanta Panchami and Saraswati Puja
Vasant Panchami is the sacred day of Saraswati, the Devi of creative energy, knowledge, language and speech. Saraswati is associated with education and all forms of artistic expression, hence Vasant Panchami is an important time for students, academics and artists. In Bharat, this festival signifies the arrival of Vasant Ritu (spring), the season of new…
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Hindus welcome Air India’s inclusive meal changes
In November 2024, Air India announced it would no longer serve Halal meat as the default non-vegetarian option on its flights, citing a move toward inclusivity for Hindu and Sikh dietary preferences. Muslim passengers can still request Halal meals. The decision follows years of advocacy by Hindu and Sikh groups, who objected to Halal as…
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Gukesh; world’s youngest world chess champion, remains rooted in Hindu Dharma
On 12th December 2024, Hindu chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju, aged 18, became the youngest ever undisputed World Chess Champion, after defeating the reigning champion, Ding Liren of China in Singapore. The teenager defeated Ding Liren, who had held the crown for a year, by 7.5-6.5 in their closely fought £2 million match in Singapore. Nine…
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Renovating Swaminarayan Mandir Karachi; beacon of Hindu resilience
This year will see the renovation of the Swaminarayan Mandir in Karachi, Pakistan, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Naranarayandev Gadi. One of the two lineages established by Shri Swaminarayan, this Gadi (seat of spiritual leadership) is based at the world’s oldest Swaminarayan Mandir in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and is led by Acharya Koshalendraprasadji. Under…
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Channel 5 show recognises charitable service of Jalaram Temple Greenford
As part of a feature before Christmas, the Jeremy Vine Show (Channel 5 talk show) showcased and awarded outstanding community services from across the UK. The Jalaram Soup Kitchen (JSK), which is run by the Shree Jalaram Temple Greenford was recognised for its achievements in distributing meals to the homeless.Over the past 8 years, JSK…
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35 years since Kashmiri Hindu Ethnocide, attacks still continue
Today, 19 January 2025, marks 35 years since the Kashmiri Hindu Exodus & ethnocide of 1990. Over 350,000 indigenous Kashmiri Hindus were forced to leave their homes after seeing their leaders, colleagues and family members being subjected to murder, rape or kidnapping. Islamist terrorist groups had become emboldened with numerous Kashmiri Islamists crossing the Line…
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Hindus observe Pongal, Lohri, Bihu and other variants of Makara Sankranti
Hindus mark Makar Sankranti today. Lohri, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttrayan are some of the regional variations of this festival that are observed either on the eve or actual day of the Sankranti. Marked as per the Hindu Solar calendar, Makar Sankranti occurs just after the winter solstice and marks the arrival of warmer and…
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Festival of Shiva, the Cosmic Dancer
Arudra Darshanam (Thiruvathirai) occurs during the Hindu solar month of Dhanu (Margazhi) when the Ardra constellation appears with the full moon. This festival marks the occasion when Shiva took the form of ‘Nataraja’ (the king of dance), to perform the cosmic dance; ‘tandava’. The festival is largely observed by Shaiva Hindus from parts of Southern…