Muharram: Muslims throng Samana dargah on last day

         Samana (Punjab): Muslims from India and Pakistan prayed at the dargah of Hazrat Imam Mashhad Ali here to commemorate the last day of Muharram. Hazrat Mashhad Ali was the 10th descendent of Prophet Mohammad. He is believed to have come to India during one of the early invasions from the Middle East. Legends say the shrine is visited by a tiger every Thursday night to worship the saint! Men and women observed the closing day of Muharram by singing and beating their chest. "Muharram is observed for two and a half months, and today is the closing day of Muharram. Devotees have come and are offering tribute by mourning," said Farhan Naqvi, a devotee from Patiala. Devotees from Pakistan say that the mausoleum is the biggest and the oldest in the continent. They also wanted that the Government of India should relax visa restrictions so that followers from across the border can come and offer prayers. "In the whole of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan there is no bigger Dargah than this. But we would request the Government of India to soften its stand on visa restrictions so that people can come here," said Tahir Hussein Rizvi, a devotee from Lahore. The Dargah which is around 1,200 years old was discovered by Dr. Nashir Naqvi, Professor in Punjabi University, Patiala. Dr. Naqvi said that this Dargah is a centre of religious belief for people of different faiths. After the Partition, a large section of the Muslim population migrated to Pakistan but the Hindus and Sikhs took care of the Dargah. "Looking at its importance, the Government of Punjab has spent one lakh rupees on it. Recently the Government of India had declared Samana as a holy city. Moreover, people of different faiths come here. After 1947, there was less Muslim population in Samana but Hindus and Sikhs residing here protected it and since then the Dargah has been a centre of belief," noted Dr. Nashir Naqvi, Professor. Punjabi University, Patiala Muharram is observed in memory of the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Hussain Ali and his family in the Battle of Karbala. It is also the first month of the Islamic calendar.
Mar 29, 2007

Lingaraja chariot procession in Bhubaneswar

          Bhubaneswar: Thousands of people here on Monday participated in the annual chariot festival dedicated to Lord Lingaraja or Shiva. The devotees followed and hand-pulled brightly decorated chariots containing the idols of Lord Shiva and his sister Rukmani. "This chariot procession of Lord Lingaraja is for his sister and will stay for five days at the Rameshwar Temple and then will be brought back. There used to be a demon who created a lot of trouble and Lord Lingaraja had to kill him. After the deed, he brought his sister," said, Ashok Kumar, a priest. The police provided a two-layered security cover throughout the route of the procession. Devotees tried to get a glimpse of Lord Lingaraja's idol. "We get the opportunity once a year to see the Lord. We get a lot of peace," said, Bipasa Pande, a devotee. The procession is similar to the world famous Lord Jagannath chariot procession in Puri, which is about 60 kilometres from Bhubaneswar.
Mar 27, 2007

Mahasmashan Ghat: Midnight prayers at Varanasi

          Varanasi: The Hindu believers thronged the Mahasmashan Ghat (cremation ground) in Varanasi to offer prayers to Lord Shiva at midnight on Sunday. Priests, householders, mystics and even professional dancing girls thronged the venue to offer prayers. Locals described it as an ancient tradition held annually during the nine-day Chaitra Navaratra. According to mythology Lord Shiva provides salvation to the dead, as their last rites are performed. Liquor is offered on occasion. Men and women dance and sing to appease him. "It is an ancient tradition, this function is organised every year during Chaitra Navaratra to appease Baba Mashan who gives salvation to the dead," said Gulshan Kumar, an organiser of the mid-night event at Mahasmashan Ghat. "We come here on our own wish to dance, sing and pray for a good life in the next birth," said Meena, a Mujra-Nartaki (dancing girl). During Chaitra Navaratra, devotees worship the Goddess Durga for eight days prior to Rama Navami, which is celebrated on the ninth day.
Mar 26, 2007

Chamunda Devi temple: Arrival of dead body a daily ritual
by Sandeep Datta

         Kangra (Himachal Pradesh): The Chamunda Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh is a big draw for all devotees during the nine-day holy nights. Located at the Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham, near Yole camp in Kangra district about 10 km west of Palampur, on the River Baner, the Chamunda Devi temple witnesses a big rush of devotees, especially during the Navratris. Goddess Kali is believed to be present at the Temple. "Kali had killed two notorious demons--"Chanda" and "Munda"- in a fierce battle at this place in ancient time. Hence, the place was named "Chamunda Devi", deriving its name from the demons and the Goddess. It is believed that the influence of Goddess and demons still exists here, says Rajinder Pujari, the main priest at Chamunda Devi Temple. Today, Chamunda Devi Temple is a big pilgrimage centre for lakhs of devotees who visit the place to seek blessings from Chamunda, the Goddess of Power. "It is a feeling beyond human expression to define what comes to one's mind while visiting this divine place of mother Goddess Chamunda. I have been visiting this place for the last 25 years. It gives me immense bliss to be here," Satish Narang, an apple trader from Delhi, said. The temple earns annual donations or offerings of over rupees two crore from devotees thronging the place, especially, during Navratra from across the country and world. Many devotees offer a sacrificial Billy goat to please the Goddess at the Chamunda Devi Temple. But the temple authorities do not kill it. It is sold in the open market.

         Legend has it every day two demons-Chanda and Munda-used to eat living beings here. One day Lord Shiva in the disguise of a Sadhu (a Hindu holy man) decided to meditate at the same place. The presence of a Sadhu enraged both the demons that pelted large rock pieces on him. But it could not touch Shiva, as He stopped the pieces in mid-way with supernatural power. But he blessed the demons that every day they would get at least one dead body for their meal. "Since that day the practice of a dead body's arrival to the adjoining cremation ground has never stopped. If on any particular day a body fails to arrive, the following day two dead bodies arrive. I have been a witness to this celestial reality for nearly thirty years," says Baba Mauji Ram, the priest at the adjoining cremation ground. People living in the vicinity bring their dead relatives to Chamunda Devi Temple's adjoining cremation ground. During "Shravan Ashtami" (during July-August) a grand fair is organised here. Besides the morning and evening prayers performed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is a divine experience, as the daily prayers are performed by locals in Sanskrit and Hindi language. Chamunda Devi Temple, which was being looked after by Pundits for generations, is today being taken care of by a trust under the supervision of the State Government.
Mar 21, 2007

Laksh-Chandi Mahayajna for world peace in Bikaner
by Jethmal Sharma

         Bikaner: One thousand five hundred Brahmin priests are performing an 18-day special Yajna (or, fire ritual) here to seek world peace and prosperity. "Laksh-Chandi Mahayajna", as the special yajna is known among Hindus, takes recitation of Durga Saptasati, a religious book, for one lakh times by Brahmin priests. It is considered the biggest yajna performed for peace and prosperity in Hinduism. "We have organised this yajna for world peace. We here are facing drought like situations here in Rajasthan. Our country is going through financial strains, so through these rituals we are trying to please god and goddess," said Dharprakash Maharaj, a holy man. "It is not any ordinary yajna. It is "Laksh-Chandi Mahayagya", the biggest yajna performed to please God for World peace and prosperity of people at large. This special yajna involves reciting of Durga Saptasati for one lakh times. Two other types of yajna known for the same purpose are "Sat Chandi" and "Sahastra Chandi" yajna that are performed at relatively lower scale," said Rajbir Kaushal Pati Goswami, a priest from Delhi . Being performed since February 22 to March 12, the "Laksh-Chandi Mayayagya" is being attended by over 50,000 devotees every day. About 3,000 visitors from various parts of country are camping for the entire duration along with a huge number of priests. The large-scale organisation of the yajna also involves events like Ram Katha (the religious discourse on Lord Rama's life) and the ongoing Srimad Bhagwat Katha (the religious discourse on the life of Lord Krishna). It costs over five lakh rupees a day for daily community kitchen, camping of the devotees and priests and to organise daily rituals of the yajna. Recently, nearly one lakh people celebrated the Holi festival with flowers on the eve of the holy festival here. Last year, Rajasthan had experienced unprecedented Monsoon rain with huge swathes of the desert region coming under water. At least 130 people were killed in floods and tens of thousands displaced in Barmer District, bordering Pakistan.
Mar 7, 2007

Lord Jagannath: Temple purification on foreigner's entry

         Puri (Orissa): After a non-Hindu American "desecrated" the sanctum sanctorum, a massive cleansing ritual of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa, was undertaken on Friday. Non-Hindus are barred from entering the temple, which is located 65 km south of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. But Paul Rodgier, a US national, accompanied by two Hindu Indians, entered the temple inadvertently on Thursday. The police picked up Rodgier and his companions after temple authorities threw them out of the temple. The temple authorities said they had to conduct a purification ritual as prescribed in Hindu scriptures following the desecration. "If the non-believer enters then we have to follow the rituals according to the records of rights. If such a man has entered the temple of Lord Jagannath then the holy idols have to be washed and the holy offering has to be thrown out," said Surya Narayan Rath Sharma, a priest of the Jagannath Temple. The police said Rodgier was not arrested as there was no such provision in the law. He was released after paying a fine of 209 rupees to the temple authorities. "At around 2.00 p.m., a US national and two Indians went to the temple. They purchased the tickets and went inside. The priests objected and the foreigner was evicted. When we received information, we came and took the three into custody," said Alekh Chaudhary Pahi, the Head Constable at the Puri Police station. Rodgier, a New Yorker, is in Orissa working on a National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) project. He said he was unaware of any such rule and missed the message on board outside the temple which said: "Only Hindus are allowed". "No, I had no idea. There was quite a fuss and I was escorted outside and told to wait outside which I did," said Rodgier. The 12th century Jagannath temple is one of the holiest places for Hindus and is usually swarmed with devotees, who come to get a glimpse of it. According to Hindu believers, Lord Jagannath is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Preserver, one of the trinity of the Hindu pantheon. The other two are Brahma, the Creator and Shiva, the Destroyer. Lord Jagannath's idol is carved in wood, unlike other Hindu temples where the idols are made of granite or a combination of metals. Mar 2, 2007

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