Kerala : Kerala government not to file a review petition on Sabarimala case
According to the latest the Kerala government will not file a review petition on the Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.
“None can stop women into the Sabarimala temple, as the apex court has ordered to keep the temple open for all women. The state government will not file a review petition. Instead, we will implement the order,” said Vijayan speaking to the media.
The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), the custodian of the Sabarimala temple, at its special meeting here on Wednesday, also decided to accept the top court’s September 28 verdict. “We decided not to go in for an appeal against the verdict. We will do our best to make all arrangements to ensure smooth pilgrimage for all this season,” TDB President A. Padmakumar told media.
Tamil Nadu : Hundi stolen from a Temple near Kanchi
The hundi of the Sri Ponniamman temple at Chinna Vippedu village in Tiruporur taluk of the Kancheepuram district has been stolen.
The intruders are believed to have used the temple’s cloth to climb over the wall and escape. The thieves used a crowbar and tried to break the doors of the sanctum sanctorum, but were unsuccessful, the police said to the media.
A temple employee, Siva Narayanamurthi, had lodged a complaint with the police that when the priest opened the temple in the morning he found the Hundi missing. He said that the temple was more than 100 years-old and a common one for Chinna Vippedu and Periya Vippedu, the twin villages of the Tiruporur block.
Tamil Nadu : Six idols stolen from 1200 yr old Jain Temple
Six panchaloha idols were stolen from an ancient Jain temple, at Perumpugai near Gingee in the Villupuram district on Saturday.
According to the police, the theft came to light when Chandran, caretaker, went to the Mallinatha temple on Sunday morning. He found the lock broken and the idols of Mallinatha, Padmavathi, Jwalamalini, Dharanendran and Parshvanatha were missing. The police said Mr. Chandran kept the nearly 1,000-year-old temple open in the mornings.
The panchaloha idols of Mallinatha and 34 others were kept in the temple. However, only six of the idols were found missing. The value of the stolen idols has been estimated to be Rs. 2 crore.
A case has been registered and Superintendent of Police S. Jeyakumar along with his team are conducting the enquiries.
Kerala : 12the Century Janardhanagudi, Wayanad to get a facelift
The 12th-century old Janardhanagudi temple in Kerala’s Wayanad which is in a dilapidated state can now finally look for a facelift with the Government recently declaring it a national monument.
An artist’s delight, the temple’s huge stone pillars have nearly 300 intricate and elaborate carvings, sculpture of a fishing man, a primitive war scene featuring tuskers, a stone edict in old Kannada script, figures of Jain deities and sculptures of the ‘Dashavathara’. The temple was supposed to get the national tag after the nearby Vishnu temple (Vishnugudi), located just 700 meters away from it, got the same.
A senior official from the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) said that the ancient Janardhana and Vishnu temples at Punchavayal, near Panamaram, in Wayanad remain neglected in spite of an announcement by the then Union Minister V Narayanasamy Centre in 2009 that the two Jain temples would be declared national monuments.
These temples have been built according to the temple architecture of the Jain community, each with a ‘Garbhagudi’ (sanctum sanctorum), a ‘Navarangam’ (a place for sub deities), a ‘Kalasa Mandapam’ and a ‘Gopuram,’
However, while the ASI declared the Vishnugudi temple a national monument in September 2015, the nearby temple (Vishnugudi) has now finally come under the ASI umbrella.
The style of the sculptures and a stone edict on a wall of the Janardhana temple in old Kannada script show these temples may have been built during the reign of the Hoysala or the Vijayanagara dynasties in the Deccan plateau from the 12th to the 14th centuries, as per reports.
Karnataka : Government takes over the Gokarna Temple
As per the order of High Court of Karnataka the process of taking over the administration of Mahabaleshwar Temple of Gokarna was initiated on Wednesday with Deputy Commissioner of Uttar Kannada district S.S. Nakul taking charge as Chairman of the Temple Monitoring Committee.
The Deputy Commissioner oversaw the process of taking possession of the valuables pertaining to the temple including ornaments. All the valuables were weighed, recorded and then taken over by the committee.
Mr. Nakul told presspersons that the temple administration had been taken over as per the court order. He clarified that he was not aware of any confusion in the Ramachandrapur Mutt about the order. He said he had taken charge as per the guidelines issued by the Muzrai Department and very soon other members of the committee would be nominated.
The temple was handed over to Sri Ramachandrapur Mutt in 2008 when the BJP government was in power, leading to both celebration and protests. A section of the devotees had raised objection to the handing over and approached the High Court of Karnataka. They had contended that the temple was governed by rules of Religious Endowment Act of 1997 and it was wrong to hand over the temple to a mutt.
Subsequently, after hearing arguments, a divisional bench of the High Court comprising Justice B.V. Nagaratna and Justice Aravind Kumar had upheld their argument and annulled the government order and directed the State government to take back the administration of the temple.
Karnataka : Gotto and Statue of Our Lady of Velankanni in Kolanadu demolished
Some unknown criminals have demolished a grotto with the statue of Our Lady of Velankanni, Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), told the media.
The incident occurred on the night of September 27th in Kulal, near Kolnadu, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The GCIC, on behalf of its president, “condemns the incident and the growing intolerance against the Christian faith and extremism in Karnataka”.
What hurts even more the religious feeling of Christians, adds Sajan K George, “is the installation of idols [Hindu] and saffron flags [the color of the nationalists, ed] all around the place where the grotto to Our Lady is found since 1970. The parish priest erected this sanctuary and dedicated the grotto to Our Lady of Valikanni. The criminals have demolished both the grotto and the statue. They also ripped off the entrance gate and took away the poor box. ”
The police arrested two people – Jayarama Naika and Monappa Naika – and registered them in the register of suspects for various offenses under the Indian Penal Code. Ravikanthe Gowda, Dakshina District Police Superintendent, has suspended an agent for non-compliance.
In the meantime, a person filed a complaint stating that the grotto to Our Lady was built on disputed land. The leaders of the local Church, however, let it be known that permission to build the place of Christian worship had been granted by the owner of the land. Sajan K George concludes: “In Karnataka religion is often used as an instrument of divisionn, which wants to throw seeds of suspicion and tear the social fabric to create sectarian discord.”
Telangana : Indo- Arab League Mosque open to all
Recently non-Muslim visitors expressed happiness that a new Indo Arab-Cultural Center will soon be established in Hyderabad at Indo-Arab League Mosque premises. The planned centre, also houses the Indo-Arab Mosque at Road No 10, Banjara Hills, and will be the first in Hyderabad to showcase decades-old historic Indo-Arab relations.
On Sunday, the Indo – Arab Mosque was opened to all, including non-Muslim community as part of open mosque programme aimed at minimizing communal barriers in the society. Members of different communities, including women, children and professionals visited the mosque where volunteers explained them about the basics of Muslim prayers and tenets of Islam.
A gallery of charts was also set up Dr Mir Akbar Ali Khan, vice chairman, Indo – Arab League Hyderabad said,” The foundation for this mosque was laid by Grand Mufti of Palestine Shaikh Ikrimah Sabri on December 13, 1993 who visited Hyderabad on a personal invitation of Indo Arab League Hyderabad, Chairman Syed Vicaruddin. The mosque, also known as Masjid Rahmat-e-Alam, can accommodate 2,000 persons at any given time.” He said, “Through the open mosque programme, the Indo-Arab League Hyderabad is aiming to minimize the gap between Muslims and other communities and clear the misconceptions among non-Muslims regarding Muslims and Islam in an effort to bolster communal harmony.”
Indo-Arab League Hyderabad, which is one of the very few organizations to be recognized by United Nations, has previously announced to offer space for free for the Palestinian embassy if the Palestinian government wanted at this cultural center.
Andhra Pradesh : Srisailam gears up for Navaratri fete
The Srisailam temple authorities are making elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of nine-day Dasara Mahotsavam, also known as Navaratri fete, at Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Varla Devasthanam from October 10.
The invitation cards will be distributed from Thursday. Sannidhi Suddhi (cleaning of the temple) will also be performed,” temple staff said. The Navaratri fete will start from October 10 and conclude on October 18 with Chandi Yagam, Purnahuti and Shami puja, on the day of Dasara.
The nine-day Mahotsavam will start on October 10 with special pujas such as Utsava Sankalpam and Ganapati puja at temple yagasala. Special pujas will be performed every day at the temple from 8 am to 9 pm as a part of the Mahotsavam.
The temple authorities ssaid that they are expecting more than 10 lakh devotees for Dasara. Efforts are on to provide annadanam and water supply, electrify ghat road, set up cloakrooms, chappal stands, toilets and temporary dressing rooms for the convenience of devotees.
The officials are taking steps to arrange parking lots near the temple. They are also planning to erect arches at various places in Srisailam town welcoming the pilgrims; arrange lighting facility at bathing ghats and at Pathala Ganga. Barricades are being arranged for special queue lines on temple premises.
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