Hindu

An aerial view shows Gyanvapi mosque (left) and Kashi Vishwanath temple on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India.

A Hindu-Muslim dispute tests centuries of interfaith culture in India's Varanasi

5:00am September 16, 2023

by Sushmita Pathak

Both faith communities have long shared this sacred city. But some Hindus have taken legal action over a mosque they claim holds idols of Hindu deities.

People light lamps on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

Religion

Residents across India celebrate Diwali with festivities and dazzling lights

3:42am October 24, 2022

by The Associated Press

Indians celebrated Diwali on Monday as bright oil lamps and colorful lights lit up homes and streets across the country to mark the Hindu festival that symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.

Friends Nasir Dhillon (left) and Papinder Singh run a YouTube channel, Punjabi Lehar, that tries to heal the wounds of Partition through reuniting loved ones separated when British-ruled India was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan, 75 years a

YouTube videos are helping reunite loved ones separated by the India-Pakistan border

4:55pm August 12, 2022

Two Pakistani friends make videos in which those who lived through India's 1947 Partition describe loved ones they lost at the time. With viewers' help, siblings and others are reunited after decades.

Queue Listen Now

Devotees prepare to immerse in an artificial pond an idol of elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh in Mumbai, India, Aug. 23. India's coronavirus caseload topped 3 million that day, with the country leading the world in new daily infections.

Hindus Work Around Coronavirus To Celebrate God Ganesh, Remover Of Obstacles

3:34pm August 27, 2020

Mumbai officials get creative to allow devotees to celebrate the elephant-headed god safely, even as virus cases surge in other parts of India.

Members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, stand at attention and salute a saffron-orange flag at a morning shakha, or drill session, in a park in suburban Mumbai, India.

The Powerful Group Shaping The Rise Of Hindu Nationalism In India

10:39am May 03, 2019

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and holds an outsize influence on national policy. Its goal: to redefine India according to the Hindu faith.

Queue Listen Now

On Dec. 6, 1992, Hindu attackers hit the wall of the 16th century Babri Masjid with iron rods, part of a mob that tore down the mosque. Thousands were killed in rioting that followed the mosque's destruction.

Nearly 27 Years After Hindu Mob Destroyed A Mosque, The Scars In India Remain Deep

2:17pm April 25, 2019

by Lauren Frayer

The 16th century Babri mosque's destruction marked a turning point in Indian politics. Thousands, mostly Muslims, died afterward in riots. The prime minister vows to build a Hindu temple on the site.

Queue Listen Now

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with of Yogi Adityanath (left), a Hindu priest who is chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, during a campaign rally on March 28.

World News

With Indian Elections Underway, The Vote Is Also A Referendum On Hindu Nationalism

8:02am April 14, 2019

by Lauren Frayer

Many see India's election as a turning point in which the country may seek to redefine itself via Hinduism, its majority faith. Secularism has become "a four-letter word," says one expert.

Indian police take protesters into custody during widespread demonstrations over two women entering the Sabarimala temple in the southern India state of Kerala earlier this week.

3rd Woman Enters Sacred Hindu Temple In Southern India Amid Protests

11:53am January 04, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

A Sri Lankan becomes the third woman this week to enter the Sabarimala temple, which doesn't allow women of menstruating age, in India's Kerala state. The Supreme Court calls the ban discriminatory.

Susheela Kumari, an attendant at a cow shelter, collects urine to be processed in Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Cow Dung Soap Is Cleaning Up In India

12:43pm October 03, 2018

by Sushmita Pathak

Some Indians say that cow dung and urine have healing properties. Science says otherwise. Nonetheless, there's a growing enthusiasm for dung- and urine-based products.

Revelers in Mumbai hoist up a statue of the elephant-headed god Ganesh and parade it toward the Arabian Sea.

Indians Are Partying And Praying For Elephant-Headed God Ganesh

5:30am September 22, 2018

by Lauren Frayer

For 10 days, they sing, dance, chant and pray at the feet of Ganesh statues, then submerge them in water. The festival was once used to circumvent British rule.