The theft of riches from temples is common in India. New Textbooks: Students in classrooms across India were issued new textbooks on history and politics that either watered down or purged key details from India’s past that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party finds inconvenient to its Hindu nationalist vision.Apple Store: Apple, the biggest public company in the world, is finally opening its first retail outlets in the world’s most populous country.A ruling in favor of legalizing gay unions would make India an outlier in Asia. Same-Sex Marriage Case: India’s Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case to legalize same-sex marriage.A Significant Milestone: The United Nations released data confirming that India would soon surpass China as the most populous country.Under current market rates, that stockpile would be worth roughly $160 billion. Locked away in hundreds of the country’s largest temples is a staggering amount of gold, weighing as much as 8.8 million pounds, the World Gold Council has estimated. Their instructions were simple: Check the structural integrity of the vault and ignore the millions of dollars’ worth of antiquities stashed inside.Īnyone who spends much time in India’s Hindu temples is accustomed to being just steps from extreme wealth. Their skimpy loincloths were required as a security measure along with oxygen masks in case the vault, unopened for more than three decades, lacked breathable air. To enter Jagannath Temple, dedicated to an important Hindu deity, the group of 16 archaeologists, Hindu priests and government officials had to pass through metal detectors. During the Gion Matsuri (Gion Festival) throughout July many events are held at the shrine, making the already popular Yasaka Shrine even livelier.PURI, India - A group of men in loincloths assembled outside a 12th-century temple on a hot April day in Puri, India, preparing to venture deep inside to a pitch-black vault where piles of gold and silver jewelry were stored under lock and key. The main hall is a lovely sight with the prayer hall in front of it strung with lanterns serving as the stage for many a cultural performance throughout the year, particularly those performed by the geisha from nearby districts. Once inside the gate you can access several subsidiary shrines, some of which are famous for things such as helping you become beautiful or find love in a relationship. The colorful shrine is a popular spot for tourists and its street-facing two-storied vermilion gate is a district landmark. Susano’o no Mikoto, a great god of storms and sea in Japanese mythology is worshiped there alongside his wife Kushiinada-hime and the Yahashira no Mikogami, their eight children. The most famous shrine in the Gion area and a patron of the arts with a 1,350 year history, Yasaka Shrine, or Gion-sha, is a beautiful site full of character and natural charm. Kōdai-ji also regularly participates in night openings and illuminations, providing an interesting chance to experience a temple after dark. In addition to the architecture, the grounds themselves are worth a leisurely stroll, featuring a pond and meandering path through a small bamboo forest. The most striking detail of this temple is the quality of maki-e lacquer work visible on and in the various buildings on site. Because the temple was founded in order to carry out prayers for the deceased Hideyoshi, many treasures remain that are related to him, and Hideyoshi and Nene are worshiped at a sanctuary on the grounds. It can be easy to accidentally walk past this temple’s tree-sheltered stone staircase entrance, but those who make the short climb can enjoy not only a historical landmark but a beautiful example of Momoyama period architecture. Kōdai-ji was founded in 1606 in honor of the Sengoku period warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi by his legal wife Nene (Dharma name: Kōdai-in Kogetsuni), who took the tonsure and become a Buddhist nun after her husband’s death.
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