Latest Hinduism News
Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh rally to demand protection from attacks
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Tens of thousands of minority Hindus rallied Friday to demand that the interim government in Muslim-majority Bangladesh protect them from a wave of attacks and harassment and drop sedition cases against Hindu community leaders. About 30,000 Hindus...
What is Diwali, the Festival of Lights? How is it celebrated in India and the diaspora?
Diwali is the most important festival of the year in India — and for Hindus in particular. It is celebrated across faiths by more than a billion people in the world’s most populous nation and the diaspora. Over five days, people take part in festive gatherings, fireworks...
Indians celebrate Diwali by lighting a record number of clay lamps
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Millions of Indians began celebrating the annual Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, by symbolically lighting a record 2.51 million clay oil lamps at dusk on Wednesday on the banks of the river Saryu in a northern Indian city they believe to be the birthplace of the deity Lord...
AP PHOTOS: Ayodhya in northern India celebrates the night before Diwali with pomp and pageantry
AYODHYA, India (AP) — A priest stands with folded hands praying toward the rising sun on the banks of the Saryu River in Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Nearby, a group of women takes a dip in the river dressed in their saris while a barber trims the mustache of a shirtless...
Hindus in Bangladesh celebrate their largest festival under tight security following attacks
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Schoolteacher Supriya Sarker is glad to celebrate Bangladesh's largest Hindu festival of Durga Puja but feels the festivities would be more jubilant without the fear and violence that overshadow this year's event. The weeklong celebration that ends in the...
AP PHOTOS: Performers bring Hindu gods to life in the Ramleela
NEW DELHI (AP) — 23-year old Ashutosh Agnihotri has been playing god this week. Ahead of the Dussehra festival, which celebrates the defeat of mythological demon Ravana, at the hands of Lord Rama, artists dressed in ornate crowns and costumes perform the Ramleela, a dramatic...
Biggest Kashmir party opposed to India's stripping of region's autonomy wins most seats in election
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Kashmir’s biggest political party opposed to India's stripping of the region's semi-autonomy won the most seats in a local election, according to official data on Tuesday, following a vote seen as a referendum against the move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s...
Top Kashmir leader says India has silenced dissenting voices as region votes in final phase of polls
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Ahead of the final phase of a local election in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a key resistance leader says the regional polls to choose a local government will not resolve the decades-old conflict that is at the heart of a dispute between New Delhi and Pakistan. ...
Dozens of children drown while bathing during 3-day Hindu festival in eastern India
PATNA, India (AP) — Dozens of children drowned while bathing in rivers and ponds in rituals that were part of a three-day Hindu festival in eastern India's Bihar state, officials said. Heavy monsoon rains recently had raised the levels of waterways across the state. ...
Traces of this Pakistani megacity's past are vanishing, but one flamboyant pink palace endures
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and embellished interiors make Mohatta Palace a gem in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. Peacocks roam the lawn and the sounds of construction and traffic melt away as visitors enter the grounds. ...
