Latest news with #Hinduism
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ancient Site Sparks Heated Political Debate about India's Past
The Keeladi village in India's southern Tamil Nadu state has unearthed archeological finds that have sparked a political and historical debate. Amid coconut groves, a series of 15ft (4.5m) deep trenches reveal ancient artifacts buried in layers of soil - fragments of terracotta pots, and traces of long-lost brick structures, BBC reported on Monday. Experts from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology estimate the artifacts to be 2,000 to 2,500 years old, with the oldest dating back to around 580 BCE. They say these findings challenge and reshape existing narratives about early civilization in the Indian subcontinent. With politicians, historians, and epigraphists weighing in, Keeladi has moved beyond archaeology, becoming a symbol of state pride and identity amid competing historical narratives. Yet history enthusiasts say it remains one of modern India's most compelling and accessible discoveries - offering a rare opportunity to deepen understanding of a shared past. Keeladi, a village 12km (7 miles) from Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river, was one of 100 sites shortlisted for excavation by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan in 2013. He selected a 100-acre site there because of its proximity to ancient Madurai and the earlier discovery of red-and-black pottery ware by a schoolteacher in 1975. Ajay Kumar, leading the state archaeology team at Keeladi, said the key finds are elaborate brick structures and water systems - evidence of a 2,500-year-old urban settlement. 'This was a literate, urban society where people had separate spaces for habitation, burial practices and industrial work,' Kumar said, noting it's the first large, well-defined ancient urban settlement found in southern India. William Daniel, a teacher from neighboring Kerala, said the discoveries made him feel proud about his heritage. 'It gives people from the south [of India] something to feel proud about, that our civilization is just as ancient and important as the one in the north [of India],' he said. The politics surrounding Keeladi reflects a deep-rooted north-south divide - underscoring how understanding the present requires grappling with the past. India's first major civilization, the Indus Valley, emerged in the north and central regions between 3300 and 1300 BCE. After its decline, a second urban phase, the Vedic period, rose in the Gangetic plains, lasting until the 6th Century BCE. This phase saw major cities, powerful kingdoms and the rise of Vedic culture - a foundation for Hinduism. As a result, urbanization in ancient India is often viewed as a northern phenomenon, with a dominant narrative that the northern Aryans "civilized" the Dravidian south. This is especially evident in the mainstream understanding of the spread of literacy. It is believed that the Ashokan Brahmi script - found on Mauryan king Ashoka's rock edicts in northern and central India, dating back to the 3rd Century BCE - is the predecessor of most scripts in South and Southeast Asia. Epigraphists like Iravatham Mahadevan and Y Subbarayalu have long held the view that the Tamil Brahmi script - the Tamil language spoken in Tamil Nadu and written in the Brahmi script - was an offshoot of the Ashokan Brahmi script. But now, archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu state department say that the excavations at Keeladi are challenging this narrative. 'We have found graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 6th Century BCE, which shows that it is older than the Ashokan Brahmi script. We believe that both scripts developed independently and, perhaps, emerged from the Indus Valley script,' Kumar said. Epigraphist S Rajavelu, former professor of marine archaeology at the Tamil University, agrees with Kumar and said other excavation sites in the state too have unearthed graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 5th and 4th Century BCE. But some experts say that more research and evidence are needed to conclusively prove the antiquity of the Tamil Brahmi script.
Mint
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
‘Shameless': AliExpress sells Lord Jagannath 'Doormat', sparks outrage among netizens
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former MP Amar Patnaik has condemned the "egregious" act of selling doormats featuring the sacred image of Lord Jagannath by popular Chinese-owned global e-commerce site AliExpress. The online store is also receiving massive backlash on social media from Indian users. Thousands of X users have backed the call for an apology and urged the online retailer to take the listing down immediately. The BJD leader called the act "shameless" and wrote: 'I vehemently condemn the egregious act of selling doormats with the sacred image of Lord Jagannath on AliExpress! This shameless profanity is an affront to the deepest sentiments of millions of devotees, trampling upon the revered iconography with utter disregard. It's a desecration of the highest order, and those responsible must be held accountable. The fact that Lord Jagannath's image is being used as a mere commodity is a stark reminder of the blatant disrespect towards Hinduism. Immediate action is imperative to rectify this egregious wrongdoing and restore dignity to the revered deity.' The religious row erupted after a purported image circulated on social media showing the sacred image of Lord Jagannath, a revered Hindu deity worshipped primarily in Odisha and parts of eastern India. The product description reads: "Lord Jagannath Mandala Art Mat Doorway Non-Slip Soft Water Uptake Carpet Krishna Jaganath Hindu Go..." and the price of the doormat is ₹ 787.65. There are two images: the left image shows a close-up of the mat featuring Lord Jagannath's face, while the right image shows a person standing barefoot on the mat, directly on the deity's face. The product description, referring to it as "moisture absorbent" and "anti-slip," has further fueled the outrage, with devotees condemning it as a clear display of religious insensitivity. Since the listing gained widespread attention, devotees on social media have strongly condemned the product, demanding its immediate removal along with an apology from both the seller and the platform. Hashtags such as #RespectJagannath and #BoycottAliExpress have been trending across India, intensifying calls for accountability. The episode is reminiscent of an incident in 2020, when Inc. had to take down listings of products such as briefs and doormats with Hindu sacred symbols that were being sold on its overseas websites, following a social media uproar in India. #BoycottAmazon was one of the top trending topics on Twitter in India at the time, with users sharing screenshots of Amazon listings for doormats and underwear emblazoned with insignia including the elephant god Ganesha and other symbols considered sacred in Hinduism. 'We are taking down the products in question,' Amazon had said in a statement. 'All sellers must follow our selling guidelines, and those who do not will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account.'
The Wire
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Wire
Dharmayana – Daily Hindu App Raises USD 500K in Pre-Seed After a Strong Bootstrapped Year
Ex-Microsoft, Motorola & Amazon Leaders Reimagine Holistic Hindu Living Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 29: In a world increasingly driven by convenience and technology, Dharmayana, a faith-tech startup, is redefining how Hindus stay connected to their religious and spiritual roots. Bootstrapped in 2024, Dharmayana aims to be the authentic digital companion for holistic Hindu living across all dimensions — Aachara (rituals and customs), Shastra (astrology and allied services), Bhakti (devotion), Adhyayana (scriptures and culture), Dhaana (donations), and Svastya (health and wellness). 'Hinduism is incredibly rich but fragmented, and can be hard to navigate — especially for those in nuclear families seeking dharmic guidance,' said Mohan, Founder of Dharmayana and a seasoned leader from Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, Ola, and Halodoc. 'We are building Dharmayana to make authentic rituals and spiritual wisdom accessible, trusted, and easy to integrate into modern daily life.' Dharmayana's early traction reflects strong fundamentals, driven by product–market fit and organic adoption. The platform now serves over 500,000 users, with 100,000+ monthly active users. In January 2025, it secured $500K in pre-seed funding, backed by industry veterans and former colleagues from companies like Grab, Ola, Halodoc, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Motorola. Targeting India's $56 billion Hindu spiritual market, much of which remains offline, Dharmayana is now preparing for its next phase: scaling nationally and becoming a category leader in the faith-tech space. The company is planning its first institutional round in 2026 to fuel this expansion. A Daily Spiritual Companion, Built for the Modern Hindu Dharmayana is designed to build daily engagement and habit formation through features like the Panchanga (Hindu calendar), daily prayers, festival guides, personalized predictions, and guided dhyana — all free to use. The platform also offers affordable and high-trust services such as Archana, Chadav, Kundali consultations, and a Free Birthday Pooja, helping users ease into digital spiritual experiences. This approach has driven strong early value realization in a category where digital adoption is still evolving. As trust deepens, users naturally progress to premium offerings — including custom handwritten kundalis, astrology consultations, and guided rituals at sacred sites like Kashi, Rameshwaram, and Brindavan. This thoughtful value ladder has helped Dharmayana achieve both retention and early monetization. 'Dharmayana is a Daily Hindu App — by blending intuitive design with timeless tradition, we've created a spiritual companion that helps seekers stay meaningfully connected to their roots,' Mohan concludes. App: Email: founders@ (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI This is an auto-published feed from PTI with no editorial input from The Wire.
Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Dharmayana - Daily Hindu App Raises USD 500K in Pre-Seed After a Strong Bootstrapped Year
PNN Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 29: In a world increasingly driven by convenience and technology, Dharmayana, a faith-tech startup, is redefining how Hindus stay connected to their religious and spiritual roots. Bootstrapped in 2024, Dharmayana aims to be the authentic digital companion for holistic Hindu living across all dimensions -- Aachara (rituals and customs), Shastra (astrology and allied services), Bhakti (devotion), Adhyayana (scriptures and culture), Dhaana (donations), and Svastya (health and wellness). "Hinduism is incredibly rich but fragmented, and can be hard to navigate -- especially for those in nuclear families seeking dharmic guidance," said Mohan, Founder of Dharmayana and a seasoned leader from Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, Ola, and Halodoc. "We are building Dharmayana to make authentic rituals and spiritual wisdom accessible, trusted, and easy to integrate into modern daily life." Dharmayana's early traction reflects strong fundamentals, driven by product-market fit and organic adoption. The platform now serves over 500,000 users, with 100,000+ monthly active users. In January 2025, it secured $500K in pre-seed funding, backed by industry veterans and former colleagues from companies like Grab, Ola, Halodoc, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Motorola. Targeting India's $56 billion Hindu spiritual market, much of which remains offline, Dharmayana is now preparing for its next phase: scaling nationally and becoming a category leader in the faith-tech space. The company is planning its first institutional round in 2026 to fuel this expansion. A Daily Spiritual Companion, Built for the Modern Hindu Dharmayana is designed to build daily engagement and habit formation through features like the Panchanga (Hindu calendar), daily prayers, festival guides, personalized predictions, and guided dhyana -- all free to use. The platform also offers affordable and high-trust services such as Archana, Chadav, Kundali consultations, and a Free Birthday Pooja, helping users ease into digital spiritual experiences. This approach has driven strong early value realization in a category where digital adoption is still evolving. As trust deepens, users naturally progress to premium offerings -- including custom handwritten kundalis, astrology consultations, and guided rituals at sacred sites like Kashi, Rameshwaram, and Brindavan. This thoughtful value ladder has helped Dharmayana achieve both retention and early monetization.
India.com
a day ago
- Politics
- India.com
Agra Conversion Racket Exposes ISI Link: ‘Lady Brigade', Plot To Target Hindu Women And More
In a startling revelation, an alleged religious conversion racket busted in Agra has been linked to Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, according to findings by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The ongoing investigation suggests that ISI was orchestrating a plan to create a 'Lady Brigade' — a network of women converted from Hinduism — to operate as sleeper cells across India. It is believed that ISI was not only working to convert Hindus but was also allegedly using those converted to further propagate conversion among others. In today's DNA episode, Zee News analysed the alleged religious conversion racket in Agra: Watch Full DNA Episode Here: DNA : हिंदू ही हथियार बनेंगे..हिंदू ही मारे जाएंगे! मुनीर-ISI के इशारे पर भारत में धर्मांतरण! मुनीर के 'एंटी हिंदू टूलकिट' का DNA टेस्ट#DNA #Chhangur #Balrampur #Agra #Pakistan @pratyushkkhare — Zee News (@ZeeNews) July 28, 2025 The racket came to light earlier this month when UP ATS arrested several individuals in Agra. One of the key accused, Abdul Rehman, was apprehended. Meanwhile, investigations revealed that this group was in touch with international funding sources and was reportedly receiving money from countries such as Canada and England. Further investigations have revealed that Pakistani YouTubers Tanveer Ahmed and Sahib Adeeb were also involved in the network and were allegedly on ISI's payroll. These individuals were reportedly offering online religious indoctrination and targeting Hindu girls through social media platforms. The conversion syndicate reportedly even had a dedicated WhatsApp wing operating in Delhi. Girls recruited through this system were allegedly being radicalised and encouraged to incite others or support anti-national activities. The ATS also uncovered that a man named Syed Dawood, originally from Madhya Pradesh but currently based in Canada, where he runs an Islamic centre, was allegedly one of the key financiers of the operation. Officials have not ruled out a terror angle to the Agra conversion case and are currently exploring links between this group and a similar racket operating from Balrampur's Chhangur area, which was previously exposed. As the investigation deepens, Indian security agencies are working to uncover the full extent of ISI's alleged involvement in funding and orchestrating religious conversions with potential links to anti-national activities.
