Urbanisation in India is causing Adivasi communities to lose connections to ancestral lands – and to traditional knowledge and belief systems. Urban Hinduisation plays a big role in this.
This famous scene from the Bhagavad Gita, featuring the god Krishna with his cousin, Prince Arjuna, on a chariot heading into war.
Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A scholar of South Asian religions explains how one lesson from the text, ‘nishkama karma’ – or acting without desire – may be useful for navigating the contemporary workplace.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is Hindu, attends the Finchley United Synagogue in London in October 2023.
PA Images / Alamy
The language the UK government uses on faith-related subjects matters. It models – for everyone living in the UK – how to best engage with diverse manifestations of belief.
The Moon over a minaret of the grand Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan.
AP Photo/Anjum Naveed
Two scholars who study death rituals explain that the corpse is considered spiritually polluting in many religious traditions, while the Moon holds a sacred place.
The Ram temple, built on the site of a destroyed mosque, could be used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party to mobilise his Hindu nationalist supporters ahead of the elections.
A gilded statue of the Buddha at Wat Phanan Choeng Temple in Thailand.
Kittipong Chararoj/ iStock via Getty Images Plus
Through the power of rituals, inanimate objects can be understood to transform into agents who can see, hear, taste and respond to the concerns of those who worship them.
Hindu devotees prepare to scatter ashes of the deceased into the sea as part of Ngaben, a mass cremation ceremony, in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Juni Kriswanto/AFP via Getty Images
Across cultures, death rituals give mourners a chance to grieve. But they also offer one last opportunity to help the deceased as they transition to the next stage of existence.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes delegates to the G20 leaders summit in front of a placard reading ‘Bharat,’ the Hindi word for ‘India.’
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
The merging of technology and faith is sparking a transformative shift in redefining spirituality and religious practices.
The words Robert Oppenheimer quoted from the Gita, seen written in dust on part of a deactivated nuclear missile at the Pima Air & Space Museum.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Oppenheimer’s knowledge of Sanskrit literature was more than cursory. He used quotes and parables from Sanskrit texts as a guide to right actions in his life.
An image of one of the gifts that Prime Minister Modi gave to President Biden – the ‘10 danas,’ or 10 donations – each with a specific symbolism.
Newsroom Post Press Release
One of the gifts that Prime Minister Modi gave to President Biden symbolizes the recipient’s having seen 1,000 full moons, implying a long and auspicious life.
A woman teaches a dance form, known as bhangra, during a 3HO gathering.
Gurumustuk Singh/Flickr
3HO was founded in 1969, and SDI followed five years later. What are they, and what is the significance of the 2023 summer solstice for their followers?
People admire a massive statue of the Hindu goddess Kali.
Jerry Redfern/LightRocket via Getty Images
The use of AI and robotic technology in worship is raising profound questions about its long-term consequences. Will it lead to the betterment of society or replace practitioners?
Speakers discussing the proposed ordinance to add caste to Seattle’s anti-discrimination laws at Seattle City Hall, on Feb. 21, 2023.
AP Photo/John Froschauer
Two social scientists explain how caste-identities are pervasive in not just Hinduism but other South Asian faith groups as well.
The executive board of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation, speaking to media about the upcoming G20 Religion forum (R20).
NU Online
Inviting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – notorious for its role in violent conflicts between Hindus and Muslims in India – could help kickstart a global movement of improved interfaith relations.