temple

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Cops Charge Woman With Seducing, Blackmailing Monks

And Thailand is a bit rattled by the possible violation of the celibacy rule

(Newser) - Police in Thailand arrested a woman Tuesday who allegedly enticed a string of Buddhist monks into sexual relationships and then pressured them into making large payments to cover up their intimacy. The possible violation of the celibacy rule for monks has rocked Buddhist institutions and gripped public attention in Thailand....

Teenager Carves Name at Ancient Temple

Police in Japan question and release 17-year-old, who still could face charges

(Newser) - A teenage boy was caught scratching a name into an 8th-century temple in Japan, police say, weeks after a young tourist was filmed leaving his mark on the Colosseum in Rome. The 17-year-old Canadian carved "Julian" on a wooden pillar with his fingernail at the Toshodaiji Kondo temple complex...

Thai Temple Cleared of All Its Monks After Drug Test

Buddhist foursome in Phetchabun province came up positive for meth, a major issue in Thailand

(Newser) - Thailand has been trying to crack down on drug trafficking, especially when it comes to the methamphetamine pouring in from neighboring Myanmar, and drug testing has been a part of the nation's campaign against it. The latest group to be busted, however, is a bit of a surprise—and...

Car Crashes Into Japan's Oldest Toilet

Kyoto heritage worker didn't realize it was in reverse

(Newser) - A employee of the Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association accidentally caused serious damage to part of the city's heritage—Japan's oldest toilet. Authorities say the 30-year-old man, who had parked his car outside the toilet building at Tofukuji, started his vehicle and hit the accelerator without noticing it was...

Outbreak Affects Worship Across Asia

Many churches close, others advise faithful to avoid contact with others

(Newser) - In a popular Catholic church in the Philippines, nearly half of the pews were empty for Sunday Mass. The few hundred worshipers who showed up, the AP reports, were asked to refrain from shaking others' hands or holding them during prayers to prevent the spread of the virus that started...

She Visited a Shrine, Is Now Barred From Family Homes

India's Kanakadurga will seek court's help again 'for permission to enter her house'

(Newser) - One of two women who prayed inside a Hindu temple traditionally barred to women of "menstruating age" has suffered greatly for it. Kanakadurga, 39, and Bindu Ammini, 40, gained entry to the Sabarimala shrine in India's Kerala state on Jan. 2, but were forced into hiding as violent...

They Honored Him by Skinning People. Now, 'Flayed Lord' Temple Found

Site buried in Popoloca Indian ruins was dedicated to Xipe Totec god

(Newser) - Mexican experts have found the first temple of the "Flayed Lord," a pre-Hispanic fertility god depicted as a skinned human corpse, authorities said Wednesday. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History said the find was made during recent excavations of Popoloca Indian ruins in the central state...

The Women Lined Up to Form a Chain. 5M of Them

A day later, 2 women managed to enter the Sabarimala shrine

(Newser) - A 385-mile-long wall was erected in India on Tuesday, but it was one made of flesh and bone. The "women's wall" was a human chain that formed in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the face of the still-contentious situation involving the Sabarimala shrine. It's a...

'Butt Selfie' by 2 Americans Leads to Arrests in Thailand

San Diego couple to be charged with public nudity over photo near temple

(Newser) - The State Department cautions US travelers to understand foreign laws —a warning that a San Diego couple apparently failed to heed before arriving in Thailand, where a "butt selfie" has landed the pair in an immigration detention center. Thai authorities tell the BBC that a photo posted to...

137 Tigers Evicted From Buddhist Temple

Monks caused 'mayhem,' Thai officials say

(Newser) - Wildlife officials in Thailand have begun removing some of the 137 tigers held at a Buddhist temple following accusations that the monks were involved in illegal breeding and trafficking of the animals. The director of Thailand's Wildlife Conservation Office, Teunjai Noochdumrong, says three tigers were tranquilized and transported Monday...

Monk Embezzled $200K From Temple to Fuel Gambling Habit

Khang Nguyen Le pleaded guilty

(Newser) - A Buddhist monk accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from his Louisiana temple to feed a casino gambling habit has pleaded guilty to fraud, the AP reports. The Advocate reports that 38-year-old Khang Nguyen Le will be sentenced June 27 after his guilty plea Thursday to one count of...

ISIS Images Show Destroyed Ancient Temple

It appears the 2K-year-old temple of Baalshamin is no more

(Newser) - ISIS released propaganda images today that purport to show militants laying explosives in and then blowing up the 2,000-year-old temple of Baalshamin in Syria's ancient caravan city of Palmyra. The images, posted on social media by supporters of the group, showed militants carrying barrels of explosives, and laying...

India PM 'Appalled' by Temple in His Honor

Priest sorry for angering 'god'

(Newser) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't seem to mind basking in his own popularity at huge rallies—but he thinks being literally idolized is a step too far. After supporters in his home state of Gujarat put a bust of him in a temple and tried to dedicate it...

Iceland Erecting First Norse Temple in 1K Years

Membership in neo-pagan tribe has recently tripled

(Newser) - Norse paganism fell by the wayside in Iceland when Christianity swept through some 1,000 years ago. Now a modern movement—which views gods as metaphors with lessons to impart, reports the Guardian —is erecting the first temple to Norse gods since the age of the Vikings. "I...

Ancient Temple in Ukraine Is Full of Animal Bones

Ukraine site holds possible game pieces, hair decorations

(Newser) - Researchers working in Ukraine are revealing a stunning find: a temple that's older than the invention of writing, LiveScience reports. The temple of wood and clay, which measures 197 feet by 66 feet, contains lots of animal bones—perhaps the remains of animals sacrificed on the building's eight...

Oldest Roman Temple Unearthed ... for 3 Days

Likely dedicated to goddess Fortuna

(Newser) - Archaeologists digging in the heart of Rome unearthed what may be the oldest temple to be built in the Eternal City, but don't get your hopes up about visiting the ancient structure. Its foundation sits well below the water line and was only visible for three days. Archaeologists from...

Internet Freaks Over Teen's Egypt Graffiti

Parents apologize for Luxor tagging

(Newser) - A 15-year-old Chinese boy's scrawled note on an ancient Egyptian sculpture has sparked international ire. Tens of thousands of Chinese micro-bloggers re-posted an image of the graffiti in the Luxor Temple, which read, "Ding Jinhao was here," CNN reports. "I'm so embarrassed that I want...

Sikh Temple Shooter Heavily Involved in Skinhead Scene

Wade Michael Page a member of 2 white power music groups

(Newser) - More details are emerging on Wade Michael Page , the Army vet suspected of killing six at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee, and his involvement in white supremacist groups . Over the past 10 years, Page played guitar and sang in at least two skinhead punk bands, Fox News reports: Definite Hate...

7 Dead in Wisconsin Temple Shooting

FBI treating it as domestic terrorism

(Newser) - At least seven people are dead and several injured after a shooting at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee today, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Police are still sorting out the chaotic scene, but at least one gunman opened fire at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek. The...

Treasure Worth Billions Found in Hindu Temple

Among the findings: an 18-foot-long necklace

(Newser) - Tucked within six underground vaults at a Hindu temple in southern India sits a treasure estimated to be worth more than $11.2 billion. Among the findings: precious stones, human figurines made of gold, thousands of necklaces (one 18 feet long), and many gold coins—and two of the chambers...

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