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Varanasi

An Aerial view shows Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, Dec. 12, 2021.

Hindu claims to Varanasi mosque stoke religious tensions in India

Religion

Temple-mosque disputes have been flooding Indian courts in recent years. The current Gyanvapi mosque dispute stokes fear that violence could once again erupt between Hindus and Muslims over claims to the contested site.

Women lie on a green cloth and practice aiming their guns while wearing red sashes.

Good wives, good soldiers: Durga Vahini women take up arms to protect Hindu identity

Global Politics
Fisherman are silhouetted against the rising sun in the waters of the Ganges river.

Spreading my father’s ashes on the Ganges felt like a link across the globe and across generations

Health

Polluted waters, deforestation complicate India’s cremation rituals

Environment
The World

MOTHER GANGES

The World

Mother Ganges

Richard Schiffman reports from Benares, India on the banks of the Ganges River on the essential role the river plays in people’s daily lives which includes drinking, washing, bathing in Hindu religious rites, and even as a destination for cremated human ashes. Pollution is a problem along the river and a subtle campaign of clean-up […]

The World

Global hit

Arts, Culture & Media

The World’s Marco Werman profiles the latest album by the Algerian-born musician, Cheb i Sabbah. Sabbah’s latest CD, “Devotion” is inspired by the rich sounds and rhythms of India.