Nevada (US), Jan 19 (ANI): Hindus have asked UNESCO to urgently save the ancient Hindu temples in Indonesia, which are reportedly being threatened by volcanic lava. According to reports, volcanic debris presently flowing from slopes of Mount Merapi was threatening ninth century Hindu temple complex of Prambanan, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Sengi Temple complex containing 8-10th century sites, which were located near the lava path. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society Read more [...]

Laundry day ... women prepare to dry their saris on the ghats of the Ganges. Photo: AP Although lined with funeral pyres, the Ganges is the lifeblood of Varanasi, along with its silk industry, writes Anthony Dennis. A JEEP with a corpse conspicuously wrapped in a brocade-like orange silk shroud and strapped to the roof is negotiating its way through the hectic early-morning streets of Varanasi. The male Hindu mourners squeezed inside the Read more [...]

The tradition faded in modern times, and pious Hindus fear it could die out as young Indians embrace a Western lifestyle and a culture of lavish spending. But in this rapidly modernizing country, new money is also reviving old traditions. A group of mostly urban professionals has teamed up to help conduct the fire ritual this spring in a village that last witnessed it 35 years ago. "We want to do our bit to ensure that Indian culture survives," said Neelakantan Pillai, a banker and member of the Read more [...]

A: Caste is the hereditary division of Indian society based on occu-pation. The lowest class, deemed untouchables, suffer from discrimination and mistreatment. It is illegal in India to discriminate against, abuse or insult anyone on the basis of caste .Longer answer: Caste, from the Portu guese casta, meaning "clan" or "lineage," refers to two systems within Hindu society.The first is varna, the division of society into four groups: workers, business people, lawmakers/law enforcers and priests. Read more [...]

pA: It is true that God is often depicted with a spouse in our traditional stories. However, on a deeper philosophical level, the Supreme Being and the Gods are neither male nor female and are therefore not married./p pLonger answer: In popular, village Hindu ism God is represented as male, and God's energy, or Shakti, is personified as His spouse-for example, Vishnu and Lakshmi. In Hindu temples,/p !--more-- part and mythology, God is everywhere seen as the beloved, divine couple. Philosophically, Read more [...]

The dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark./p pLonger answer: The dot worn between the eyes or in the middle of the forehead is a sign that one is a Hindu. It is/p !--more-- pcalled the bindi in the Hindi language, bindu in Sanskrit and pottu in Tamil. In olden days, all Hindu men and women wore these marks, and they both also wore earrings. Today it is the women who are most faithful in wearing Read more [...]

p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"A: Our "Bible" is called the Veda. The Veda, which means "wisdom," is comprised of four ancient and holy scriptures which all Hindus revere as the revealed word of God./p p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"Longer answer: Like the Taoist Tao te Ching, the Buddhist Dhammapada, the Sikh Adi Granth, the Jewish Torah, the Christian Bible and the Muslim Koran-the Veda is the Hindu holy book./p !--more-- p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"The four books of the Vedas-Rig, Yajur, Sama and Read more [...]

p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"A: Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. But in today's world not all Hindus are vegetarians./p p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"Longer answer: ur religion does not lay down rigid "do's and don'ts." There are no commandments. Hinduism gives us the wisdom to make up our own mind on what we put in our body,/p !--more-- p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"for it is the only one we have-in this life, at least. Vegetarians are more numerous Read more [...]

p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"A: Hindus do not worship a stone or metal "idol" as God. We worship God through the image. We invoke the presence of God from the higher, unseen worlds, into the image so that we can commune with Him and receive His blessings./p p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"Longer answer: he stone or metal deity images in Hindu/p !--more-- p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"temples and shrines are not mere symbols of the Gods. They are the form through which their love, power and blessings Read more [...]

pA: Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created the universe. He is all-pervasive. He created many Gods, highly advanced spiritual beings, to be His helpers./p p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"br/Longer answer: Contrary to prevailing misconceptions,/p !--more-- p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"Hindus all worship a one Supreme Being, though by different names. This is because the peoples of India with different languages and cultures have understood the one God in their own distinct way. Through history Read more [...]