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The visitors often draw comparisons between the iconic Taj Mahal and the newly built mausoleum of the founder of the Radhasoami sect in Soami Bagh, located about 12 km away from the Taj Mahal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saomi Bagh in Agra is a new white marble structure in Agra that took 104 years to build ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new white marble structure in Agra that took 104 years to build is daily drawing hordes of spiritually inclined tourists. The visitors often draw comparisons between the iconic Taj Mahal and the newly built mausoleum of the founder of the Radhasoami sect in Soami Bagh,...

Canada, is scheduled for unveiling in April next year. Crafted by sculptor Naresh Kumawat from Rajasthan and funded by the local temple management, the statue will be formally unveiled at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, Canada, on April 23, coinciding with the Hanuman Jayanti, the deity’s birth anniversary. Kumawat, known for his expertise in sculpting Hindu deities, has erected over 200 statues across 80 countries. He told The Indian Express that the final touches to the statue will be given during the upcoming summer months before the statue’s unveiling next April. Previously, Kumawat constructed Canada’s former tallest Hanuman statue,...

In a romantic tale full of twists but a happy ending, a Rajasthan woman changed her gender to marry another woman who she had been dating for a few years. Now known as Aarav Kuntal, the teacher married his student Kalpana recently. Their marriage although unconventional was wholeheartedly accepted by their parents. Aarav who was previously known as Meera used to teach Kabaddi in the government school where Kalpana used to study as per media reports. In 2016, a friendship blossomed between Meera (Aarav) and Kalpana. They remained close friends for 2 years. Later, in 2018, Meera (Aarav) proposed to...

In little over a week, Russia lost its second fighter jet, Su-30, to an uncanny crash when it was carrying out a massive aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities and battling in the Kherson region. On October 23, an apartment building in Irkutsk, Siberia, was struck by a Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker multi-role fighter, killing both crew members and starting a massive fire on the ground. Su-30 is a two-seat, twin-engine, highly agile fighter aircraft produced by Sukhoi Aviation Corporation of Russia. The Su-30s are manufactured at the neighboring Irkutsk Aviation Plant, where the jet is reported to have just taken...

Lightning has killed at least 38 people across two Indian states over the past 24 hours, officials said Monday. Many of the deaths occurred in the western state of Rajasthan, where 11 people died after being struck by lightning near a watchtower at the 12th century Amber Fort, police said. Senior police officer Anand Srivastava said some of the victims were taking selfies near the watchtower when lightning struck late Sunday. The Indian Meteorological Department has warned of more lightning in the next two days. Lightning strikes are common during India's monsoon season, which runs from June to September. More...

The saying goes that the Taj Mahal is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening, and golden when the moon shines. Though this may once have been true for the famously pristine marble monument, a mixture of pollution and poor management has now burdened the Taj with a 24-hour layer of yellowy-brown. Condemning the "lethargy" of restoration efforts, India's Supreme Court recently told the government to restore the Taj or demolish it. Located in Agra, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal is one of the most iconically beautiful buildings in the world. Built...

Suspected vigilantes on Saturday killed a Muslim man transporting two cows in India, just 15 months after a similar attack spotlighted the growing influence of pro-Hindu fringe groups. Many Hindus regard the cow as sacred, but India’s Muslim minority engages in the trade of cattle for slaughter and consumption, chiefly of buffalo meat, as well as dairy purposes. Police in the northwestern state of Rajasthan said a group of five to seven people surrounded the man, identified only as Akbar, as he led the cows to his village in the nearby state of Haryana and thrashed him to death on...

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) last week unearthed a Harappan seal from Karanpura in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. “The seal consists of two Harappan characters, with a typical unicorn as the motif and a pipal leaf depicted in front of an animal. There is a knob behind the seal,” says VN Prabhakar, superintending archaeologist, who led the ASI team. Maintaining that the discovery ‘confirms’ that the site belongs to the mature Harappan period, the time when the civilization was at its peak (2600 BC to 1900 BC), he said: “A cubicle chert weight was also unearthed in a...

Romanticized and persecuted, celebrated and shunned, Gypsies have become a growing presence in the world music circuit since the fall of Communism -- yet the everyday prejudice they face across Europe has persisted, and sometimes worsened. Even the word "Gypsy" is a misunderstanding, based on the notion that they are descended from Egyptians, though their ancestors actually migrated in the 11th century from Rajasthan in northwestern India. In recent years, the name they call themselves in the Romani language, Roma, has been increasingly embraced. By the 15th century, there were Roma communities in Eastern Europe, as well as the Iberian...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The leaders of a village in the Indian state of Rajasthan ordered 150 men to dip their hands into boiling oil to prove their innocence after food was stolen from a local school, a newspaper reported Sunday. In late August the school's principal informed police that rice and wheat had disappeared but no action was taken, the Sunday Express said. The council, or panchayat, of Ranpur village, 340 km (210 miles) south of state capital Jaipur, then decided to take the law into its own hands. After 10 days spent trying to identify those responsible, it...

Lack of women turns tables on Rajasthan's suitable boys MUMBAI (Reuters) - Long, twirling moustaches and bejewelled daggers are no longer enough for a man seeking to marry in India's desert state of Rajasthan, long considered a land of fearless warriors. But if he is lucky enough to have a sister, he can relax, a newspaper report said on Sunday. A declining sex ratio in the state is prompting a girl's parents to spurn offers of marriage from men unless the potential groom's family also has a marriageable daughter for their son, the Sunday Express said. "Around 30 percent of...