Main Page                                                 Archives

 

Gaya Hindus pray for salvation for dead relatives

     Gaya (Bihar): A 15-day Hindu religious ritual, where people pray for the salvation of their ancestors, began in India on Tuesday. Hundreds of people visited the holy town of Gaya in Bihar for "shraadh" or "pind daan", a ritual to relieve their ancestors of all sins and help their souls attain peace. Sitting in rows or circles while priests conducted the rituals, the people offered prayers at the temples. "Performing this (ancestor ritual) in Gaya holds a special significance as Brahma did yagya here. Pind daan is done for our near ones after they pass away," said Kedar Nath, a Hindu priest. Faithfuls also offered cots, food, utensils and clothes to the priests. People later took dips in the Phalgu river before offering rice and flowers in gratitude to their ancestors. "Pind daan (the ritual) ritual has been an important part of the Indian culture. The base of a country's development is one's tradition, hence it is necessary to keep up the tradition," said Dharam Vir Jha, a devotee. Hindus believe in reincarnation or in the cycle of birth. They believe that body changes with every birth, but the soul remains the same. The Hindu philosophy says that this cycle can be broken and soul can be put to rest forever by performing the "pind daan".

Shiv Sena, BJP lock horns in UP over Ayodhya (Go To Top)

     Lucknow: The right-wing Shiv Sena on Tuesday filed a petition before a court in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing with the sentiments of Hindus, by backing out on the construction of the controversial Ram Temple on the site where the razed 16th century Babri Mosque once stood. The disputed site in Ayodhya has been a flashpoint of communal tensions since 1992 after thousands of Hindu zealots tore down the Babri Mosque, claiming it was built by Muslim invaders after destroying a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram. The demolition of Babri mosque sparked the nation's worst religious rioting and deeply divided majority majority Hindus and minority Muslims. Shiv Sena, an ideological and political partner of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has in past accused its top leaders, including Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, of turning a blind eye to the temple construction, the party's main agenda, even after forming government at the centre.

     "These people (Hindu nationalist leaders) after having masterminded the entire event have today backed out and refused to accept responsibility. They have fooled the public, we had expected them to be more honest and all this has hurt us. It (Central Bureau of Investigation) has been under pressure and it has not done the probe properly, it should begin investigations again," Shiv Sena's lawyer Harikishen Jain told reporters. Public prosecutor S.S.Alvi said the petition should be dismissed. "The aim behind this petition is that Shiv Sena wants to flare up the issue and this is why this fraud petition has been filed. It is not legally maintainable. The court should dismiss it with a heavy penalty. For now the court has postponed the hearing for tomorrow," he said. BJP had to give up many of its hardline themes after coming to power in 1999 to gain the support of secular parties and form a coalition. The party, analysts say, has been groping for direction since its shock loss in national polls in May last year where it sought to hold on to power on a platform of economic prosperity, good governance and peace with arch rival Pakistan.

Goa Assembly test likely tomorrow  (Go To Top)

     Panaji: The Goa Assembly might meet on Wednesday for a vote of confidence test between the BJP government and the Congress-led opposition. According to sources, the state's Governor, S C Jamir, is likely to send a communication in this regard to Assembly Speaker Vishwas Satarkar to convene the House tomorrow. Earlier, the state cabinet had requested the governor to summon the house on Thursday. The House is expected to meet at 2.30 p.m. when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will move a single-line resolution asking the house to affirm its faith in his government. The BJP government reduced to minority after the resignation of four MLAs including three from the party. The 40-memeber assembly has now 36 MLAs who can vote in this trial of strength. Both BJP and Congress are claiming to have a strength of 18 each. BJP's 18 includes the Speaker also who can vote only if there is a tie.