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Tiruchendur temple car festival, Thailand marks Buddha’s first sermon, and other news in pictures

February 19, 2019 09:00 am | Updated 06:00 pm IST

Devotees during car festival of Subramaniya Swamy temple, as part of the "Masi Thiruvizha, in Tiruchendur: on Tuesday.

Devotees during car festival of Subramaniya Swamy temple, as part of the "Masi Thiruvizha, in Tiruchendur: on Tuesday.

6.00 pm

Thousand witness car festival at Tiruchendur

Thousands of devotees participated in the the temple car festival, held as part of ‘Masi Thiruvila’ at Sri Subramaniaswamy Temple in Tiruchendur on Tuesday.

3.00 pm

Makha Bucha in Thailand to celebrate the Sangha

A Buddhist novice prays at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple during a ceremony to commemorate Makha Bucha Day outside Bangkok on February 19, 2019.

A Buddhist novice prays at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple during a ceremony to commemorate Makha Bucha Day outside Bangkok on February 19, 2019.

 

Makha Bucha, sometimes spelled Magha Puja, is one of the most important dates in the Buddhist calendar. Celebrated on the full moon night of the third lunar month, it is a day of veneration, marking the day nine months after Buddha's enlightenment when 1,250 of his ordained followers spontaneously gathered to hear him give a sermon, at which he established the basic tenants of the monastic order, the Sangha, according to thailandforvisitors.com . The day is a public holiday in Thailand, as well as Laos and Cambodia.

2 pm

 

IAF aircraft crashes in Yelahanka

A pilot is feared to be dead, while two others ejected to safety when two aircraft of IAF’s aerobatic team Surya Kiran crashed near the Yelahanka airbase here on Tuesday.

The remains of IAF’s Surya Kiran aircraft that crashed near the Yelahanka airbase near Bengaluru here Tuesday.

The remains of IAF’s Surya Kiran aircraft that crashed near the Yelahanka airbase near Bengaluru here Tuesday.

 

 

1.30 p.m.

 

Kumbh Mela attracts droves of pilgrims on Maghi Purnima

A sadhu offers prayers at the Sangam on Maghi Purnima day during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on February 19, 2019.

A sadhu offers prayers at the Sangam on Maghi Purnima day during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on February 19, 2019.

 

Chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Ganga Maiya Ki Jai’ rented the air as lakhs of devotees took dip at Sangam — the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers — at Allahabad on the auspicious occasion of Maghi Purnima.

The penultimate bathing day of the over 50-day-long Kumbh Mela, Maghi Purnima marks the end of the month-long penance period of Kalpwasi pilgrims. “Kalpwasis are usually regarded the most faithful pilgrims of Prayaga Kumbh Mela. They vow to live an austere and minimalist life on the banks of the Ganga for a month. “After today’s holy bath they all will head back to their respective homes,” explained an old ascetic.

A nip in the air failed to deter the overwhelming crowd of devotees seen taking the holy dip as early as 4 a.m., despite vehicle restrictions in the vicinity of the makeshift township of Kumbh Nagri. Forty nine special trains and 2,500 buses were pressed into service by the administration to ferry devotees from far away places to the Kumbh on Maghi Purnima.

Though not a shahi snan (royal bath), Maghi Purnima — like Paush Purnima and Maha Shivratri — is called a parv snan and is part of the six important bathing days during the Kumbh.

The belief is that a dip in the Ganga on the auspicious day washes away sins.

The Uttar Pradesh government declared the day — Maghi Purnima — a public holiday.

According to the administration, over 1.50 crore devotees are expected to take the holy dip by the end of the day. As many as 40 bathing ghats have been prepared to manage the crowd. Over 1.07 crore pilgrims had taken dip in Sangam area on Paush Purnima on January 21.

The grand festival, which commenced on Makar Sakranti (January 15), will mark the last bathing day on March 4 on Maha Shivratri.

11.30 a.m.

 

PMK and AIADMK seal alliance

PMK founder S. Ramadoss met T.N. CM and AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami at a hotel in Chennai to finalise their poll alliance. Seven Lok Sabha constituencies and one seat in the Rajya Sabha will be allotted to the PMK. In the by-election to 21 Assembly constituencies, PMK will support the AIADMK. The inclusion of the PMK, the DMDK, the BJP and a few others in the alliance led by the ruling AIADMK could brighten the prospects of the coalition in the northern districts and parts of western and southern districts of the State, if one were to go by the performance of these parties in the 2016 Assembly election.

T.N. CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami greets PMK founder S. Ramadoss at a hotel in Chennai, February 19, 2019

T.N. CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami greets PMK founder S. Ramadoss at a hotel in Chennai, February 19, 2019

 

 

10:00 am

North Korea's special representative for U.S. affairs in China

Kim Hyok Chol, right, North Korea's special representative for U.S. affairs, arrives at Beijing International Airport in Beijing, Tuesday.

Kim Hyok Chol, right, North Korea's special representative for U.S. affairs, arrives at Beijing International Airport in Beijing, Tuesday.

 

Kim Hyok Chol, right, North Korea's special representative for U.S. affairs, arrives at Beijing International Airport in Beijing, Tuesday.

The North Korean special representative for the US arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, apparently en route to Vietnam to meet his Washington counterpart ahead of a second scheduled summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Kim Hyok Chol arrived in the Chinese capital at around 10 am (0200 GMT) and was expected to board a plane bound for Hanoi later in the day.

Kim's trip comes three days after Kim Jong Un's de-facto chief of staff, Kim Chang Son, landed in Hanoi to discuss protocol and security matters with the US team ahead of the summit on February 27-28.

 

9:00 am

Chicago manufacturing warehouse tragedy

Mourners place a flower at the crosses outside of the Henry Pratt company in Aurora, Ill., on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019, in memory of the five employees killed on Friday.

Mourners place a flower at the crosses outside of the Henry Pratt company in Aurora, Ill., on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019, in memory of the five employees killed on Friday.

 

The suburban Chicago manufacturing warehouse where five people were fatally shot won’t reopen until next week, but its doors will be open to support workers, company officials said Monday.

The Henry Pratt Co. facility in Aurora, Illinois, will be open any employees who want to spend time with colleagues and counselors will be available, spokeswoman Yolanda Kokayi said. She said the warehouse tentatively won’t return to full production until Feb. 25.

A Henry Pratt employee who was about to lose his job opened fire at the warehouse Friday, killing five co-workers and wounding five police officers. The gunman died in a shootout with police.

 

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