11-19-2006, 09:52 AM
I think this PIL is for the good. It will make judiciary clarify the matter regarding Haj subsidies. HC/SC will end up asking many uncomfortable questions to the politicians about the rationale for Haj subsidies in a secular country. Most likely effect of this PIL would be the courts directing cancellation of Haj subsidies.
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St. Clements church in Rome (also mentioned in DaVinci code) is small but beautiful, and has three layers one on top of another. The lowest layer still has a rather well preserved Mithra-temple. They have even reinstalled a Mithra statue there for tourism purposes, I suppose. Although right outside there was a disclaimer saying that letting that statue be there was only meant to let people know about the one true god through a counter-example.
The Mithraeum was rather small with underground passages, some rooms, even an underground water stream and the main temple area. The main temple had a white statue of Mithra in front of which there was a square column showing Mithra slaying the bull in relief.
I had very strange feelings there. Going from top level of the church to the bottom level of the Mithraeum was like a time travel, stepping down the steps of millenia, and examples of vanquished religions and victorious ones. One western tourist girl looked positively scared while walking around the underground passageways of the Mithraeum. I was perfectly at peace and even felt elated.
I remembered some vedic chants regarding the solar deity Mitra and offered my pranams.
Girls at the sales desk gave me an inquisitive look when I showed rather enthusiastic tendency to primarily buy the pictures of the Mithraeum.
A picture that I took:
Picture URL
Picture Link through a thumbnail:
<img src='http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7044/mithraom6.th.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
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St. Clements church in Rome (also mentioned in DaVinci code) is small but beautiful, and has three layers one on top of another. The lowest layer still has a rather well preserved Mithra-temple. They have even reinstalled a Mithra statue there for tourism purposes, I suppose. Although right outside there was a disclaimer saying that letting that statue be there was only meant to let people know about the one true god through a counter-example.
The Mithraeum was rather small with underground passages, some rooms, even an underground water stream and the main temple area. The main temple had a white statue of Mithra in front of which there was a square column showing Mithra slaying the bull in relief.
I had very strange feelings there. Going from top level of the church to the bottom level of the Mithraeum was like a time travel, stepping down the steps of millenia, and examples of vanquished religions and victorious ones. One western tourist girl looked positively scared while walking around the underground passageways of the Mithraeum. I was perfectly at peace and even felt elated.
I remembered some vedic chants regarding the solar deity Mitra and offered my pranams.
Girls at the sales desk gave me an inquisitive look when I showed rather enthusiastic tendency to primarily buy the pictures of the Mithraeum.
A picture that I took:
Picture URL
Picture Link through a thumbnail:
<img src='http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7044/mithraom6.th.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />