When Ravan refused to die

Agra: For the first time in the history of the more than 100-year-old Ram Lila on the grounds opposite Agra Fort, Ravan simply refused to die!

All hell broke loose Sunday night when the Ram Lila - a dramatic enactment of the epic Ramayana - had reached its tail end. As thousands of highly amused spectators watched, Raju, the actor playing Ravana, decided he was loving the limelight and could not leave the stage so soon. Read More................At this Ram Lila, squabbling Ravan refuses to die

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Combating climate change, with help from Lord Ram

Sonbhadra/Lucknow: Ram, Ramayana and global warming - the association may sound odd, until you realise how the religious context helped an NGO in Uttar Pradesh combat the ill effects of climate change.

The NGO Raunak Evam Jagruk Samaj Sanstha (REJSS) in Sonbhadra district, some 250 km from Lucknow, conducts recitation of the Ramayana epic in parts of Uttar Pradesh, holds prayers for Lord Ram and distributes saplings as prasad (consecrated offering) among the devotees. Read More................Combating climate change, with help from Lord Ram

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Reciting Ramayana non-stop for nine months…and continuing

Jalesar (Uttar Pradesh): Verses from the Hindu epic Ramayana can be heard as soon as one alights at the main bus stop in this small Uttar Pradesh town. They can be heard from loudspeakers in various neighbourhoods. The chanting emanates from an ancient temple and has been going on non-stop for nine months.The continuous recitation is part of an “Akhand Ramayana Path”, or a 24-hour reading of the epic, but residents of Jalesar in Etah district, around 350 km from state capital Lucknow, hope to continue it for another three months to complete a year. Read more...............................Reciting Ramayana non-stop for nine months…and continuing

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Chanting Lord's name for 44 years

AHMEDABAD: One hears the name of the Lord when one steps into any place of religious worship. It is however not everyday that one hears of a temple where the name of Lord Ram is being chanted, continuously, for the last 44 years.

Jamnagar's Shri Bala Hanuman temple located near Lakhota Lake in the city has set a new record in chanting Lord Ram's name.

The chanting began on Aug 1, 1964, when the temple was constructed by the late Sant Prembhikshuji Maharaj. It was the Maharaj and his handful of devotees who first uttered the Ram chant "Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram". In an unbelievable record the chant entered its 45th year last Friday.

The details of the Ram chant are amazing. It has until the end of Thursday completed 16,070 days non-stop. That translates into 385,680 hours and 23,140,800 minutes in the long journey of 44 years. Read more........................................Singing the name of the Lord, for 44 years

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Court summons Hindu gods

In a bizzare incident a judge in India has summoned two Hindu gods, Ram and Hanuman, to help resolve a property dispute.

Judge Sunil Kumar Singh in the eastern state of Jharkhand has issued adverts in newspapers asking the gods to "appear before the court personally".

The gods have been asked to appear before the court, after the judge said that letters addressed to them had gone unanswered.

Ram and Hanuman are among the most popular Indian Hindu gods. Read more.......... Hindu gods get summons from court

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A Dictionary of Demons

Intersted in knowing about the grandfather of the demon King Ravana? Or may be his children? Ravana, the archetypical 'Rakshasa,' was a gentleman yet ogre and son of a Brahmin, a great scholar of Sanskrit and devout worshipper of Shiva and if author Nandita Krishna, a Chennai-based historian and environmentalist is to be believed, Rama and Ravana did exist.........Read full story........Now, a dictionary of demons!

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