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🔴 RELIGIOUS CRIMES, BIG STORIES, ROWS
🔷 STOLEN MURTIS AUCTIONED From temple to auction house: The long journey of India’s stolen idols
Subhash Chandra Kapoor allegedly trafficked stolen Indian temple murtis into the international art market. Museums have been forced to return murtis to India that he sold them. Subhash Kapoor had a New York art gallery called, Art Of The Past. India asked Germany to extradite him to face charges for stealing a murti at the Varadaraja Perumal Temple at Suthamalli in Tamil Nadu. Germany extradites – but only for that charge.
Subhash Chandra Kapoor is found guilty, gets 10 years. The time he was sitting in prison waiting for the case counts. The 10 years are now over. India wants to try him for other stolen murtis but can’t – German law says he can only be tried for what he was extradited for. Legally, India must return him to Germany. He’s petitioning India for his return to Germany.
There’s another piece of the puzzle – America wants to try him for trafficking some murtis from India.
🔷 ISKCON SUSPENDED FDA suspends licence of ISKCON’s Govinda’s Restaurant, 2 others in Juhu over hygiene violations
There was reportedly no testing of drinking water, drains choked, no cockroach traps, pest infestation & food handlers working without aprons & gloves!
🔷 BAGESHWAR DHAM SLAMS BENGALIS Bhageshwar Dham faces police complaint in Kolkata over remarks on Bengali identity & food habits
Bhageshwar Baba aka Dharmendra Shastri said that Bengalis should not eat non veg during Durga Puja and they’re hypocrites.
🔷 BURNING BHAGESHWAR BABA PIC ‘Not in Bengal’: Suvendu Adhikari orders arrests over Bageshwar Baba photo burning
🔷 BENGAL CM FISH ROW
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari has fish at Kalighat temple, puts BJP’s non-veg row to rest Another article
This comes after Bageshwar Dham said Bengalis shouldn’t eat meat during Durga Puja.
🔷 GANESH EATING BIRIYANI Ganesha eating biryani banner lands Tamil Nadu shop owner in jail
🔷 STOLEN EMERALD MURTI Emerald Murugan idol stolen from Nadu Palani temple found in quarry, three detained
🔷 WB FISH OFFERING DEFENDED Congress leader defends fish offering at Kalighat as Bengal tradition
🔷 5 HOUR PAROLE Out Of Jail For 5 Hours, Bangladesh Hindu Monk, In Tears, Touches Idol’s Feet Another article
Imprisoned Bangladeshi ISKCON monk, Krishna Chinmoy Das, gets 5 hours parole to attend mother’s funeral. He wanted to be released to see her when she was alive.
🔷 108 DIPS DEATH Two elderly women from Rajasthan die while taking 108 ritual dips in Badrinath’s Tapt Kund
🔷 STONE PELTING FESTIVAL Madhya Pradesh: Over 1,000 Injured, Including 5-Year-Old Child, in Annual Stone-Pelting Festival Another article
🔷 TEMPLE LAND SOLD ILLEGALLY Devotees urge Vijay to take steps to retrieve properties of Nungambakkam temple
“They allege that more than 415 grounds belonging to Arulmigu Akilandeswari Sametha Agatheeswarar temple was illegally alienated by former temple trustees, along with certain officials of HR&CE Dept”
🔷 KIDNAPPED ON PILGRIMAGE Childless MP couple kidnaps infant from Mathura during pilgrimage; arrested
“A childless couple from Madhya Pradesh was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a five-month-old boy outside a railway station here after they were “tempted” upon seeing a family’s children”
🔷 ASI HINDERS TOURISM
Curbs imposed by ASI hinder promotion of Nurpur’s Brij Raj Swami Temple for tourism
🔷 STOLEN JEWELRY RETURNED Repentance At Display In Jhalawar Temple As Thief Returns Stolen Jewellery With ‘Interest’
🔷 KA COURT: PRIEST MONEY IS HIS Offerings Made To Hereditary Priest Are His Individual Income, Not Joint Family Property: Karnataka High Court
🔷 PANCHALOHA MURTI STOLEN Panchaloha idol stolen from temple in Thrissur
🔷 DEMOLISH ILLEGAL TEMPLE ‘Clearly An Illegal Structure’: Delhi High Court Orders Removal Of Temple Built Illegally On Nursery School Land
🔷 TEMPLE THEFT ARREST NTR police crack temple theft case, arrest three
🔷 TN TEMPLES SUFFERING Tamil Nadu Minister Declares Temples in Deplorable State, Vows Renovation
🔷 TEMPLE TRANSPARENCY
Explainer: How transparency is gaining primacy in temple operations
🔷 USING MURTIS TO STEAL LAND Bid to grab GMC land by placing idol and building wall thwarted by mayor
🔷 STREET VENDORS EVICTED Eviction ahead of consecration leaves street vendors around Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in lurch
🔷 AP TEMPLE FINED Andhra: Annavaram temple shop fined Rs 7 lakh for selling water bottle above MRP
🔴 TEMPLE NEWS, NON-CRIMES
🔷 PILGRIM DEATH MONEY Tirumala Temple To Give Rs 2 Lakh To Families Of Pilgrims Dying Of Natural Causes
🔷 GUJARAT KANCHI DHAM Neem Karoli Baba’s Gujarat ‘Kainchi Dham’ ready in 5 months:Founder says, Baba gave order in dream 3 years ago; temple built in Rancharda
🔷 TEMPLE FOR MARRIAGE Mehndi for marriage: Watch lakhs flocking to this Jaipur temple on Ganesh Chaturthi
Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple in Jaipur. “It is believed that applying the mehndi offered to Lord Ganesha brings good fortune, removes obstacles and helps unmarried men and women find suitable marriage prospects within a year.”
🔷 KASHI VISHWANATH Kashi Vishwanath Temple CEO transferred:Assigned responsibility as Deputy Secretary in UPSSSC, had created SOP for crowd control at temple
🔷 SIDDHIVINAYAK INTRO All you wanted to know about Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai
🔷 RAM MANDIR CHANGES Ayodhya: Can the Appointment of a CEO and Changes in Ram Mandir Trust Make a Difference?
🔷 MANSA DEVI NAVRATRI Mansa Devi temple readies for Navratras, over Rs 9cr works underway
🔷 ASSAM ELEPHANT Assam jumbo on 3,000-km trip to make Madurai temple its new home Another article
“…five-year-old Durga, owned by Assam resident Punya Pegu, is expected to be the first such elephant as it is expected to arrive at the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai from the northeastern state around 3,000 km away on September 14.”
🔷 GOLLALA GUDI 12th-century Telangana temple, lying in a state of neglect, gets national monument status
🔷 SOUND WORSHIPPED In the Beginning was the Word
“At Pournamikavu Devi Temple near Thiruvananthapuram, the Malayalam alphabet turns into a pantheon of deities, reflecting a tradition that sees sound as creative energy”
🔷 ADASA GANESH TEMPLE CM Devendra Fadnavis Grants ‘B’ Category Pilgrimage Site Status to Adasa Ganesh Temple
TN GANESH CHATURTHI Religious fervour, creativity, colossal offerings mark Vinayaka Chaturthi celebration in Tamil Nadu
🔷 QUEUE LINE WORKERS Queue-line works for Dasara festival begin at Indrakeeladri in AP
🔷 JAGANNATH TEMPLE RTI reply raises questions on Jagannath Temple’s Mukti Mandap representation
🔷 AP SPIRITUAL TOURISM Manginapudi Beach will become a spiritual and tourism hub, says Minister Kollu Ravindra
🔴 FESTIVALS
🔷 INDIA CELEBRATES GANESH CHATURTHI From Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja to festivities in Tamil Nadu: How India is celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi
🔷 GANESH MURTI GOLD & DIAMONDS This Hyderabad Ganpati arrived covered in 24-karat gold and 3,83,800 American diamonds, now ‘Lee-Chee Ka Raja’ has become one of the country’s biggest Ganeshotsav attractions
🔷 PUNE GANAPATI MANDALS African djembe group, anti-drug drives and traditional events to mark festivites at prominent Ganapati mandals in Pune
🔷 TELEGU DECKS UP Telugu States Deck Up for Ganesh Festivities From Monday; Grand Idols Ready
🔷 POLITICIANS AT GANAPATI From Lalbaugcha Raja to Srinagar’s Ganpatyar Temple, leaders join nationwide Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations
🔷 KA GOWRI GANESH K’taka celebrates Gowri-Ganesha festival with fervour; 3,000 CCTV cameras keep watch in B’luru
🔷 441 POUND LADOO UP: Muslim group offers two-quintal laddoo at temple on Ganesh Chaturthi
🔷 MUSLIM WOMAN LEADS GANESH ‘I’m an Indian first’: Muslim woman leading Ganeshotsav in Karnataka district for 18 years
🔷 BALIDAN DIWAS Kashmiri Pandits mark Balidan Diwas in Jammu; reiterate ‘genocide’ recognition, homeland demands
🔴 PILGRIMAGES
🔷 SABARIMALA PREP Keralam: Government allocates Rs 551.50 crore for Sabarimala pilgrimage preparations
🔴 CELEBS & POLITICIANS AT TEMPLES
🔷 KRITHI SHETTY Actor Krithi Shetty offers prayers at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala
🔷 PAWAN KALYAN Pawan Kalyan visits Guruvayur, offers prayers at Mammiyur Mahadeva temple
🔷 GOVINDA Govinda joins family for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations after US trip
🔷 USA AMBASSADOR US Ambassador Sergio Gor Offers Prayers At Lalbaugcha Raja On Ganesh Chaturthi
🔷 SHILPA SHETTY Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: Shilpa Shetty, Ankita Lokhande, Sunita Ahuja welcome Bappa. Watch
🔷 SALMAN KHAN Salman Khan Joins Family For Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations At Sohail Khan’s Mumbai Home
🔷 AKSHARDHAM POLITICAL VISITS BRICS Summit 2026: Akshardham temple gets heavy security amid foreign delegate visits
🔷 HANUMAN ANSH STAR
‘Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha’ cast meets ‘Hanuman Ansh’ star Shobinaw Satyaa in Varanasi
🔷 NEEM KAROLI BABA MOVIE Hanuman Ansh collection: Neem Karoli Baba film earns 118 times its budget; crosses Rs 236 cr mark
🔷 TAMANNAAH – Tamannaah’s Viral ‘Chhathi Maiya’ Song: Patna’s Temple Legend Behind It And Sidharth’s Bhojpuri Baggage
🔴 LISTS
🔷 FISH & MEAT PRASHAD Not Just Laddoos, At These Four West Bengal Temples Fish And Meat Are Offered As Sacred Bhog
🔷 10 ICONIC CELEBRATIONS Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: 10 Iconic Celebrations Across India Every Traveller Should Experience
🔷 7 COUNTRIES Ganesha Around The World: 7 Countries Where The Elephant-Headed God Is Revered
🔴 OVERSEAS HINDU NEWS
🇦🇺 REMOVE TULSI MALA “I’d rather follow my religion than break it”: 12-year-old Hindu boy chooses religion over football after being asked to remove tulsi mala in Australia
12 yo Australian boy, Shubh Patel, asked bt referee to remove his tulsi mala. He refused and sat out the rest of the game.
🇺🇲 BAPS NJ – How a former BAPS temple worker in the US got his freedom, but still seeks justice
The BAPS temple in New Jersey had a scandal where they allegedly had imported Dalit workers from India to come to America to build the temple. Once the workers got to the USA reportedly, their passports were confiscated by the temple, they were made to work long hours with low pay, couldn’t leave the temple complex, couldn’t talk to visitors etc. They filed a police complaint. BAPS temple was raided by cops. Case dismissed.
🇳🇵 NEPAL STOLEN ARTIFACTS Rescue Nepal’s stolen artefacts from auctioneers
🇳🇵 NEPAL’S HINDU RASHTRA DEBATE Nepal’s Hindu Rashtra Debate
🇦🇪 DUBAI RULES FOR GANESH CHATURTHI Hindu Temple Dubai issues Ganesha Chaturthi 2026 guidelines for Indian expat devotees in UAE
Eco friendly murtis, no public processions, be mindful of neighbors, immerse murti at home.
🇺🇲 TEXAS HANUMAN STATUE Bo French doesn’t understand American values. Hindus do. | Opinion
🇬🇧 GANGA AARTI IN LONDON! In A Historic First, London Hosts Ganga Aarti On Banks Of River Thames
🔴 MISC: RELIGIOUS
🔷 NEEM KAROLI BABA TOURISM UP govt announces new spiritual circuit dedicated to Neem Karoli Baba Another article
🔷 PRASHAD WASTE POWERING HOSPITAL In a first, Lalbaugcha Raja’s prasad waste to power KEM, Sion hospitals
“Named ‘Prasad to Power’, the plan is to recycle around 8–10 metric tonnes of wet waste daily to produce around 7,744 units of renewable energy for a period of 10 days during the festival.”
🔷 GANAPATI MURTIS SENT TO KASHMIR Chants of ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’ set to echo in Kashmir as Pune mandals send Ganesh idols for fest
🔷 HANUMAN ANSH PRODUCER Producer Anupriya Nagar meets Swami Kailashanand Giri after ‘Hanuman Ansh’ success
🔷 YOGI RASHTRIYA SENA Yogi Rashtriya Sena to expand nationwide; focus on Gurukul education, women’s safety
“Swami Rohtas Nath Yogi, chief of the Gorakhnath Temple at Gokulnagar in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, has announced plans to expand the newly registered Yogi Rashtriya Sena across the country, with a focus on Gurukul-based education, physical training, self-defence, cultural values and women’s safety.”
🔷 TEMPLE TENANTS Temple tenants urge CM to implement G.O. fixing rents
🔷 AYODHYA BEYOND RAM Beyond Ram temple, Ayodhya’s boom tells another story
🔴 MISC: NON-RELIGIOUS
🔷 FREE KASHMIR SIGNS
Leaders across party lines seek action against those raising ‘Free Kashmir’ slogans at Bengal’s Jadavpur University
🔷 BIHAR FLOOD CRISES Bihar Flood Crisis: Over 47 Lakh Affected As Ganga & Tributaries Remain Above Danger Levels
🔷 CHINMOY KRISHNA DAS A monk, a funeral and the ugly truth about Bangladesh
🔴 OTHER RELIGIONS
🔷 JAIN TEMPLE WAS TARGET Jain Temple Lal Mandir was the primary target; Red Fort became Plan B after traffic foiled terror plot: NIA
🔷 JAIN SECT TEMPLE DISPUTE SC asks, ‘Why trouble God? Will he be happy?’:Hearing ends on Rajasthan Mahavir Jain temple management dispute
The 2 sects, the Digambar and Shvetambar are fighting for control of the Shri Mahavir Ji Jain Temple in Rajasthan.
🔷 MUGHAL PRINCESSES FATE What happened to the Mughal princesses after the 1857 rebellion?
The book “Tears of the Begums” chronicles the stories of these women.
🔷 MP MOSQUE PARTIALLY DEMOLISHED Madhya Pradesh HC allows removal of part of 100 year old Ujjain Shahi mosque for road widening ahead of 2028 Simhastha Kumbh
🔷 BENGAL TO CLOSE 252 MADRASSAS Bengal government orders closure of 252 madrassas, show-cause notices to 100 others
🔷 OPERATION BLUESTAR 42 years on, shopkeepers displaced by Operation Blue Star to be given subsidised plots
🔷 GURU GRANTH SAHIB Amritsar’s Golden Temple Illuminated To Mark Guru Granth Sahib Anniversary
🔷 CANADA GURDWARA ATTACK Police charge suspect in Edmonton Sikh temple attack
🔷 GURPURB – SIKH FESTIVAL
Golden Temple sees sea of devotees as langars, processions mark Gurpurb
🔷 CHRISTIAN FORCED CREMATION Indian village forces Christian woman’s family to cremate her Another article
Hindu villagers in Nawagaon, Chhattisgarh objected when Christian family wanted to do a Christian burial. The villagers forced the family to cremate with Hindu rites!
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