Author: Kiran
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Ram Mandir Ayodhya observes first anniversary today
Today, 11 January 2025, marks the 1st Patotsav of Shri Ramlalla at the Janmabhoomi Mandir at Ayodhya (UP, India). The Patotsav is a ritual performed annually on the anniversary of when the Prana-Pratishta (deity installation took place). During Prana-Pratishta, the divine presence is awakened in the stone or metallic Murthi, and from that point, the…
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Gita Jayanti: Narayana imparts teachings of Yoga to Nara
Gita Jayanti is observed on the Ekadashi before the full moon during the Hindu Lunisolar month of Margashirsha. The 700 verses of this text (teachings of Krishna to Arjuna) summarise the Upanishads, the philosophical section of the Vedas. Contained in the 6th book of the Mahabharata; the Bhagavat Gita carries the essence of Samkhya, Bhakti,…
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Oxford group leads Immersive Sanskrit study trip at Jan’s Kumbh Mela
One of the world’s largest and oldest spiritual gatherings, the Kumbh Mela takes place on the banks of four sacred rivers in the Indian cities of Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain and Prayagraj. Held at each location approximately every 12 years on a rotational basis, the Kumbh Mela is a revered period of pilgrimage for Hindus across…
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Diwali 2024 celebrated by NHS staff
Monday 30th October 2024: Over 100 Hindu medics at Manchester Royal Infirmary came together to mark Diwali. In addition to switching on lights across the Oxford Road Campus, Lakshmi Puja was performed inside the Board Room of the Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT). Covering 11 hospitals, the MFT is the largest NHS trust in the UK.…
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Hindu Community Organisations across UK participate in Remembrance Sunday
On Sunday 10th November 2024, Hindu organisations across towns and cities the UK participated in Remembrance Sunday events to commemorate lives of British and Commonwealth military and civilian service people in the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts. In the image: The team from Bradford Hindu Council here taking part in commemorations at the city’s…
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Canada Police assault Hindus on Mandir grounds
On Monday 12th November 2024, Pro-Khalistan held a violent protest outside the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton, Canada. The protest was in response to an event by the Indian Consulate aimed at helping elderly Indians with their pension certificates. Many attending this community event weren’t from a Hindu background, with many elderly Indian Sikhs in…
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Ayodhya Diwali 2024: 2.5 million Divas illuminate banks of Sarayu
On the eve of Diwali (30th November 2024), Ayodhya set a new world record by lighting 2.5 million divas (oil/ghee lamps) along the Sarayu River. This was the first Deepotsav celebration following the consecration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya with a total of 80,000 divas being arranged, in the shape of a…
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Trump’s Diwali message highlights plight ofBangladeshi Hindus
31st October 2024: Ahead of Diwali, Donald Trump (now President of the USA) posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos…We will also protect Hindu Americans against the…
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Chhath across the diaspora 2024
The festival of Chhath Parva was marked during the first week of November. Originating from Bihar and parts of neighbouring states this festival is dedicated to Shashti Devi (Chhathi Maiya) and Surya Deva. Chhath involves a set of very rigorous personal disciplines spanning 4 days. In addition to a 36-hour waterless fast, those observing must…
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Bangladesh Government arrests ISKCON leader
Monday 25th November 2024: Bangladesh ISKCON Leader Chinmoy Das Krishna Prabhu is arrested Dhaka. Since October 2024, ISKCON has been facing opposition from the Muhammad Yunus interim Government as many of its leaders have been active in the formation and leadership of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha. Bringing together Hindu leaders from across different sampradayas and…
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Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus protest for their rights
October 2024: An estimated 30,000 Hindus held a rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chittagong to demand that the Bangladesh Government increase the provision of rights and security for Hindus and other minorities in the country (Source: The Independent). Led by Sanatan Jagran Manch, this has been one of the largest public demonstrations by Hindu Bangladeshis…
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Downing Street apologies for serving meat and alcohol at Diwali event
Friday 15th November: 10 Downing Street issued an official apology for serving meat and alcohol at its Diwali celebration, following widespread condemnation by the British Hindu community. In addition to pressure from several community leaders and Hindu organisations, MP for Leicester East; Shivani Raja, wrote to Prime Minister Kier Starmer expressing her disappointment and also…