Return to Main Site Astronomical Dating of the Ramayan Back to Ram Mandir
An insult to the Hindu faith - Government does not believe in the existence of Bhagwan Shri Ram
New Delhi, Sep 12 2007
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s government does not believe in Lord Ram's existence
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani Wednesday called up the Prime Minister's Office to register protest against a government affidavit before the Supreme Court saying epics were not historical records that could prove the existence of Lord Ram.
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NASA SHUTTLE IMAGES OF A MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT BRIDGE BETWEEN INDIA AND SRILANKA
Courtesy : NASA Digital Image Collection
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The government has told the apex court in an affidavit filed Monday: 'The Valmiki Ramayana, the Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas and other mythological texts, which admittedly form an ancient part of Indian literature, cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters or the occurrence of the events depicted therein.'
It was responding to a query whether the Ram Sethu, geographically known as Adam's Bridge, could be declared a protected monument.
The court was hearing a petition against the Rs.24 billion Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP), which aims to provide a shorter navigational sea route around India's southern peninsula by dredging the peak of what is believed to be the Ram Sethu - a move opposed by many Hindu groups and the BJP.
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Prakash Javadekar, also a BJP spokesperson, said Advani had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, objecting to the content of the affidavit.
Javadekar termed the affidavit as 'blasphemous and the worst type of insult of people in India who have grown up with the Ramayana'.
'Ramayana is not only a religious epic but also a national heritage and part of the culture of this country,' he said.
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London Bridge to Laxman Jhoola ?
From: Chandubhai Mohanlal Pattni, Birmingham
Subject: FW: NASA SHUTTLE IMAGES OF RAMAYANA BRIDGE
We all Indians know that there is Varadi (Bridge) between India and Sri Lanka which was constructed by “Vanar Sena” in treat Yuga. But now NASA images find it that there is a bridge and they called it as “ADAM’S BRIDGE”
Is it correct to call the ancient bridge with that new and alien name? Think of it. Will they ever accept if we change the name of the “London Bridge” as “Laxman Jhoola” ??
The recently discovered bridge currently named as Adam's Bridge made of chain of shoals, c.18 mi (30 km) long, in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, reveals a mystery behind it. The bridge's unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man made.The legends as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the a primitive age, about 17,50,000 years ago and the bridge's age is also almost equivalent. This information is a crucial aspect for an insight into the mysterious legend called Ramayana, which was supposed to have taken place in tretha yuga (more than 17,00,000 years ago).
In this epic, there is a mentioning about a bridge, which was built between Rameshwaram (India) and Srilankan coast under the supervision of a dynamic and invincible figure ! called Rama who is supposed to be the incarnation of the supreme. This information may not be of much importance ! to the archeologist s who are interested in exploring the origins of man, but it is sure to open the spiritual gates of the people of the world to have come to know an ancient history linked to the Indian mythology.
Hindu fundamentalists reconvert 600 Christians
Ceremony largest ever in Orissa - Church warned these were no re-conversions: the tribals had never been Hindu, and "this is only propaganda by extremist parties"
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – One of the largest ever mass ceremonies of re-conversion to Hinduism took place in Orissa, eastern India, on 23 June. But Catholic Church representatives have warned this was nothing more than fundamentalist propaganda, carried out with the connivance of the local government.
During Friday's function, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad [VHP, a youth paramilitary formation of Hindu nationalists], "brought back" to Hinduism around 600 tribal Christians from Mayurbhanj district. In all, 92 families were involved. The ceremony was held on the campus of the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Memorial College in Sarat. According to the VHP central coordinator, 166 out of the 602 tribal Christians were women.
High-ranking members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – a political party with nationalist-fundamentalist leanings in power in this state – were present at the function. Heightened security measures were put in place by local authorities to prevent any incidents.
Sources within the VHP said hundreds of men, women and children lined up to receive the darshan (sight, a sort of blessing).
In an interview with AsiaNews, Mgr Lucas Kerketta, Secretary, Orissa Bishops' Regional Council, said this was merely a propaganda campaign orchestrated by young fundamentalists of the Saffron Brigade (saffron is the colour of the flag of nationalist Hinduism). He said: "In Orissa, the anti-conversion law is applicable only to conversions to Christianity, but when it comes to converting to Hinduism, police go to ceremonies and are mute spectators, becoming accomplices of Hindu extremism."
The bishop continued: "Recently, at one of their ceremonies in remote rural Orissa, insults were yelled against Christian missionaries in front of the police, who did not lift a finger."
"Tragically, the fundamentalists target tribals who originally are not even Hindu," added Mgr Kerbatta. "These tribals are extremely poor and depend entirely on the majority community for their livelihood, so they are an easy target for pressure and intimidation from those who want to force them to participate in these re-conversions."
John Dayal, President, All India Catholic Union, reacted sharply to the event. "First of all they are 'conversions' and not 're-conversions' to Hinduism," he said. "Secondly, much as I despise the anti-conversion law, it should be applied in these cases too and not only to Christian priests. It is evident that these regional laws of the BJP represent a threat not only to India's secular traditions but also for its federal structure." He ended with an appeal: "I invite the central government to take steps to curb the manner in which the BJP is ruling states like Orissa, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh or else they will face serious fractures in national democracy."
Pope condemns Indian bans on religious conversion
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor
Fwd:- Chandubhai M. Pattni, Birmingham
PARIS (Reuters) - Pope Benedict condemned Hindu nationalist attempts to ban religious conversions in India in a speech on Thursday reflecting growing tension among major faiths about the role and nature of missionary work.
In unusually strong language, the Pontiff told New Delhi's new ambassador to the Vatican that efforts in some states to outlaw conversions were unconstitutional and should be rejected.
It was his second declaration this week in defence of religious freedom in countries with non-Christian majorities. On Monday, he urged Muslim countries to give their Christian minorities the same rights as Muslims enjoyed in Western states.
"The disturbing signs of religious intolerance which have troubled some regions of the nation, including the reprehensible attempt to legislate clearly discriminatory restrictions on the fundamental right of religious freedom, must be firmly rejected," Benedict told the new ambassador, Amitava Tripathi.
Anti-conversion laws were "unconstitutional (and) contrary to the highest ideals of India's founding fathers," he said, according to the text of his speech released by the Vatican.
Also this week, representatives of world religions met in Rome to begin working on a "code of conduct" that would affirm conversion as a basic right but curb aggressive proselytising.
The Vatican and the mostly Protestant and Orthodox World Council of Churches launched the initiative after Christian minorities in India complained about aggressive proselytising by newly arrived evangelical groups.
The conversion meeting came two months after Afghanistan threatened to execute a Muslim convert to Christianity, who took refuge in Italy after an outcry from Western countries and the Vatican. Several Muslim states prescribe death for apostates.
EVEN BUDDHISTS SEEK BANS
Both Christianity and Islam are missionary religions whose scriptures tell believers to spread the faith, a mission that religious minorities usually play down to keep civil peace.
In his statement on Monday, Benedict said Christians in Muslim countries should have the right to speak openly about their religion. Saudi Arabia bars non-Muslims from building churches or making any public expression of their faith.
India's Rajasthan state passed a law last month threatening five years in prison and heavy fines for proselytising, but the governor has not yet signed it. Five other states have already passed such laws to curb missionary activity there.
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has been advocating conversion bans in recent years as it gained ground in state elections. India's 1.1 billion population is 80 percent Hindu, 14 percent Muslim and 3 percent Christian.
It argues that such bans foster communal harmony, but Muslim and Christian minority groups accuse the party of whipping up Hindu voters' fear to boost its political support.
Several Asian countries have considered banning conversion or found ways to discourage it in recent years. Under pressure from hardline nationalist Buddhist monks, the Sri Lankan cabinet approved such a bill last year but later dropped it.
Indonesia has no such law but a court jailed three Christian women last year for allegedly trying to convert Muslim children. Malaysia refers apostasy cases to Islamic courts, where converts can get up to three years for abandoning Islam.