Temples & Pilgrimage
Sri Lanka’s Tirukoneswaram Kovil
Trincomalee’s ancient clifftop shrine has outlasted empires, survived colonial destruction, and continues to draw pilgri…
Topic
Temples & Pilgrimage
179 articles
Temples & Pilgrimage
Exploring the Kali Gandaki River and Muktinath Temple
Join our writer’s remarkable journey up the Kali Gandaki River, source of the Shalagrama fossil stones sacred to Lord Vi…
Spiritual Life
Kumbh Mela 2025: Behind the Scenes
Just what does it take to build a temporary city for 660 million people? By Pramil Dwivedi, PrayagAll Photos: Pramil [&h…
Spiritual Life
Immersed in the Sacred
A pilgrim’s diary from the Mahakumbh Mela By Hurditya DevaAll Photos: Hurditya Deva From an early age, i have been [&hel…
Spiritual Life
My Daughter’s Kumbh
What we had to overcome just to get to the Mela, leave alone have a divine experience By Choodie Shivaram […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
How Women Experience the Mela
The sacred bath in Ganga’s lap, they say, connects them and their families to ancestors and descendants in a timeless [&…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Girnar Mountain, a Spiritual Journey of Ten Thousand Steps
Exploring the physical and mystical stages of this revered pilgrimage, while embracing struggle, silence and self-discov…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Sacred Site of Ram & Sita’s Wedding
The new temple in Ayodhya at Ram’s birthplace has cast a spotlight onNepal’s Janaki Temple—Sita’s home, where She and Ra…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Lord Ganesha’s Mumbai Home
Our writer does a deep dive into the history, legal wranglings,celebrations and undeniable dynamism of the iconic temple…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Capturing Divinity
India’s ancient crafts, thriving to this day, tell awe-inspiring tales of human creativity and religious fervor. Stone e…
Spiritual Life
Awesome Kedarnath
A Malaysian survives a monsoon-pelted yatra to Siva’s Himalayan home Aravindraj Chandrasekaran, Kuala Lumpur Growing up …
Spiritual Life
Join in Nallur Temple’s Awesome Annual Festival
Every year in the fall, tens of thousands of Hindus and others come to participate in all or part of […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Ganga Water Pilgrimage
Yearly in mid-summer, millions of Hindus walk to Haridwar in the Kanvar Yatra to collect and carry back Gangajal for [&h…
Spiritual Life
A Journey of Devotion
Ram Rath Yatra Traverses 27,000 Miles to Unite Hindus Across the US By Reena Rathore, US In a monumental effort [&hellip…
Temples & Pilgrimage
200 Deities Pilgrimage to Mandi for Mahasivaratri
Join our reporter for the little-known, week-long celebration of Mahasivaratri in the Himalayan foothills, attended by …
Spiritual Life
Visiting a Hindu Temple
A Beginner’s Guide Be they luxurious palaces, rustic warehouses, simple halls or stone sanctuaries, Hindu temples …
Spiritual Life
Guardians of South Indian Saivism
Four monastic centers serve Siva in South India and manage temple wealth By Kay Koppedrayer, PhD The fertile kaveri rive…
Global Dharma
Global Dharma
India Kashi Vishwanath Temple Innovates Kashi vishwanath temple of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, one of the 12 Jyotirli…
Spiritual Life
Ram Janmabhoomi
Let the Pilgrimages Begin! In the sacred land where flows the Sarayu River, Ram Lala has made His divine return [&…
Spiritual Life
ADI SHANKARA
India’s Great Spiritual General Written by Swami Advayananda, Brahmacharini Taarini Chaitanya & Sudarshan Rama…
History
Kashmir’s Temples Emerge from Difficult Times Stronger than Ever
While not on the scale of some built by ancient kings, 6,000 temples dot the landscape, many being rebuilt with [&hellip…
Spiritual Life
The Sweet Nectar of Madurai
From the grand Meenakshi citadel to hundreds of roadside shrines, explore the historic streets of this deeply devout Sou…
Spiritual Life
I Surrendered to Kailash’s Embrace
How I defied the odds to rapidly prepare for a grueling but liberating trek on foot around the most sacred […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Ellora Caves & the Siva Temple Carved Out of Solid Rock
The caves of Ellora, culminating in the famed free-standing Kailasanatha Temple, were hand-carved from a mountain during…
Temples & Pilgrimage
New Temple Signals a Peaceful Turn for Kashmir
Decades after the violent expulsion of the Kashmir Pandits from the Kashmir Valley, peace has largely been restored and …
Temples & Pilgrimage
America’s Largest Hindu Temple Opens in New Jersey
By Lavina Melwani, New York City All photos from BAPS You can now travel to india without boarding a plane […]
History
Tamil Nadu’s Remarkable Copper Plate Discovery
Long-lost hymns from revered 7th-century Saivite saints may be among the treasure By S. Krishnan, Tamil Nadu, India The …
History
The Hallowed Halls of Hampi
The austere, grand site of Hampi in Karnataka, India, was the prosperous capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. For over 20…
Spiritual Life
Seven Hindu Festivals!
JOYOUS OCCASIONS THAT ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF SANATANA DHARMA Hinduism is celebratory by nature. Hindus miss no opport…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Embers of Devotion
A Rishi’s Reflections about One of History’s Oldest Forms of Worship The following is a selection of verses from Rishi […
Spiritual Life
My Sabarimala Pilgrimage
A devotee’s experience of the grueling journey to Sabarimala Temple, hiking through mountain trails to Ayyappa’s reveale…
Publisher's Editorials
Virtual Reality & Temple Mysticism
Comparing the Evolving Digital World and Metaverse With Experience in the Traditional Hindu Innerverse By Satguru Bodhin…
History
Temple Inscriptions
Illuminating the pivotal role of ancient Hindu temples in the preservation of South India’s history encapsulated by chro…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Holy Ganga, from Varanasi to the Sea
For the millions of devout Hindus living close to Ganga, every day is full of blessings from the sacred river. [……
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Amazing Grass-Roots Effort to Restore South India’s Neglected Temples
Volunteers are renovating dilapidated structures, training musicians, providing needed temple supplies and more Article …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Girivalam—A Walk to Liberate
My circumambulation of Arunachala mountain in Thiruvannamalai for three years leads me towards ending the circle of birt…
By Young Writers
Making Mandirs Cool Again
Historically, the Hindu temple was not only the religious center of each village but a social, cultural and even busines…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Ancient Agamas Have Solutions for Modern Issues in Temple Administration
These detailed manuals cover everything from how to build temples to the worship rituals and every aspect of practical m…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Unusual Temples & Shrines of India
A Special Feature BY ANURADHA GOYAL Every hindu temple is a home of its deities, where they live just like […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Famed Kerala Temple Wins Supreme Court Decision
After a decade, trusteeship of this fabulously wealthy temple of Lord Vishnu has finally been returned to the ruling fam…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Explore India via Google Arts & Culture
From the golden temple of amritsar to the rock-cut architecture of Ellora and Elephanta Caves, from the Sun Temple of [&…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Our 2020 Hindus of the Year
Chidambaram’s Dikshitar priests have faithfully served the temple for over two millennia By Choodie Shivaram, Bengaluru …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Feature: Nepal’s Revered Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath, by far Nepal’s most popular temple, dates back to at least the 1st century ce and has been expanded [&hel…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Sadhana: Pilgrimage: for Reflection or for Family
A comparison between traveling to holy places alone for self-reflection and going with one’s family for shared blessings…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Malaysia: A Visit to Amma Lucy’s Siva Temple
A psychic Chinese girl in Malaysia grew up loving all things Indian/Hindu. Following her destiny, she created a temple a…
Magazine
Tiruketheeswaram Temple
Four hundred years after its destruction, the temple extolled by the ancient Tamil saints rises once again in ornate gra…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Mother Goddess of Mumbai City
Once the fishermen’s protector, today Mumbadevi reigns over India’s financial hub BY CHOODIE SIVARAM, BENGALUR…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage: Finding Siva in Varanasi
Finding Siva in Varanasi Follow Savita Tiwari to the banks of the Ganga in Kashi, where she offers us a […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
In My Opinion: Improving the Kumbh
In My Opinion: Improving the Kumbh BY PURNENDU SINGH There were times during this Kumbh I went without sleep for [&helli…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Char Dham: The Holy Himalayan Pilgrimage to Four Temples is Both Grueling and Grace-Giving
PHOTOGRAPHED AND REPORTED BY DEVRAJ AGARWAL, DEHRADUN THE CHAR DHAM PILGRIMAGE of India’s Uttar…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Mauritius Mahasivaratri
Savita Tiwari takes us on her personal pilgrimage to the sacred lake known as Ganga Talao during the island’s exuberant …
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Holy Sites of Mathura
Follow our journalist and photographer to Mathura, where they explore the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple and enjoy the the t…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Goddess: Discovering Divinity in Dissolution
How one woman’s curiosity led her to a profound encounter with Goddess Kali, affording her peace in the aftermath of [&h…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Special Feature: The Sacred City of Haridwar
DEV RAJ AGARWAL Hundreds gather for the evening worship of the Ganga River at Har Ki Pauri ghat in central […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage: My Moments with Siva in the Himalayas
ALL PHOTOS BY SCOTT RICE Scott Rice is a devotee of Mata Amritanandamayi and a frequent volunteer with her disaster [&he…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Tamil Nadu’s Fabulous New Temple Chariot
TAMIL NADU’S FABULOUS NEW TEMPLE CHARIOT ______________________ After a hundred-year hiatus, an exquisite vehicle for Si…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Worship: Singapore’s Sri Thendayuthapani Temple
WORSHIP SINGAPORE’S SRI THENDAYUTHAPANI TEMPLE ______________________ Come with us to Lord Murugan’s sanctuary in South …
Temples & Pilgrimage
The City’s Temple Heart: Thrice destroyed, today Kashi Vishwanath stands foremost again among Varanasi’s sacred places
THE CITY’S TEMPLE HEART ______________________ Thrice destroyed, today Kashi Vishwanath stands foremost again among Vara…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage: My Journey with the Mother Goddess
PHOTOS: MARTUSHKA FROMEAST Arduous journey: Pilgrims at the feet of Mount Trisul, winding toward Homkund My Journey with…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Pilgimage: How Ganesha Became Our Life’s Pilot
SAHAJAYOGA. AT Ashtavinayaka darshan: Crossing the river to the Siddhivinayaka Temple, second of the eight Ganesha templ…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Special Feature: Exploring the Temples of Java, Indonesia
SPECIAL FEATURE EXPLORING THE TEMPLES OF JAVA, INDONESIA ______________________ Among the world’s largest Hindu and Budd…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Borobudur Buddhist Temple
BOROBUDUR BUDDHIST TEMPLE ______________________ The largest Buddhist temple in the world and Indonesia’s top tourist at…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temple Worship: Feeding God In Gratitude
ALL TOP PHOTOS: ANANTHA KRISHNAN Source of life: The Sivalingam covered in rice TEMPLE WORSHIP FEEDING GOD IN GRATITUDE …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Special Malaysian Feature: Lord Murugan’s Transforming Waterfall Temple
LORD MURUGAN’S TRANSFORMING WATERFALL TEMPLE THIGAMBARAM CHINNIAH SPECIAL MALAYSIAN FEATURE FOR MILLENNIA, THE RITUAL TE…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temple Building: Forty Priests Bring Twelve-Year Project to Completion
TEMPLE BUILDING FORTY PRIESTS BRING TWELVE-YEAR PROJECT TO COMPLETION Former temple chairman and surveyor, P. Kuvenaraju…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temples Everywhere We Go
TEMPLES EVERYWHERE WE GO ______________________ In every country, mandirs serve as critical centers for religious and cu…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Three European Monasteries
THREE EUROPEAN MONASTERIES ______________________ In Italy, Switzerland and France, three ascetic orders hold firmly to …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temples: California’s First Quake-Ready Stone Temple
Done deed: Some of the thousands of devotees attending the temple’s inaugural ceremonies line up for darshan following t…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Special Feature: Nearly a Million Climb to 13,000 Feet to Worship in Siva’s Ice Cave
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E NEARLY A MILLION CLIMB TO […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Special Feature: Hindu Temples of the West Adjust, Adapt, Improvise…
Sample spread from this article View this article in all its graphic richness on page 18 of the free Electronic [&hellip…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Educational Insight: Visiting a Hindu Temple
A Beginner’s Guide Be they luxurious palaces, rustic warehouses, simple halls or stone sanctuaries, Hindu temples …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Awards: Our Temple Builders: Hindu of the Year 2012
We make no claim to objectivity in taking this opportunity to designate as Hindu of the Year the architects and [&hellip…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temples: Afghan Hindus Stand Strong in Germany
Among Germany’s 48 Hindu temples, the one established by the Hindu community of Afghanistan, in 1999 at Billstrass…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Law: How a Recent Supreme Court Ruling Impacts US Hindu Temples
BY PAUL DESANTIS In this article, attorney Paul DeSantis examines in technical detail how the “Hosanna” decision applies…
Temples & Pilgrimage
From the Agamas: Urban Planning According to Agamas
Now I will explicitly tell you the appropriate dwelling place for those who maintain their livelihood in the major divis…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage: Visiting Lord Jagannath
BY DEEPTI R. PAIKRAY Our annual trips to India are incomplete without worshiping our beloved family Deity–Lord Jag…
Temples & Pilgrimage
My Family’s Goddess Pilgrimage
BY RUNJHUN NOOPUR Devotees of goddess durga believe that no one gets the opportunity to visit any of Her 51 […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Saints’ Abodes
BY PRITHIVIRAJ BAHADURSINGH The Himalayas are said to be the abode of the Gods. Their mighty, indomitable presence alone…
Hindu Basics
Visiting a Hindu Temple
A GUIDE TO THE INNER AND OUTER WORKINGS OF HINDU PLACES OF WORSHIP The Hindu temple is a sacred space […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Managing a Hindu Temple
BY KATHERINE NANDA In an ideal world, getting together to build an edifice for the worship of God would be […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Secrets of a Hindu Temple
Early in the morning on February 15, 1975, at his Hindu monastery on Hawaii’s Garden Island of Kauai, Hinduism Tod…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Build Those Temples!
We wanted to build a temple in our area,” said Arumugan Saravanapavan, one of the founders of the multi-million- d…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Iraivan Rises
When seven stone craftsmen left Bangalore, India, for Kauai, Hawaii, in May of 2001, they brought hammers, charcoal and …
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Joys of Pilgrimage
By Lavina Melwani It’s the closest you can get to heaven while living on Earth: Haridwar, “Gateway to God…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Murugan Conference
By Rajen Manick Millions of hindus around the world regularly worship Lord Murugan, also called Skanda or Karttikeya. He…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Promoting the Saivite Religion
By Kesav One of South India’s oldest ashrams is gearing up for something new. Under the leadership of two pontiffs…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Lord Hanuman’s Festival
By GITANJALI CHAK These days, the mercury hovers around a scorching 113 degrees Fahrenheit in Lucknow, the capital of th…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Meet God’s Arbitrator
By Vrindavanam S. Gopalakrishnan At least 30 people men, women and children sit waiting in the lobby for an audience [&h…
Temples & Pilgrimage
God’s Newest African Home
By Ajith Bridgraj No expense was spared in ensuring that the Ekta Mandir of Durban, South Africa, an institution of [&he…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Kumbha Mela 2001
Seventy million Hindus from around the world–the largest human gathering in history–worshiped at the conflue…
Temples & Pilgrimage
How the Mela Measured Up
How shall we summarize the mela? like the bottom line of an accounting sheet, numbers get right to the point. […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Our Tour of a Lifetime
By Kailash Dakshinamurthi Pilgrimage. I’ve always begun one with spiritual preparation and an understanding of wha…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Ram, Ram, Sita-Ram!
By Vatsala Sperling I once asked Jagadguru Jayendra Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, how there coul…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Does your home have a shrine room?
By Krishan Dutt In a quiet tree-lined street in the West London suburb of Hounslow, as heavy vehicular traffic thunders …
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Return of the Temple Arts
By Vrindavanam S. Gopalakrishnan Keralite Hindus are coming to a renewed appreciation of traditions once branded as prim…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Joining God’s Band
By Vrindavanam S. Gopalakrishnan The day at Kerala’s temples used to begin with the sweet sound of the conch, but …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Chariot of the Gods
Stephen Parmley, Sunithi Narayan and Barbara Goodbody The crowd’s energy builds as the priest begins the recitatio…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Mooppanar Swami Served His Lord for Life
By Rajeswari Nagalingam It was late evening, Saturday, April 10, 1999, when I.S.V. Arunachala Mooppanar (lovingly referr…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Edmonton Triumph
It’s cold, really cold–that’s an equatorial-dwelling Sri Lankan Tamil’s first and everlasting im…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Divine Riches
By Choodie Shivaram I visit Melkote a few times every year, as Yoga Narasimha is our family Deity. Yet, we […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Don’t Shackle Freedom
Madhu Kishwar, editor of Manushi magazine and a champion of the oppressed in India, offers her analysis of a proposed [&…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Goddess in Jeopardy
Kalkaji temple just feels ancient, even though its present structure is only a few centuries old. Its unique 12-sided bu…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Hanuman in Mumbai
Muthiah sthapati, a famed South Indian sculptor and temple architect, directed 50 skilled workers in the creation of a 3…
Temples & Pilgrimage
What Future the Priesthood?
By Sivakamisundari Shanmugasundaram My father and I, along with my four-year-old daughter, arrived at the Kalikambal Tem…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temple and the Swami
By Anandhi Ramachandran South India’s Tanjavur district is well known for its great temples, especially those alon…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Milk Miracle Does a Boy Good
It was September 21, 1995, when in a temple in New Delhi Lord Ganesha quietly asked devotees, “Got milk?” Th…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temple Trouble in Delhi
Point-Counterpoint By Madhu Kishwar and Rajiv Malik By Madhu Kishwar Last year while helping a friend to buy an apartmen…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Bringing Stone to Life
Following his profitable conquest of Karnataka, Kerala and northern Sri Lanka, the Tamil King Rajaraja Chola found himse…
Temples & Pilgrimage
A Palace For the Gods
When a religious leader who is rooted in orthodox tradition inspires devotional zeal in devotees, that movement flourish…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Monument to the Saint of Kanchi
The great works of saints live on long after their passing.” This time-worn adage consoles devotees when their bel…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Mother Loves a Maverick!
By Corinne Dempsey Nestled in a nondescript renovated barn in rural western New York State, the Hindu Goddess Rajarajesh…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Thousand Year Temple
While the world scrambles to prevent our high-tech computers from bringing civilization as we know it to a screeching ha…
Temples & Pilgrimage
These Are Priests, Have No Drought
The Washington Post, one of America’s most prestigious newspapers, was unhesitating in giving credit where credit …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Thai Ganesha!
Lord Ganesha has always awarded assisitance to anyone who worships him, even in the most mundane affairs. So when Mahade…
Hindu Basics
Puja’s Passion
Stephen P. Huyler began as an outsider. “I prided myself on my objectivity,” he says in his preface to Meeti…
Temples & Pilgrimage
What Miracles Are Made of
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI Aum Ganesha! We just returned from Anchorage, Alaska, where we inaugurated the openin…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The All-American Murugan!
By V. G. Julie Rajan LANHAM, MARYLAND, A QUIET SUBURB of Washington, D.C., was deluged by passionate Hindus, May 29-31, …
Temples & Pilgrimage
All Her Children
By Vrindavanam S. Gopalakrishnan It is a Hindu Temple, but each week one in four devotees seeking blessings at the [&hel…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Is Pilgrimage Too Dangerous?
IN THE WAKE OF DISASTERS DURING SEVERAL MAJOR PILGRIMAGES, TWO HINDU COMMENTATORS DEBATE WHETHER WE MIGHT BETTER MANAGE …
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Moving Finger Writes…
By Dev Raj Agarwal The dull and time-worn face of Gomti Ben has suddenly come to life, and I can […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Sacred Is Secret
Photographer and art historian Stephen Huyler has spent the past several years documenting the personal worship of Hindu…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Golden Grace
It is heartening to know that some people still put God first. Despite the ravaging of Northern Sri Lanka by […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Mountains of Mystery
Viewed through the eyes of a Buddhist or Hindu, mountains are mystical realms of Gods, heavens, spirits and spiritual ma…
Temples & Pilgrimage
In the Lap of the Mother
By Nikki Lastreto Once again, Sri Mukambika–the “Silent Mother”–has called me back to her powerf…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Money: a Global Effort
The task of raising $16 million is at least as challenging as the Island Temple’s construction. Amazingly, an elit…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Can Kauai Pilgrimage Bring Us Near God?
BY H. H. SRI SRI TIRUCHI MAHASWAMIGAL Ever since man appeared on earth, ever since he sought the welfare of […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Everywhere A New Temple
The call came late at night to Dr. A. Alagappan in South India from his friend, V. Shantaram, in New […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Worshipful Ways
Hindus go to temples to be in the presence of God. The most devout attend daily, morning and night, while […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Wonderments…Wow!
What sets any temple apart, making it different from all others, bringing pilgrims from afar to admire, even worship, it…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Saints of India Bless Kauai’s Temple Project
No Hindu would embark on a task as monumental and momentous as building a temple without the backing of the […]
Publisher's Editorials
How a Vision of Our Divinity Led Us to Hawaii
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI It was in 1959 that my path led me to the Hawaiian Islands for the first […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
IRAIVAN TEMPLE
JOIN US AS HINDUISM TODAY EXPLORES THE FASCINATING PROCESSES AND THE TALENTED PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTRUCTING AN ANCIENT TEM…
Opinion
America is Ready for Our Hindu Gods
By Ram Swarup The chiselling and hand-carving of 4,000 stone pieces weighing 3.2 million pounds in South India and shipp…
Temples & Pilgrimage
On Different Shores
By Archana Dongre Dozens of temples have sprouted in US cities over the last 15 years. Trustees sought learned priests […
Temples & Pilgrimage
Who is Siva?
God Siva is among the most mysterious, complex, compassionate and profound conceptions of the one Supreme Being to be fo…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Charting the Progress
PHASE ONE, 1975: Gurudeva’s vision of Lord Siva births the temple. Project begins, raising $400,000 for purchase a…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Artistic Offerings
Some contributions to the Iraivan temple project are gifts of abundant, natural talent. Artists Sri Indra Sharma, D.J. K…
Temples & Pilgrimage
It Takes a Village
By Choodie Shivaram It was afternoon when I visited the Iraivan temple carving site–the silence was so perfect and…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Island Temple Greeted with Aloha Spirit
This tiny, remote land mass of barely 60,000 people is manifesting a living vision of unity in diversity. “We are …
Publisher's Editorials
Angelic Beings Are a Living Reality
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI Devotion to God and the Gods of Hinduism is alive in Bali, as our fascinating feature…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Outstanding Offerings
One balmy evening in Ubud, Bali visitor Rima Xoyamaygya looked out her hotel window: “Streaming by me were 300 chi…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Giving Demons and Deities Their Due
Perhaps nowhere on earth is Hinduism more energetic and culturally explicit than on the tiny island of Bali. It has [&he…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Rebuilding Sabarimala
By VRINDAVANAM S. GOPALAKRISHNAN Millions of Hindus come to worship Lord Ayappan at His temple in Sabarimala in a remote…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Blessed Blisters
By RAJIV MALIK, NEW DELHI In Delhi I am used to a very comfortable lifestyle,” said Delhi businessman Navin Yadav,…
Temples & Pilgrimage
No Cameras Allowed
Attending South India’s majestic Hindu temples, such as Madurai’s Meenakshi citadel, evokes profound reveren…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Towering Tales
By Sita Sharan It was Bapu’s long-held wish to recite Ramayana on the banks of Lake Manasarovar, beside Mount Kail…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Canada’s Chariot Maker
Sthapati Saravanamuthu Jeyaraja is just one of 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils settled in Ontario, Canada, but he is earning d…
Opinion
Rescuing Our Vedic Pundits
BY DR. S . YEGNASUBRAMANIAN Now that the Ati Rudra Maha Yajna at the Sringeri Sadhana Center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvani…
Temples & Pilgrimage
In God’s Name
By Hari Bansh Jha IN THE 17TH CENTURY, THE REIGN of King Nagi Malla of Doti, western Nepal, was in […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Vedas, USA
FOR ELEVEN DAYS IN AUGUST, DIVINE Vedic chants resounded through the tranquil Poconos mountains of Pennsylvania. The Ati…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Center Built by Chanting
This temple is a demonstration of the power of the holy name of the Lord,” declared Bangalore temple president Mad…
Temples & Pilgrimage
The Colonial Genesis of Anti-Brahminism
Ram Swarup, New Delhi, is a leading thinker in the contemporary dynamics of Hindu renaissance ideology. Here he recounts…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Shamans’ Quest
By Ian Baker If we sing our pilgrimage songs here,” the old shaman stated, “the Gods will come into our [&he…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Tradition in Decline
By M. P. Mohanty, New Delhi His forehead crumples as H.H.Sankaracharya Nischalanand Saraswati laments the current status…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Malaysia’s Everest Quest
Interviews by RAMESH SIVANATHAN and RAJAKUMAR M ANICKAM, Malaysia Thank God! Thank God!’ was the first thing I sai…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Brick, Mortar Not Enough
By GOWRI SHANKER, CHENNAI Samy, as Tiru Tiruvanmiyur Ramasamy Chinnathamby is popularly known, is exceptional. How else …
Opinion
Dispense with that Awful Word
BY DR ANANTANAND RAMBACHAN Among the many problems faced by Hindus is finding appropriate English terminology for Sanskr…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Hunting for God
By Lavina Melwani Where would you find Siva lost in samadhi, Krishna playing His flute and Ganesha feasting on sweets? […
Temples & Pilgrimage
We Play to Entertain the Gods – And the People
Performer, teacher, scholar and composer for both gamelan orchestra and dance, I Wayan Sinti has won abundant awards in …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Temple Ablaze
While pilgrimaging to the temples of South India, Hinduism Today Deputy Managing Editor, Yogi Kashinatha, was present Ju…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Home Sanctuary
What is the center of your home? The kitchen, the workshop, the living room or den? The ancients designated a […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Murugan’s New Home
With reports from Eddin Khoo and K Anuradha of The Star, from the Tamil language Malaysia Nanban and Ramesh Sivanathan, …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Puja: With Honor, Offer Everything
BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR Honoring is a sign of divine love. That honoring is called puja. The ceremony of […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Kerala Siva Temples
By VRINDAVANAM S. GOPALAKRISHNAN Two thousand and more timber temples dot Kerala’s verdant landscape. Devotee̵…
Temples & Pilgrimage
By Cosmic Design
By DEVA RAJAN From January 25 to 29 more than 300 delegates and observers participated in the World Meet on […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Nepal’s Virgin Goddesses
The ancient practice of Kumari worship is vigorously alive today, deep in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. A young virgin…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Against All Odds
By ANIL MAHABIR, TRINIDAD Sewdass Sadhu was born to poverty-stricken parents in India on January 1, 1903. Yet he was [&h…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Court OK’s Takeover
A January decision by India’s Supreme Court validated the 1988 government takeover of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi S…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Sacred Pilgrimage
Five duties, called pancha kriya, form the traditional minimal practices expected of every Hindu: upasana (worship); uts…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Rudraksha Chariot Reborn
BY CHOODIE SHIVARAM, BANGALORE The rudraksha-covered chariot of Vaidyeswara temple in Talkad (near Mysore) ventured out …
Temples & Pilgrimage
When not in Rome . . .
By VRINDAVANAM S. GOPALAKRISHNAN Peter Julia came to India from Spain in 1948 as a 23-year-old Jesuit priest. Today, at …
Temples & Pilgrimage
Sacred Psychiatry
By VRINDAVANAM S. GOPAIAKRISHNAN My wife developed mental problems when she was pregnant in 1965. All types of treatment…
Temples & Pilgrimage
City of 10 Million Icons
BY CHOODIE SHIVARAM, BANGALORE Kammasandra was just an obscure town 100 km from Bangalore until Sri Samba Shivamurthy Sw…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Kerala Controversy
By VRINDAVANAM S. GOPALAKRISHNAN The Kerala police anticipated resistence when they made their move to enforce a court-o…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Icy Trek to Amarnath
Reminiscing my ascent to Siva’s cave abode By Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani,Pondicherry, South India As i tearfully read abou…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Let the Universe Continue
Praying for peace on paradise island By Dwikora Putra, Bali Sonorous sounds of chanting, bells and prayers of the priest…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Small Screen Sacraments
With these three videos, there is no need to leave home to have some quality religious time Pilgrimage to sabarimala,” […
Temples & Pilgrimage
Valiant Himalayan Rescue
Hundreds perish; 9,000 airlifted by helicopters With Vinod Singh Rawat in Delhi This was to be the biggest year ever [&h…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Puja in Washington
Hindu art shakes off its archaic image at the Sackler Gallery of Art’s sensitive display By V.G. Julie Rajan, Philadelph…