Hinduism
India’s Hindu prime minister touts hometown’s Buddhist links as vote nears
By Priyadarshini Sen — April 11, 2019
VADNAGAR, India (RNS) — Is Indian Prime Minister Modi's interest in Buddhist antiquities genuine, or just a play for votes among his country's dispossessed?
Hindu guest chaplain, at your service — but does he speak for all Hindus?
By Sonia Paul — April 10, 2019
(RNS) — As with Islam and Buddhism, Hinduism's decentralized structure means that the loudest voices are often taken to be authoritative.
Some North Dakota GOP lawmakers abstain from Hindu prayer
By James MacPherson — April 3, 2019
(AP) — Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism in Nevada, offered prayer as the guest chaplain in the House, a day after he delivered the invocation in the Senate without incident.
Unification Church succession case threatens protections for minority religions
By Peter Petkoff — March 21, 2019
(RNS) — If an obscure D.C. court decision about the movement known as 'the Moonies' goes unchallenged, it could weaken religious freedom protections for all Americans.
Hindu monastic order is reclaiming transgender people’s status in Indian society
By Soumya Shankar — February 20, 2019
PRAYAGRAJ, India (RNS) — A reality TV star-turned-transgender activist is using the ancient Hindu tradition of akharas to go beyond activism's limits to change religious attitudes toward her community.
MIT faces backlash over invited speaker’s anti-Muslim comments
By Aysha Khan — February 12, 2019
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) — Indian and Muslim groups are pushing MIT to disinvite a prominent Indian politician over his record of anti-Muslim remarks.
After attack on Hindu community, Kentucky shows the way forward
By Jay Kansara — February 8, 2019
(RNS) — Indian and Hindu Kentuckians work with leaders across faith and cultural backgrounds to show a united front in the face of hate crime against Hindu temple in Louisville, Ky.
Tulsi Gabbard’s 2020 bid raises questions about Hindu political ties
By Sonia Paul — January 27, 2019
(RNS) — As Gabbard readies to launch her presidential race in early February, her connection to Indian Hindu political leaders is turning out to be one of her biggest obstacles.
At a sprawling shrine to Shiva, Nepal’s Hindus help the dead on their way
By Jair Cabrera Torres — January 25, 2019
KATHMANDU, Nepal (RNS) — Located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the Himalayan country's capital, the Pashupatinath Temple complex is the site of daily ritual cremations.
Women strive for larger roles in male-dominated religions
By David Crary — January 15, 2019
(AP) — In just over a year, the #MeToo movement has toppled powerful men around the world. Yet in most of the world's major religions, women are still relegated to second-tier status.
India’s Supreme Court threatens hereditary priesthood at Jagannath temple
By Priyadarshini Sen — December 21, 2018
PURI, India (RNS) — Replacing their hereditary rights to perform temple rituals with salaried, merit-based priests, say the workers at the Jagannath Temple here, would corrupt a centuries-old practice.
Neglect and paradoxical rules on preservation threaten India’s historic Hindu Sun Temple
By Priyadarshini Sen — December 12, 2018
BHUBANESWAR, India (RNS) — The uncertain fate of a 13th-century temple to the Hindu sun god has many demanding that the government re-examine its approach to cultural preservation.
Tens of thousands in India demand rebuilding of Hindu temple
By Biswajeet Banerjee — November 25, 2018
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Tens of thousands of Hindus gathered in northern India on Sunday, renewing calls to build a Hindu temple on a site where a 16th-century mosque was attacked and demolished by Hindu hard-liners in 1992.
India’s Durga Puja celebrates divine feminine with modern takes on ancient ritual
By Priyadarshini Sen — October 19, 2018
KOLKATA, India (RNS) — Elaborately designed bamboo pandals have serious themes, from the trafficking of women to child labor at tea shops to the plastic surgery obsession among young adults.
Indian temple priests turn back women, defying court ruling
By Ashok Sharma — October 19, 2018
NEW DELHI (AP) — The priests threatened to stop rituals and prayers in the Sabarimala temple in southern Kerala state if women ages 10-50 tried to enter the shrine.
