religious practices
Paliyans Cherish Traditions But Adapt to Modernity
The Paliyans are a “relatively non-violent peace loving innocent” tribe that once lived in the interior forests of western Tamil Nadu state, in southern India, according to a new blog about the people. Mr. A. Muthuvezhappan, the author of the blog, writes that they used to be a nomadic hunting and gathering people who subsisted […]
New Facility Planned for the Malapandaram
A group dedicated to assisting devotees of Lord Ayyappa announced last week plans for a major pilgrim assistance center near Sabarimala, India, that will be combined with a facility for supporting tribal peoples, primarily the Malapandaram. The new facility will be built at Koonamkara, located on highway 67, the Perinad-Pampa main trunk road, just 22 […]
Earthquakes Destroy the Dzongu, but Lepchas Abandon Mun
The earthquake that devastated the Dzongu Lepcha Reserve in Sikkim on September 18th continues to produce its aftershocks—both in the local mountains and in the attitudes of the Lepcha people. A news story last week in The Hindu, a major daily in India, reported that another minor aftershock had just hit the same region. The […]
Tragedy in Kerala and the Malapandaram
During the annual pilgrimage season which just ended, more than 30 million Hindu devotees visited the temple of Lord Ayyappan at Sabarimala, India, almost without incident, the Times of India reported on Friday. One source points out that the Hindu rituals at the Ayyappan temples, in the forested hills of Kerala state, represent the largest […]
