Palak, The daughter of our Hinduism Today Delhi correspondent Rajiv Malik, was sent on assignment by her publication in India to Singapore. There the Dohadeva Shanmugam family happily hosted her for a few days. here they are with Dohadeva and Nagavathy.

Palak and Nagavathy

For those who have not heard yet, a few days ago the April issue of Hinduism Today was released. See: http://www.hinduismtoday.com

As always, the Global Dharma pages have some interesting small stories from around the world.

The world continues to “wake up” to the huge legacy that Hinduism left throughout Southeast Asia. Here is a little known story from Vietnam:

Vietnam

UNESCO Protects My Son

In 1999 unesco designated the My Son sanctuary in Vietnam a World Heritage site. This is good news for Hindus, who can now rest assured that this treasure will be preserved. The site represents an ancient settlement and sanctuary area; eight groups of tower temples have been singled out. All are constructed in fired brick with stone pillars.

The Hindu architecture of Cambodia and Indonesia are well known, but not many know that a Hindu kingdom also reigned along the Vietnamese coast from the 4th to the 13th centuries. My Son, a small valley flanked by mountains, was the capital and religious center of the Champa Kingdom, which originated in 192 ce and was deeply influenced by the Saiva Agama tradition. Between the sixth and tenth centuries, fine temples were built for Krishna and Vishnu, but above all for Siva. Champa was eventually absorbed by the growing power of Vietnam to the North. Read more at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/949

Our upcoming issue of Hinduism Today covers the story of the Keralan temple whose newly uncovered wealth has attracted a storm of news reports.

Our tribute to Ganapati Sthapati, architect of Iraivan Temple

The winning youth essay from the Hindu American Foundation’s NextGen contest on being Hindu and being American

More interesting content from the next issue of Hinduism Today.

Why development of character is key to a spiritual life

The story of Pratima Dharm, the first American military Hindu chaplain

19-year-old Priyanka Srinivas tells a charming tale of her initiation to the sari

The next issue of Hinduism Today has a lofty feature article: A step-by-step manual on how to prepare for (and survive) a pilgrimage to Siva’s most sacred mountain, Mount Kailash.

Who among siva’s devotees could say he never wanted to visit Mount Kailash, God’s eternal abode? In a religion that sees God everywhere, in some places the Divine is even more present. Enshrined in the Sivalingam-shaped summit is Siva the yogi, attentive to the spiritual aspirations of His devotees.

( Hinduism Today brings you the account of a bhaktar who traveled to the Himalayas to walk the most sacred Kailash Yatra. He shares knowledge about packing lists, shady tour deals, furry yaks, marauder monkeys, sadhana tips and reflections on Siva. His meticulously detailed report will make you feel you are there, feet freezing, heart throbbing, blessings abounding. With these guidelines, maybe the next pilgrim will be you.

The January 2012 issue is off to press. Watch for it’s release on December 1st.

Our Agama page talks about where the various Deities should be placed in a village and what each one means.

In continuation of our coverage of our Hindu of the Year, 2011, we have this exclusive interview of the Shankarachariya of Sringeri