Sanatan Archive

In the quiet corners of our nation, the stories of those who work the hardest—the rural laborers and community volunteers—often fade into the background. Their daily struggles and quiet acts of service rarely make it into the history books. However, a series of events that took place on Monday, February 2, 2026, in the small village of Ranpur, located in the Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh, has forced the world to stop and take notice.

In a landmark development that reconfigures the boundaries between civil liberties and religious autonomy in the Indian Himalayas, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has formally proposed a ban on the entry of non-Hindus into the shrines under its jurisdiction. This mandate, articulated in early 2026 by BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi, extends beyond the primary pilgrimage sites of Badrinath and Kedarnath to encompass a vast network of 48 associated temples across the Garhwal region.

To view Somnath merely as a structure of stone and prayer is to miss its true essence. It stands as a monumental symbol of India’s historical memory—a testament to a civilization where faith, valour, and cultural self-respect repeatedly rose in defiance of assaults driven by religious fanaticism.

Standing proudly on the western coast of India, the Somnath Temple reflects the strength, continuity, and grandeur of ancient Hindu civilisation. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas and has long held deep religious and cultural importance. Among its many striking features is a lesser known yet remarkable structure called the Baan Stambh.

Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday, 24 December, stated that the controversy surrounding Sabarimala is far more serious than the earlier reports about the loss of 4.5 kilograms of gold.

When the saffron flag was hoisted atop the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, it carried deep symbolic meaning tied to ancient traditions. On Tuesday, 25 November, the flag — known as the “Dharma Dhwaj” — was raised by Prime Minister Modi during a grand ceremony marking the completion of the temple.

The historic and culturally important Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, has long held deep religious meaning for the Hindu community. Over the years, it also turned into a point of disagreement between Hindus and Muslims, especially regarding naming rights, traditional practices, and access to specific parts of the hill.

Recent audits by the Kerala government into the Guruvayur Devaswom, which oversees the sacred Sri Krishna Temple, have exposed shocking lapses in the management of the temple’s treasures. These findings, covering the 2019–20 and 2020–21 financial years, reveal that the administration of one of Kerala’s wealthiest temples has long been plagued by poor recordkeeping, secrecy, and misuse of assets.

KOCHI: On Monday, the Kerala High Court directed a thorough investigation into serious irregularities tied to the gold-cladded/plated copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple.

The Tirumala Tirupati temple, dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, is one of India’s most revered pilgrimage centers. Each year, millions of devotees line up to offer their prayers, and with them, extraordinary amounts of wealth—cash, gold, and foreign currency—flow into its coffers.