Tamil Nadu: Breaking caste barriers – appoints first non-Brahmin Priest
A temple in Madurai has broken caste barriers by appointing a non-Brahmin as a priest, this is the first time a temple run by the Tamil Nadu government has appointed a non-Brahmin priest.
The priest speaking to the media said that he joined the temple three months ago and was appointed through the due interview process. The Karunanidhi-led DMK government offered a ‘junior priest certificate’ course in 2007-08 for all castes, and the priest was one of the 206 people trained. Six training centres had been established for the training.
The administration of the temples in the state is done by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR and CE) department. Priests at temples are appointed according to the individual temple’s Agamas Shastra (the manual for worship, temple building and rituals).
Telangana : Annual ‘Bonalu Jatara celebrated with lot of Religious fervor
The Annual Jatra, Bonalu at Secunderbad Ujjaini Mahankali witnessed lakhs of the people thronging in large number to the temple from the early hours and offering special poojas as well as Bonalu (rice cooked with milk and jaggery) to the presiding deity on Sunday marking the two-day annual Jatra.
A special attraction of this year’s bonalu is the golden bonam pot, made up of 3.80 kgs of gold. The bonam was offered to the Goddess by TRS MP K Kavitha. The bonam in the golden pot was presented to the Goddess along with those offered by 1,108 women devotees, all wearing similar saris. A Shoba Yatra was held from Adayyanagar Kaman, the residence of Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav to the Ujjaini Mahankali temple amidst drum beats and dance performances by the cultural troupes.
The golden bonam was made out of the gold donated to the temple over the years by devotees. Nearly 10 kgs gold was melted from the kanukas (donations). After using gold for the pot, the rest is being preserved in a locker and will be utilised for a golden saree for the goddess, which might be presented during the Navaratri festivities. The tender has been secured by Manepally Jewellers.
Telanagana : Lashkar Bonalu – Jogini Syamala Lambasts Government
During the Ujjaini Mahankali Bonalu Jatara last evening, Jogini Syamala lambasted the government and police over poor arrangements for Bonalu and said that they had failed to provide proper facilities for devotees. She said that devotees had to suffer a lot due to lack of coordination. Angered by the lack of facilities, she cursed saying that the Telangana government would fall very soon.
Reacting to the words of Jogini Syamala, minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said he was told that Jogini Syamala faced little difficulty near the temple during Bonalu. Speaking to media after today’s Rangam programme, the minister accepted that devotees had to face minor problems. Jogini Syamala should understand that when there are lakhs of devotees such small lapses happens.
Talasani brushed aside Syamala’s comment that the state government would fall and said her comments against the government was not correct. He went on to say that Bonalu was a huge success with unprecedented number of devotees and even foreigners participating in the celebrations.
Telangana : Saree donated by CM vanishes from Kaleshwaram Temple
After diamond studded bangles, a sari donated by the Telangana Chief Minister, K Chandrashekar Rao went missing from the Kaleshwaram temple. The sari was donated by the chief minister in 2016 as part of his vow to fulfil state formation. The thief has since been caught and the sari recovered.
The theft came to light as part of an audit undertaken by the endowment department of all temples in the state. The department has initiated action against some employees, including a superintendent in connection with the theft. Srinivas Rao, Additional Commissioner, Endowment department, issued orders to initiate disciplinary action against Kaleshwaram temple superintendent and former executive officer B. Srinivas, senior assistant U. Uma Maheshwar Rao and other employees for the theft.
The theft of the silk sari offered to Goddess Parwati by the chief minister at the Kaleshwaram temple came to light on July 21, but was initially denied by the temple officials. However, an inquiry by the endowment department found that the sari the officials had submitted at the time of the audit, was not the one donated by the chief minister.
When CCTV footage was reviewed, it was revealed that an employee working in the temple stole the sari from the storeroom and replaced it with another he had bought from Warangal. The officials have recovered the sari, reported Deccan Chronicle.
The missing diamond studded bangles from the Laxminarasimha Swamy temple are yet to be recovered, but officials overseeing temple activities have since then been transferred. The bangles, worth Rs 6 lakh were reportedly donated to the temple by a NRI devotee. In June, the temple’s administration conducted an audit of the temple’s properties and had published a list of its jewels, but found the bangles missing from the list.
The NRI devotee, a lady, had reportedly donated the bangles anonymously. When she was informed that the bangles had gone ‘missing’, she called up the authorities but was denied any information.
Tamil Nadu : Pilgrims throng Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Snows Festival
Thousands of pilgrims gathered at the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Snows as the 11-day festival commenced with flag-hoisting here on Thursday.
A large number of Christians offered prayers at the first mass at 5 a.m. and the second mass at 6 a.m. Rituals continued with a mass at 7.30 a.m. The ceremonial flag, blessed by the bishop of Thoothukudi Roman Catholic Diocese, Rt.Rev. Fr. Yvon Ambroise, was taken out from the basilica in a procession.
Amidst a huge gathering of worshippers, the bishop hoisted the flag, in the presence of Rev. Fr. Lerin de Rose , rector and parish priest, and other clergies, after the mass was over at 9 a.m.
The worshippers chanted ‘Mariyae Vazhga’ while the flag went up the mast. A number of white doves symbolising ‘eternal peace’ were released on the occasion. At noon, Mother Mary was adorned with a golden crown. The worshippers served milk and banana to the attendants.
Beach Road was closed to vehicular traffic for a while due to a huge turnout. Security arrangements were enhanced with deployment of police personnel in the vicinity of the basilica. MLA Geetha Jeevan, Collector Sandeep Nanduri and Superintendent of Police Murali Rambha attended the festival.
Karnataka : 614th Urs-e-Shareef of Sufi saint Hazrath Khwaja Bandenawaz Gesudiraz celebrated
Thousands of Hindus and Muslims from across the country thronged the 614th Urs-e-Shareef of Sufi saint Hazrath Khwaja Bandenawaz Gesudiraz who spent his entire life on building a permanent bond between the people of different communities in the Hyderabad Karnataka region, that began in Kalaburagi on Sunday with special prayers at the Mehboob Gulshan Public Garden and a Sandal procession.
Right from the morning, a large number of people gathered at the public garden to participate in the five-day traditional ritual [namaz], presided over by the Sajjada Nasheen of the dargah Shareef Syed Shaha Khuro Hussaini.
The procession carrying the sandal paste, which will be used to anoint the tomb of Khwaja Bandenawaz on Monday, was preceded by religious ceremonies in the morning. The first religious ritual was the Khidmat-e-Farrashi and Band Sama at the dargah shareef, followed by special namaz and an address by the Sajjada Nasheen and Namaz-e-Asr. The procession of sandal paste passed through the Mehbaz Masjid in the Super Market to offer the Namaaz-e-Maghrib, before it culminated at the dargah shareef, where it was received at the Gyarah Sidi (eleven steps leading to the dargah shareef).
The dargah shareef has been bedecked for the main function of anointment the tomb of Khwaja Bandanawaz, located in the sprawling mausoleum, with the sandal paste. the tomb was constructed by the then Bahmani King Ahmed Shah Wali Bahmani.
Telangana : Rare Islamic Paintings Exhibition Held
Exquisite and rare paintings of relics of Prophets of Islam and historical monuments were on display during a 3-day exhibition held at Urdu Hall in Hyderabad from July 27 to 29.
The exhibition is a work of eminent artist Ahmed Fasiuddin, and will feature work depicting important incidents in Islamic history including the drowning of Pharaoh with his army in Nile river, the well of Hazrath Yaqoob (Prophet Jacob), the mountain peak where arc of Hazrath Nooh (Prophet Noah) were found, Jabl-e- Rahmath (Mount of Mercy) where Prophet Adam and Eve were reunited, and where Prophet Mohammed PBUH delivered his last sermon will be on display.
Speaking to The Hans India, the Nalgonda-based artist said that these painting were made by charcoal, crayons, sepia (the reddish-brown colour of photographs in the past), water colours and other material. The size of the paintings would be 12*18 and more and it takes nearly 1 to 2 days for coming up with a painting. He is a regular visitor to not only Gulf countries, but also to Europe and USA for procuring material and getting new ideas.
Fasiuddin said that he was a poster artist by profession like M F Hussain and happened to visit an art gallery being organised in Salar Jung Museum. From here his career took a turn and he started making paintings. “More than 50 such paintings of rare Islamic relics will be on display. The exhibited paintings will also have supporting descriptions”, he added.
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