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🔴 RELIGIOUS CRIMES, BIG STORIES, ROWS
🔷 MISSING SADHUS FOUND BURIED
Missing sadhus found buried near Haridwar temple; priest, others under scanner
“A suspected double murder has come to light in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar after the bodies of two sadhus were found buried near the Pathreshwar Mahadev Temple.”
Temple’s chief priest under suspicion and in the run since bodies found! Read that article here. Another article
🔷 JAGANNATH TRADEMARKS
Puri Jagannath Temple Secures Trademark Protection for Five More Sacred Terms
Puri Jagannath Temple Gets trademark for 5 more sacred terms including ‘Jagannath Dham’, ‘Shree Kshetra’, ‘Mahaprasada’, ‘Nilachakra’ and ‘Koili Vaikuntha’.
A trademark for “MahaPrasada” is problematic. Is only Jagannath’s prashad “mahaprasada” and not Shiva’s? How about Durga or Venkateswara – their blessed food is not “mahaprasada”? It’s arrogant of this Puri temple to trademark such a term.
It was done because the Digha Jagannath Temple in Bengal was saying they have mahaprasada. That angered the Puri temple.
🔷 15,000 PILGRIMS STRANDED
Amarnath, Mata Vaishno Devi Yatras Remain Suspended for Sixth Day; Over 15,000 Pilgrims Stranded
🔷 NO MORE TOUCH & PRAY
No more touch-&-pray: Gokarna temple in Karnataka ends centuries-old ritual
“The famed Mahaganapathi Temple in Gokarna, renowned for its centuries-old Sparsh Darshan — where devotees could touch the deity while offering prayers — has permanently stopped the practice to protect its ancient stone idol from further damage”
🔷 MARIAMMAN THEFT?
Samayapuram Mariamman temple worker suspended over DVAC inquiry
Suspended for amassing wealth beyond income. Theft implication.
🔷 ART OF LIVING ROW!
Art of Living denies land encroachment charges as Karnataka govt forms SIT
The religious group, Art Of Living, was founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
🔷 ANUPAM KHER AYODHYA ROW
The Mughals looted temples over 1,000 years ago! They’re dead and gone. To compare Mughals looting with Hindus who fought for the Ram Temple to be built then turned around and stole crores of donations – is an incomprehensible analogy! It’s apples and oranges.
So because the Mughals looted temples, does that mean you get a free pass to steal from Lord Ram? Don’t forget the thefts from Sabarimala, Badrinath, Manasa Devi, and smaller temples EVERY DAY in India!
No, you cannot use the Mughals as an excuse anymore for your wicked behavior. Stop crying about Mughals and take accountability for your own actions.
🔷 SRIRANGAM FUNERAL PRIESTS PROTEST
Srirangam temple priests hold road roko
“Trichy: Priests who perform rituals for last rites at Amma Mandapam in Srirangam held a road roko on Tuesday, alleging that a land survey being carried out could eventually lead to their eviction, and affect their livelihood.”
🔷 SHIVA TEMPLE THEFT
Gold ornaments, bronze objects stolen from temple
10 lakh worth of gold and bronze ornaments stolen from Tamil Nadu Shiva temple in Vannivedu village.
“Instances of theft had occurred in the premises more than 40 times in the past two decades. The police said that the isolated location of the temple and lack of security measures including CCTV cameras in the temple could have been reasons for the theft.”
🔷 SAMBHAL MOSQUE ROW
Sambhal Temple-Mosque Row: Court Postpones Hearing To August 25
Some Hindus say the Shahi Jama Masjid in UP is really a Harihara Temple. Mastery in court.
🔷 STAMPEDE DEATHS
Ten States Account for 84% of India’s Stampede Deaths
🔷 SABARIMALA GOLD THEFT
Sabarimala Gold Loss: SIT Says Former TDB Chief Ignored Recommendation On Traditional Replating
🔷 SABARIMALA – ARRESTED TANTRIS SON IN CHARGE
Brahmadathan eligible for tantri’s post; Expert panel approves, informs Devaswom Board
The tantri is in charge of religious rituals in Kerala temples.
The original tantri, Kandararu Rajeevaru was arrested in the Sabarimala gold theft case. His son, Brahmadathan is eligible to be the new tantri.
If the father was arrested in the gold theft case, then you have to wonder what values he passed down to his son.
🔷 AI ENABLED CCTV FOR THEFT
BKTC to deploy AI-enabled CCTV storage at Badrinath, Kedarnath after temple offerings theft
🔷 PILGRIMAGE DEATHS
2 Haryana men returning from Ayodhya killed in Agra crash
🔷 TEMPLE THIEF RECAPTURED
Temple theft suspect recaptured after 2-day manhunt in Satya Sai district
Suspect accused of stealing money from Shiva temple hundi. Escaped by scaling police wall and fleeing through adjacent govt hospital.
🔷 TEMPLE HOAX, GIRL RAPED
Bengaluru girl lured on pretext of temple visit, forced to drink alcohol and raped
🔷 HINDU CONVERSION
Jammu Kashmir HC Dismisses Father’s Habeas Corpus Plea Over Adult Daughter
Kashmiri dad petitions court saying Muslim daughter had nikah (Muslim marriage) still in effect when she got married at Arya Samaj & converted.
🔷 HANUMAN MURTI STOLEN
Hanuman Idol Stolen From Tirumala Ghat Road Recovered In 15 Hours, Accused Arrested
🔷 DISGUISED AS HINDUS
Two women held over theft attempt at Manikganj temple
“Two women have been detained in Manikganj after allegedly entering a temple disguised as Hindu devotees and attempting to steal a gold chain from a worshipper.”
🔷 ILLEGAL LAND SALE
Land near Mahakal Temple sold to firm linked to Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA, high court issues notice
🔷 SILVER SHIVLING COVER THEFT
🔷 RE-CLAIMING JAGANNATH LAND
Odisha launches drive to reclaim over 60,000 acres of Jagannath Temple land
🔷 MISSING MURTIS AT BIG TEMPLE?
After Madras High Court order on missing idols plea, officials inspect Big Temple
🔷 MIRIAM LAMP HILL ROW
BJP’s Annamalai slams DMK for HR&CE appeal on Arulmigu Subramaniyaswami Temple lamp lighting
🔷 DALIT CHRISTIAN DENIED BURIAL
Dalit man laid to rest after 3-day standoff over cemetery rights in TN
Upper caste Christians didn’t want the Dalit Christian buried in the same grave yard. If they’ve converted to Christianity, why are they still practicing the Hindu caste system?
🔴 RAM DONATION THEFT
🔷 RAM CEO APPOINTMENT BEING CHOSEN
Ram Temple CEO Appointment Begins, But General Secretary Post Holds Real Power
What’s the point of appointing a new CEO if the General Secretary has more power than the CEO? Why not replace the General Secretary?
🔷 COURT WANTS NEW SIT
Supreme Court seeks new SIT in Ram temple donation theft case, cites transparency
🔷 250 AYODHYA SEERS MEET
250 Ayodhya seers to meet to discuss Ram temple rituals, trust reforms RSS & VHP leaders to meet the seers. Read here
“Seers to ensure all religious rituals, festivals are conducted in accordance with Vaishnava Ramanandi tradition and restore devotees’ confidence following alleged donation theft case”
🔷 SANTS UNITE
🔷 RAM TRUST TRAINING PRIESTS
“A permanent school will be built in the Ram Mandir complex in Ayodhya for the training of priests. Priests will be trained according to Vedic and Ramanandi traditions for temples across the country.”
🔷 PANEL TO SUPERVISE
Ayodhya Ram Temple gets permanent panel to supervise religious affairs
🔷 RAM PANEL MEMBERS NOT QUALIFIED!
From Shankaracharya to Ramayana scholars, Ram temple’s new panel brings together top seers Another article
The panel members are in charge of temple’s religious affairs, & are NOT Ramanandi, the sampradaya of the Ayodhya temple!
How are people from other sampradayas going to be in charge of Ramanandi religious affairs?
Ramanandis believe Ram is the Supreme God and Vishnu is his incarnation. If people in the panel are Smarta & Madhava Vaishnava, they don’t hold that belief in Ram’s supremecy so how are they going to recommend rituals and programs that go against their own beliefs?
Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Saraswati, appointed to the panel, belongs to the Smarta sampradaya – a different religion from Ramanandi that sees other devas as equal to Vishnu. Swami Vishwaprasannatirth of Karnataka’s Pejawar Math is from the Madhava Sampradaya. They have different beliefs from Ramanandi – they believe Ram is Vishnu’s incarnation and man and God are not 1 but separate.
🔷 INDIAN INTEGRITY
Ram Mandir Donation Theft Marks ‘Nadir of Indian’s Integrity’: Allahabad High Court Judge
🔷 LUCKNOW CONNECTION
Ram Temple donation ‘theft’ probe expands to Lucknow
🔷 TRUST BLAMES SBI
Ram Temple Trust Blames SBI Over Donation Theft, Questions Remain on Role of Office Bearers
🔴 TEMPLE NEWS, NON-CRIMES
🔷 DIGITAL PUJA
Digital puja services to begin at Kangras Baijnath, Mahakal temples from July 30
🔷 TRILOKPUR TEMPLE BUDGET
Trilokpur Temple passes Rs 23-cr budget; streamlines donation accounting
🔷 NON-HEREDITARY TRUSTEES
Tamil Nadu government to appoint non-hereditary trustees to 8,193 temples
🔷 MANDAPAM FIRE DAMAGE
Madurai temple fire-damaged mandapam set for completion in 2 months
🔷 SRIRANGAM & WORLD HERITAGE
🔷 UTTARAKHAND TEMPLE DEVELOPMENT
🔷 CLEANLINESS DRIVE
Cleanliness drive ensures quality prasadam at Rajanna Temple
🔷 JYESHTABHISHEKAM AT TIRUPATI
Three-day ‘Jyeshtabhishekam’ begins at Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple in Tirupati
🔴 FESTIVALS
🔷 KHARCHI FESTIVAL
Tripura’s sacred Snan Yatra marks ceremonial start of Kharchi Festival
🔷 NEPAL SHRAVAN
Thousands of Devotees from Nepal and India Flock Pashupatinath on First Monday of Holy Shrawan
For North India, Shravan will start on July 30th. South India begins 2 weeks later.
🔷 KANWAR YATRA 2026
🔷 BAHUDA YATRA
Puri All Set For Bahuda Yatra; Millions Of Devotees Gather
🔷 SANDHYA DARSHAN
What Is Sandhya Darshan? The Sacred Ritual Before Lord Jagannatha’s Return Journey
🔷 LOOTING SACRED FOOD FESTIVAL
Devotees ‘Loot’ Sacred Food Offerings in Bengal’s 286-Year-Old Ritual
🔷 AADI MONTH
Tamil Nadu: Special prayers held at Vanchiyamman Temple in Vellore on second Friday of Aadi month
🔴 PILGRIMAGES
🔷 MAHAKUMBH INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Uttarakhand CM launches Rs 235 crore infrastructure projects in Haridwar for Maha Kumbh 2027
🔴 CELEBS & POLITICIANS AT TEMPLES
🔷 RISHAB RIKHIRAM SHARMA
🔷 DEEPIKA SINGH
‘Diya Aur Baati Hum’ fame Deepika Singh shares glimpse of her spiritual journey in Vrindavan
🔷 MYSORE ROYAL FAMILY
Mysore Royal Family Offers Prayers at Tirumala
🔷 J&K CHIEF SECRETARY
J&K Chief Secy participates in Pratishthan Divas celebrations at Uma Bhagwati shrine in Anantnag
🔷 HP GOV
🔷 FRENCH ENVOY
French envoy tours Tibetan Monasteries, Golden Temple at Bylakuppe
🔷 MAHARASHTRA CM
Fadnavis to preside over Shasakiya Mahapuja at Vitthal Rukhmini temple in Pandharpur
🔴 LISTS
🔷 5 VANDE BHARAT ROUTES
5 Vande Bharat routes that take you to famous Shiva temples during the month of Sawan
🔷 5 HIDDEN SPIRITUAL PLACES
Hidden Spiritual Places in India Beyond Varanasi You Must Visit: Unakoti to Maheshwar, Here Are 5
🔷 MODERN INVENTIONS WORSHIPPED
5 places around the globe where modern inventions are worshipped
🔴 OVERSEAS HINDU NEWS
No Diwali Holiday In California As Court Strikes Down Governor Gavin’s Order
🔴 MISC: RELIGIOUS
🔷 1,600 YO HAVAHART MURTIS FOUND
1,600-Year-Old Ganesha Statues Unearthed In Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur
The 2 small murtis found while plougjing a field. Made from red sandstone.
🔷 GANGA CORRIDOR PROJECT
Uttarakhand CM Dhami launches Rs 235-crore Ganga Corridor projects ahead of 2027 Mahakumbh
🔷 VARUN JAPA
Priests Perform ‘Varuna Japam’ for Good Rainfall
🔷 RAIN RITUALS IN TELENGANA
With monsoon faltering, temples hold special rituals for rain in Telangana
🔷 GOA SPIRITUAL TOURISM
Goa to launch ‘Ekadasha Teertha Yatra’ to promote spiritual tourism
🔴 MISC: NON-RELIGIOUS
🔷 BJP, RAM MANDIR & ARTICLE 370
🔷 WEDDING DESTINATIONS
🔷 WHO OWNS BANGLADESH
Who owns Bangladesh’s identity? The battle for its secular soul
🔷 ASSAM UNDER SEA
Parts of Assam were once under sea: Study
🔷 CULTURAL FESTIVALS
India’s lesser-known cultural festivals that will surprise you
🔴 OTHER RELIGIONS
🔷 150 YO MOSQUE TO BE DEMOLISHED
Indian Muslims go to court to save 150-year-old mosque
“The appeal, filed before a district court in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, challenges a city magistrate’s order requiring the demolition of the historic Collectorate Mosque and imposing a fine of more than 60 million Indian rupees ($623,000).”
🔷 BHOJSHALA MUSLIMS
‘We don’t have helicopters’: Muslim side alleges namaz site too far from Bhojshala
Bhojshala in MP ruled to be ancient Saraswati temple. Alternative site to be picked for Muslims
🔷 CHRISTIANS IMPRISONED
Christians imprisoned under India’s ‘anti-conversion’ law
“Six pastors and another Christian in India have begun serving their five-year prison sentences under an “anti-conversion” law, two years after they were falsely accused at a child’s birthday party…’By entangling these six pastors in a false case, opponents have succeeded in shutting down churches at six locations, scattering the believers and instilling fear in them,’ a source told Morning Star News.”
🔷 SIKHS
US scholarship winner who championed Sikh studies in New Jersey dies in accidental firing
“A scholarship winner and a key figure behind a US state’s decision to incorporate Sikhism into its social studies curriculum, 20-year-old Gurikpreet Singh died when his father’s licensed firearm allegedly misfired at the time he was cleaning it”
🔷 GREEK GODS WORSHIPPED
These people say worshiping ancient Greek gods is a route to modern happiness
🔷 850 BUDDHIST PILGRIMS
Bodh Gaya Welcomes 850 Buddhist Pilgrims As Maharashtra Govt Launches Free Special Train Pilgrimage
🔷 JAIN TEMPLE BUILT WITH BUTTER
Bhandasar Jain Temple
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