Last autumn, the museum held an exhibition on Vietnamese art which paid tribute in its catalogue to a retired American diplomat, John Gunther Dean. The catalogue recounted Mr Dean's efforts, as ambassador to Cambodia in the early 1970s, to rescue ancient Khmer art from the ravages of the Khmer Rouge, which was determined to expunge all record of Cambodia's past.
To thank the museum, Mr Dean, now 80, offered a gift from his own collection of ancient Khmer artefacts. Last month, the gift arrived, the sculpted head of a woman found at the Bakong temple site in 1939.
"I asked him for a Khmer head because we only had headless statues but I didn't think for a moment about a possible match," said Pierre Baptiste, the museum's curator for south-east Asian art.
"I brought the head into our [Cambodian] hall looking for a place that it could be exhibited," said M. Baptiste. "I had a sudden notion the two pieces resembled each other but then thought, 'no, things never happen that way'.
"I put the head on the statue's shoulders. It shifted a few millimetres. I heard the little click that you get when two stones fit together and the head fell perfectly into place. It was as if it had put itself together. I still get goose-bumps thinking about it."
<b>The reformed statue, which is 4ft 10in high, was beheaded in the temple when it was destroyed in the 15th century. </b>
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<b>Make Waqf-like board for Hindu religious bodies: HC</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Passing the order, Justice SN Srivastava said the Board so constituted shall be an autonomous body and it will register all such religious and charitable establishments and endowments according to the norms represented by mutts, monasteries, temples and religious and charitable trusts or societies, as the case may be, through their heads.
The Centre as well as the state government may also frame schemes for providing minimum wages and other welfare measures for those working in temples, the court added.
The judgement was passed on a writ petition filed by Shree Satya Narain Tulsi Manas Mandir at Varanasi.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hindu temple in Lahore demolished
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The <b>only Hindu temple in the Pakistani city of Lahore</b>
has been demolished to pave the way for construction of a multi-storied
commercial building.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Hindus say temples in Malaysia under threat, appeal to UN
Arun Anand </b>| New Delhi
The Pioneer
June 12, 2006
Hindu groups in Malaysia allege that the Government is demolishing
temples and have appealed to Indian rights groups and the UN to help protect their
heritage. According to the Hindu groups, the latest instance was that
of a 107-year-old place of worship that was razed last month in the
capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The demolition has triggered angry reactions from Hindus in the
Muslim-dominated country.
"At least one temple is being demolished by the authorities every
three weeks in an unlawful and indiscriminate fashion, at the federal, state and
local levels," said PW Moorthy, chairman of Hindu Rights Action Force, a coalition
of about 50 groups.
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http://www.ibnlive. com/news/ panel-says- lahore-temple- gone-pak- govt-says- no/13224- 2.html
Lahore temple gone, says panel
Press Trust Of India
Islamabad: Pakistan's Minorities Welfare Council (MWC)
has <b>insisted that the only Hindu temple in Lahore has
been demolished though the Government claims the
structure is safe.</b>
The MWC has got a stay from the High Court on the
construction of a commercial building at the site of
the temple.
In a petition to Lahore High Court, Secretary General
of the council, Om Prakash Narayan, has said that the
<b>Krishna Mandir in Lahore, has been demolished</b>
following a notification from the Evacuee Trust
Property Board (ETPB) issued on March 9, 2006.
Narayan has asked the court to direct the police to
register a case against ETPB Chairman and others in
this connection. He also asked the court to order
restoration of the temple in its original form, local
daily, The Post, reported on Saturday.
In response to the petition, Justice Muhammad Akhtar
Shabbir has directed the officials to stop the
construction of a multi-story building purportedly
being built at the site and sought a report from ETPB.
ETPB is in charge of the minority Sikh and Hindu
religious properties in Pakistan.
<b>Pakistan Foreign Office had earlier dismissed the
razing of the Krishna Mandir as an incorrect report
and had said the temple was safe. </b>
"The only Krishna Mandir that exists in Lahore is safe
and the temple referred to in press is not the Krishna
Mandir but an abandoned property being used partly as
residential and partly as commercial since the time of
Independence, " the foreign office had said.
Petitioner's counsel, Fawad Hussain said that Shail
Naseem, a resident of Lahore, has applied to the ETPB
seeking explanation for the demolition of the
'historically' significant Hindu Temple.
Hussain, in his arguments said the management of
minority shrines had been given to ETPB through an Act
in 1975, adding that minority religious shrines were
public property and according to the law, no public
property big or small, tangible or intangible could be
disposed off.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister,
Ejazul Haq, has said the temple is intact and invited
BJP Leader L K Advani to pray there.
"The Krishna Mandir is in perfect condition. I invite
L K Advani to visit Lahore and pray at the temple,"
Haq was quoted as saying by the Daily Times.
Haq even said that Rs seven lakh had been spent on the
renovation of Krishna Mandir a few months ago.
ETPB Chairman, Lt Gen Zulfikar Ali Khan, rejected a
newspaper report that the board had allowed a private
developer to demolish Krishna Mandir to build a
commercial building.
"The newspaper wrongly reported that Krishna Mandir
was situated in the Wachhowali Bazaar in Rang Mahal.
The property under discussion and claimed as temple is
a disputed piece of land under the ETPB's control," he
said.
Khan also said the developer, Khawaja Sohail Naseem,
was constructing a building according to an agreement
with the ETPB, adding the developer had not sold the
property, as alleged.
From Deccan Chronicle, June 19 2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Temple under Vizag sea?
Â
Visakhapatnam, June 18: A marine archaeologist from Andhra Pradesh strongly believes that a temple, after which Visakhapatnam has been named, lies underwater less than 2 km off the coast of the port city, and has dedicated his life to locating the edifice.
<b>Eswara Venkata Gangadharam, professor emeritus at Andhra University, is looking for financial support of around Rs 20 lakhs from the government to send down divers to locate the temple which he believes is 200 feet under the Bay of Bengalâs waters.</b>
<b>He cites a list of evidence to show that the temple had existed.</b> âThe temple is referred to in a stone plaque with Tamil inscriptions which still exists in the Visakha Museum,â says the only scientist who has specialised in marine archaeology in the State. <b>âThe temple is also mentioned in a British Gazette in the 18th century,â he says.
According to legend, a Chola king while on his way to Benares was so enamoured by the locale that he built a shore-temple devoted to the deity Visakha, the god of valour. The temple was named Vaisakeswara.</b>
âThe Shiva temple at the Naval Coastal Battery gives a strong and positive indication of a temple in the opposite vacant land which might have submerged into the seabed due to geological changes,â Prof. Gangadharam says with conviction.
<b>He also recorded old-timers who recalled their grandparents and great-grandparents talking about the temple located on the shore opposite the Naval Coastal Battery. It is at this place that people even today have sacred baths during the auspicious days of Karteeka Maasam and on Shivaratri.
The place was called Theerthapu Rallu in Kulottunga Cholapattinam, the earlier name of Visakhapatnam.</b> The professor says he was inspired by the efforts of Prof. S.S. Rao who found the ancient town of Dwarka under the Arabian Sea off Gujarat.
<b>The academic resigned an associate professorship in the geochemistry department at University of Malaya, Malaysia, in 1987.</b> He worked with Prof. Rao to know more about marine archaeology during the mid-1980s when Dwarka was being excavated.
His efforts to locate the temple go back to 1987 when the Andhra University set up the Centre for Marine Archaeology. <b>Scuba divers from the Indian Navy made two attempts in 1992 and 2003, scouring the seabed for four days each time to locate the temple.
âIt at least takes two months for a team of divers to go into the sea regularly to scour one square kilometre. The equipment, too, was then insufficient... so was the money. It will take up to Rs 20 lakhs, which the government is not prepared to spend.â </b>the professor laments.
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I know about this Prof. He is a very sincere person. As a student my dad helped him go abroad to complete his post doc in Chemistry in 1968.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The gods are missing on Pakistani soil
Amir Mir
Tuesday, June 20, 2006Â 23:04 IST
LAHORE: Of the 300 Hindu temples that Pakistan inherited at the time of partition in 1947, hardly three dozen have managed to survive in the pre-partition period, many of whom are in ruins and set to disappear with the passage of time if due attention is not paid to their maintenance by the government.
Following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, over 200 temples were destroyed across Pakistan. There are about 2 million Hindus in Pakistan. The Hindu population is largest in Sindh followed by the NWFP.
<b>The famous Temples at Katas, near Kalar Kahar, are in a dilapidated condition and require renovation. This is despite the fact that Pakistan had been already signed an agreement with India to restore the Katas temples. </b>The temples had been falling into disrepair, and parts of them had been cemented before L K Advaniâs 2005 tour to Pakistan. One of the Katas temples had even been converted into a library.
<b>The Katas Raj temples are located on a hill six kilometres from Choa Saidan Shah of the Chakwal district of Punjab. Katas is mentioned in the Mahabharata. </b>According to the religious belief, both Katas and the Paskar (Ajmer) are the eyes of Shiva. Paras Nath Jogi drew his last breath in Katas.
Katas also holds great historical significance, being the place where Alberuni attempted to measure the circumference of the Earth, studied Sanskrit and wrote his âKitab-ul Hindâ.
<b>Similarly, the Doodhwali Mata Mandir and the Sheetla Mandir in Lahore, built before the invasion of Alexander, are in dilapidated condition. The Sheetla Mandir at Lahore, built before the invasion of Alexander, has seen many of its precious idols either looted or handed over to archeological department. The Doodhwali Mata Mandir between the Shah Almi and Lahori Gate has somehow managed to survive in its dilapidated sanctum sanctorum. </b>
The famous <b>Parahlad Mandir and Jain Mandir near Anarkali in Lahore</b>, which were largely damaged by fanatic Muslims after the demolition of Babri mosque in India, have been locked and an Islamic school is being run in the compound of the latter.
<b>However, the government is not allowing local Hindus to look after their desolate temples on the pattern of Sikh gurdwaras, for unknown reasons.</b>
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Can someone find Google Earth or some other resource pictures of these temples and post in the thread?
Posted Sunday , June 25, 2006 at 12:20
Updated Sunday , June 25, 2006 at 13:13
 http://www.ibnlive.com/news/american-devot...le/13818-3.html
Bhadrak (Orissa): As the Jagannath rath yatra draws near, there are thousands of devotees waiting to participate. But in the Jagannath temple in Puri, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter.
So, an American devotee has now built another Jagannath temple in the Bhadrak district of Orissa, which allows entry to all.
Thirty-year-old Julian Parker is the son of a doctor in Los Angeles. Since childhood, Parker has been a devotee of Lord Jagannath and that is what led him to come to India in 1993 and embrace Sanatan Dharma.
Parker then changed his name to Nitai Das. He was disheartened when he wasn't allowed entry into the Jagannath temple in Puri.
After more than 10 years of perseverance, the 35-feet-high temple is ready in the Kuansh village.
The total expenses amounted to around Rs 26 lakh and half of this amount was donated by Parker himself. The rest came through donations.
"There are so many Jagannath bhakts (devotees) across the world. When they are not allowed inside the temple, they feel bad like I did. So I have built this temple," says Parker.
In the quest to realise his dream , Parker has been staying in Bhadrak since 1994. Here he married a Hindu girl, Tapaswini Sahoo.
Tapaswini is more than glad to have Parker in her life and says his American descent has in no way affected his religious sentiments.
"He is highly religious and follows all Hindu traditions. I am very happy with him and I never felt he is a foreigner. After marrying him, I feel I am a lucky woman," says Tapaswini.
Next year, Parker is planning to conduct the traditional rath yatra from this temple. And his plans do not end here.
If this temple gains popularity among foreigners and non-Hindus, Parker has even bigger plans. In a few years' time, he plans to build another massive Jagannath temple. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->What were the temples in Kashi built during Akbar's time?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
During Akbar's reign Raja Todarmal built a temple dedicated to Viswanath at Gyanvapi, but this too, met the fate of its predecessor at the hands of Aurangjeb
Go to this http://www.templeyatra.com site and get the details of the sivan temples in Tamil Nadu, India. This also contains the varieties of the religious temples like Lord Vishnu and Lord Murugan in India with saints details. Go and feel.
<!--QuoteBegin-Praneet N+Oct 2 2003, 09:30 PM-->QUOTE(Praneet N @ Oct 2 2003, 09:30 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->To encourage and promote tourism of these temples it would be worthwhile to post some of the feats of temple architecture or perhaps, a few comments of interesting history that members may have read or come across travelling.
I've been trying to find out where the largest Shiva lingam in the world is located, so far on templenet, found the largest one in South India at
Gangaikonda Choleswarar Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, where the lingam stands at 4m tall :
Largest hanuman in India??
[right][snapback]792[/snapback][/right]
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Hai,
Visit the http://www.templeyatra.com. This site contains the Lord Siva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu and some other parts in allover India. This site also describe details of Alwars, Nayanmars and Arunagirinathar. I got this site from yahoo search engine. Really its nice to view and handle.
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Jun 29 2006, 04:14 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 29 2006, 04:14 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->What were the temples in Kashi built during Akbar's time?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
During Akbar's reign Raja Todarmal built a temple dedicated to Viswanath at Gyanvapi, but this too, met the fate of its predecessor at the hands of Aurangjeb
[right][snapback]53015[/snapback][/right]
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The charge against Akbar by the Sirhindi type of hardliners is that he allowed temple construction while he was the ruler of hindustan. I guess his great-grandson made amends by turning the Gyan Vapi temple into a mosque.
