Priests Purify Shrine After Bush Visit (Why Is This News?)

Yahoo! News ^

[albyjimc2]

NEW DELHI - Hindu priests who look after the memorial of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi conducted a purification ceremony at the shrine after a visit from President Bush. But it wasn't the president who offended them, it was the sniffer-dogs who scoured the area ahead of his visit.

After the dog visit, the memorial was cleansed with water brought from the Ganges river, which Hindus consider holy, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Sunday.

Bush visited the memorial on Thursday during his three day visit to India. The site, where pacifist icon Gandhi was cremated, is considered sacred and all visitors, including Bush and his wife Laura, removed their shoes before going in.

The dogs, flown in from the U.S., were part of the intense security surrounding the president, but the Hindu priests believe they tainted the site.

Letting dogs into the memorial also drew sharp protest from Hindu politicians and Gandhi's great grandson, Tushar Gandhi, who called the incident a "national shame," the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Would cats have been better

[oolatec]

You mean they aren't sawing off heads and blowing people up? But I thought all religions were the same! Yeargh.

[HiTech RedNeck]

And anyhow, they think the dogs will reincarnate into people eventually.

[fat city]

cleansed with water brought from the Ganges river

The filthiest body of water on earth.

[JennysCool]

It's always interesting to hear how the other half live.

[HiTech RedNeck]

It's that holy Ganges mud. Mississippi mud just would not have sufficed.

[CarrotAndStick]

Letting dogs into the memorial also drew sharp protest from Hindu politicians...

This is strange, considering the fact that most of the Hindu parties have an anti-Gandhi tinge, and that a member of such a paarty was the one who ACTUALLY ASSASINATED Gandhi.

And by the way, this story lasted half a day in the Indian media.

[GretchenM]

Holy cow, Robin!

[CarrotAndStick]

This might interest you:

Thank you, Mr Bush (from India)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1590249/posts

[Echo Talon]

I don't understand this, some Hindus worship rats but they have a problem with dogs? I don't get it.

[CDHart]

They sure wouldn't like my house -- our dog (used to be dogs but two are gone now) rules the roost.

Carolyn

[CarrotAndStick]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathuram_Godse


The assassination

The immediate motive for the assassination is usually ascribed to Gandhi's January 13, 1948 decision to fast to the death, a term of which was that the Indian central government reverse a decision to withhold the transfer of 55 crore (550 million) rupees to the government of Pakistan. The transfer had been specified in the partition agreement, but the Indian government had refused to complete it, complaining of the Pakistani military occupation of part of the disputed state of Kashmir.

The Indian government immediately reversed its decision to withhold the funds, which infuriated Godse and his friends.

It is far from clear whether or not the decision to assassinate Gandhi was taken by Godse alone, or whether he had consulted with other Mahasabha members, or even received their help in carrying out the assassination. Mahasabha resolutely denied all complicity, and Godse took full responsibility. However, many critics believe that Godse did not act alone.

Godse assassinated Gandhi on January 30, 1948, approaching him during a public appearance, bowing, and shooting him at close range. The gun used by Godse was a Beretta M1934 semi-automatic pistol in .380 ACP caliber, serial number 606824.


The trial


Following his assassination of Gandhi, Godse, who did not try to flee, was captured, tried and executed. Godse stood trial on November 8, 1949. Godse was sentenced to death for the killing and hanged on November 15, 1949.

[CarrotAndStick]

I don't understand this, some Hindus worship rats but they have a problem with dogs? I don't get it.

Dogs, or for that matter, no animal is anathema to Hindus. This particular stint is done by a bunch of leftists and anti-American socialists, to try and rouse sentiments in India, who couldn't stomach Bush's successful visit in India.

[Echo Talon]

Hindu Rat Temple

[beaversmom]

Maybe they should have used sniffer rats.

[Echo Talon]

Thats what I thought, Hindu's like animals

[Echo Talon]

Rat Temple scroll down about 1/2 way and you can read about this guys trip to the rat temple. :)

[HiTech RedNeck]

Activists from a hardline Hindu nationalist group in India have named a puppy George Bush, after the American president, because they are offended that his pet cat is called India.

[CarrotAndStick]