New Delhi (IANS) India remains an inspiration for acclaimed British novelist and short story writer Jeffrey Archer with its “manic pace, more than 50 million readers and warm hospitality”. The writer, in India to launch his new book, “Best Kept Secret”, the third in the Clifton Chronicles series, says India [...]

Dehra Dun : With the Badrinath shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand at a height of over 3400 metres on the banks of the Alaknanda river, slowly but surely spreading its influence over devotees across the country, the corporate houses are also giving due attention to this shrine dedicated [...]

New Delhi (IANS) Saffron-clad sadhus at the just concluded Mahakumbh inspired Tarun Tahiliani’s new collection Kumbhback. The designer brought bold splashes of colours on the ramp when models flaunted sensual drapes and structured dresses in red, saffron and orange at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2013 Autumn-Winter(WIFW). Although his [...]

Thiruvananthapuram: Women cutting across social strata celebrated the famed Attukal Pongala festival with devotion and fervour here Tuesday. The women lined up on either side of the roads in the capital city to cook their offering (“pongala”) on makeshift stoves of bricks and firewood at the famed Attukal Bhagawathi temple. [...]

New Delhi: A rare exhibition of ethnic art motifs of tribal communities such as Gonds, Bhils, Rathwas, Sauras and Warlis opened in the national capital Saturday. The nine-day ‘Adi Chitra’ showcase at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra here features works of 40 artists. The artworks, painted in simplistic style, depict life of [...]

New Delhi: Jantar Mantar, the 18th century architectural observatory in Delhi, and Nelson Mandela’s Freedom Towers in Soweto in South Africa made a connection with light this week when Patrick Rimoux illuminated the ancient astronomical lab with psychedelic light sculptures. The multi-coloured astro-sculptures “Luminosity” at the 400-year-old Jantar Mantar was [...]

British rulers had unveiled a technical revolution in bulk transport system during eighteenth century with the invention of Railways which was soon rolled out in India primarily to meet their strategic and commercial motives. To enforce their will on a land as vast as the Indian sub-continent the colonial rulers [...]

Allahabad (IANS) A rare planetary configuration after 147 years, unprecedented security and a multitude of faithfuls has set the stage for the biggest of all holy ‘shahi snans’ (royal baths) at the Maha Kumbh on Sunday. More than 30 million pilgrims were expected for Mauni Amavasya, officials said. Officials said today [...]

Malana is perhaps one of the oldest forms of self government still around that is structured around Jamlu Devta (village deity) as the supreme head. The villagers have a sort of central executive (jyeshtan) comprising the Manager (Karmish), the Priest (Pujari)and the Oracle (Gur ) as permanent members and also [...]

Dharamshala: Close to the snowline in the Dhauladhar ranges, the Himani Chamunda Devi temple is to be developed as a tourist destination as the government plans to connect the high altitude place with a motor able road. Sudhir Sharma, a young minister in the Himachal government, directed officers to prepare [...]