The town of Kataragama in Sri Lanka is famed as a popular pilgrimage destination for many devotees from all parts of the country and even overseas, attracting Hindus, Buddhists and even the indigenous Veddah community. Hindu and Buddhist veneration of Kataragama has been practiced for centuries, with followers of these two religions holding slightly different beliefs regarding the site. Tamil Hindus identify the presiding deity of the locality as Lord Katirkaman, who is identified as Skanda-Murugan, also known as Subramanya. Buddhists, on the other hand, consider the local divinity to be Kataragama Deviyo, a protective deity of Buddhists and their religion. In fact the town is revered as one of the sixteen most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the island. However there is no doubt …

In all the many Chinese Festivals that fill up the calendar perhaps nothing tops the spook chart than the Hungry Ghosts Festival. The name itself is a crowd puller and whoever makes the audience is fascinated by the range of events lined up from the beginning to the end. The story behind the festival is just as interesting as the festival itself. The Chinese believe that every year at around the time of the festival, the gates of Hell are opened and the spirits from here are set free to roam the earth. As tribute to these souls of the dead, this festival is commemorated and several Chinese people gather on this day to remember and pray for the deceased members of their family. In …

Kataragama is a town located in the south of the island nation of Sri Lanka that is a noteworthy pilgrimage destination for Hindus, Buddhists and the indigenous Veddah people alike. Even devotees from southern India come to this venerated site to pay their respects at the sacred shrines gracing the locale. The site of veneration is the Kataragama temple, known in the Sinhalese language as the Kataragama devalaya; it stands in honour of God Skanda-Murugan or Kataragamadeviyo as the locals call the deity. Tamil followers of the Hindu faith, both in Sri Lanka and southern India, call the location Katirkamam. The deity is variously known as Skanda-Murugan, Katiradeva, Subramanya, Kandasamy, Tarakajith and other names by the Hindu community. The god is depicted as having twelve …

Autumn is regarded as the golden season in Guangzhou. The sunny weather with clear blue skies during the day and moonlit nights is one of the best times of the year that everyone looks forward to. With such wonderful weather and cheerfulness in the air, it is the time for the Mid-Autumn Festival which is celebrated by families that stay up late into the night and enjoy a bite of moon cakes while gazing at the moon shining bright in a clear sky. There are a number of activities that are part and parcel of this fest. Families together make bamboo lanterns which are then lit up at night. The handmade lantern which is made in diverse shapes of flowers, animals, insects, fruits, places and …

Proving an excellent opportunity for all those in denial that the mountain biking season is over, the Mophie mountain bikes is a great race to witness. The race guarantees thrills and spills to the ardent and extreme sports fans and an adrenaline pumping adventure for the participants. If you are in for some fascinating action when competitors take out some serious tyres, a killer attitude and some exciting downhill racing on mountain bikes, the Queenstown Winter Festival is the place to be this June. Part of a tradition that started back in 1975, the Queenstown Winter Festival is a hearty affair that marks the beginning of winter in great spirit. Now the festival is the southern hemisphere’s largest winter celebration with street parties, mardi gras …

All those who witness Wonder Full, the amazing light, water and sound show lighting up the skies and water around the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort in Singapore is not going to forget it ever. For 13 spellbinding minutes occurring twice daily and three times a day on Fridays and Saturdays, viewers are getting wowed by this show that has no equal. Not only is this visually beautiful, but this is the first time that lasers, video projectors and other paraphernalia has been used to tell a story so compellingly. Lighting up the 20 ha area around Marina Bay Sands with a sound, light and water show titled “Beacon across the Bay” it is a novel way of encouraging more people to visit the integrated …