Latest news with #MalaysiaHinduSangam
The Star
29-04-2025
- The Star
Dispute grows over temple's management
Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN CONTROVERSY is brewing between Malaysia Hindu Sangam and a temple in Kelana Jaya, with accusations of mismanagement and police reports lodged, Tamil Malar reported. Sri Sakthi Easwari Temple's former committee chairman Selvam Paramasivam said he has filed a police report. Selvam said MHS president T. Ganesan, when speaking at a function in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, had allegedly accused him and his committee of defrauding the temple of RM3mil. This accusation, which was made in front of about 750 people from the community, is completely baseless and has damaged his reputation, added Selvam. He and committee members filed a report at the Petaling Jaya police station over the accusation. > Three people were killed in India when a sack of fireworks was set off in a freak accident during a temple festival, Malaysia Nanban reported. The incident happened in Salem, Tamil Nadu, when a man was transporting a large stock of firecrackers by motorcycle. He apparently lost control as he passed by a burning pile of rubbish and crashed into the flames. The fire ignited the fireworks, resulting in the immediate deaths of three men and severely injuring a boy. The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a, it denotes a separate news item.
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hindu temples in Malaysia to meet over land issues as relocation saga simmers
More than 2,000 Hindu temples across Malaysia will send representatives to a mass community meeting in Kuala Lumpur this weekend to discuss issues over land occupied by them, as blowback from a temple relocation in the capital refuses to abate. Advertisement The land rights of Malaysia's 2 million-strong Hindu community were thrust into the spotlight by the row over the relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple to make way for the construction of a new mosque. Observers say the row has been fanned by Muslim hardliners scoring cheap political points, which has led to Hindu temples with alleged discrepancies over land ownership being tagged by their critics on social media. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last Thursday presided over the groundbreaking of the new mosque. However, he was still accused by Muslim hardliners of handing Hindus a free piece of prime real estate by relocating their temple to a site just 50 metres away. The temple furore has prompted questions about the land rights of many of Malaysia's thousands of temples – many established during the colonial era when Indian labourers were brought in by British administrators. Advertisement The Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS), which represents the country's Hindus, said decades of ad hoc solutions by government leaders were no longer tenable due to the pernicious impact of social media on public discourse.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wedding bells are ringing: Here's why Tamil couples are saying ‘I do' this month
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 — Have you been getting many wedding cards from your Indian friends lately? Well, expect more invitations to come because it's currently the wedding season for the Tamil community, which will continue until the eve of Valentine's Day in February. This annual wedding season coincides with the Thai month — the 10th month in the Tamil calendar — that occurs between mid-January until mid-February. The Thai month kicks off with the Pongal harvest festival, that is usually celebrated on January 14 annually. While Tamil weddings can take place in other months — except during Aadi (mid-July to mid-August) and Margazhi (mid-December to mid-January), the Thai month is still regarded as one of the most auspicious time for weddings, thanks to the harvest season. Malaysia Hindu Sangam secretary S. Vinayagamurthi said the harvest season provided resources for the Tamil community to purchase gold, new attire and other necessities to hold marriages. 'Since Tamil Nadu was primarily an agrarian economy, farmers used to sell their harvest to traders during the Thai month, spurring economic activities across the state. 'This led to the cultural belief that the Thai month marks the advent of new opportunities, including marriages. 'So, tying the knot during the Thai month is said to attract divine blessings,' he told Malay Mail. Vinayagamurthi said a wedding boom occurs during Thai month because weddings are generally not held during the preceding month of Margazhi, which is dedicated to religious activities and spiritual pursuits. 'Many Tamil Hindus fast throughout the Margazhi month and therefore, it is not considered conducive for marriages. 'The Thai month also marks the end of the winter solstice and the start of the sun's northward movement for six months. 'This shift in the sun's movement is called uttarayanam, which brings about longer days and shorter nights. 'So, most auspicious events, including marriages and temple consecrations, take place during the first six months of the year,' he said. For Hindu temple priests M. Ganesan and his brother, M. Saravanan, the Thai month is the busiest as many couples seek their services for weddings. Ganesan said that he has conducted four weddings since January 15 so far, and has a few more lined up for the next few days. He added that most couples prefer to tie the knot on weekends, but this year, the majority of the auspicious wedding dates for this month happen to be on weekdays. 'Some couples also prefer to get married during the waxing moon cycle since it symbolises blooming and growth. 'This month, the waxing moon cycle starts from January 30 and will last until February 12,' he told Malay Mail. Modern as they might be, bride-to-be Thivyaa Maniam said she and her fiance Shugeshan Sukumaran still cherish their cultural heritage and hold fast that for certain things like weddings, it is best to follow custom. 'We didn't just want a traditional wedding; we wanted everything about our wedding to be rooted in our culture,' she told Malay Mail. She related that it was difficult to plan her wedding due to the limited auspicious dates available as well as Hindu priests able to conduct the ceremony. 'That's why we didn't mind getting married on a weekday,' she said, adding that the couple will be tying the knot on January 31.
