Latest Hindu News

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, April 28, 2007: A year ago, two young men took baseball bats to Deities at a Hindu temple in Maple Grove. And the Hindus keep seeking goodness in the ugliness. Again last week, leaders of the temple praised a Hennepin County Court judge who showed impatience, but mercy, for one of the individuals responsible for the mindless act. On Wednesday, Paul Spakousky, who was involved in the desecration of sacred statues, again was standing before Judge Kevin Burke, because he had violated terms of his probation. He had been caught drinking alcohol as a minor, then lied about going to treatment. Burke told Spakousky that he was thinking about simply sending him to jail for 30 days. But in the end, Burke informed Spakousky that he would be sentenced to 30 days' work release, meaning he'll spend his nights in jail but be allowed to continue working by day, with his earnings turned over to the temple.

ONTARIO, CANADA, April 12, 2007: The Niagara River, which leads to Niagara Falls, could become Canada's stand-in for the sacred Ganga in India. As the tradition of sending ashes back to India's holy rivers becomes less popular with second- and third-generation Canadian Hindus, Ontario's Hindu community wants a waterway designated for traditional burial rituals. The chosen river or lake would also be used to dispose of flowers and leaves offered to the Deities by the faithful. "Currently, people are depositing the ashes in bodies of water, in Lake Ontario and other places, but they are doing it in a very unceremonious manner -- with fears in their minds that they may be doing something wrong," said Roopnauth Sharma, the president of the United Hindu Federation and the spiritual leader of the Shri Ram temple in Mississauga. There is no law in Canada preventing one from depositing ashes in a lake or river.

PANAJI, GOA, INDIA, April 4, 207: A large contingent of police force has been mobilized after suspected miscreants vandalized two temples in Savordem, about 70 kilometers from here. On Tuesday night, two temples were vandalised, which created tension in the area. The news of Deity vandalization spread like wildfire and people gathered at the gate and blocked the road with stones. Police officials rushed to spot and brought the situation under control. Police said Deities of Lord Ganesha were broken and the tiles and walls inside the temples were damaged completely in Savordem. The two temples are more than 500 years old and were reconstructed just one month ago. "Devotees had performed prayers on Monday night, and everything was okay till then. Two temples were vandalized after that. I do not suspect anyone in particular," said Rajendra Sawant Desai, chairman of a temple.

Situated in the heart of Central India, Khajuraho is a temple town different from any other temple city of India. It is not about religion, worshipping and deities, instead temples in this fasc...