An ancient Vishnu idol has been found during excavation in an old village in Russia's Volga region, raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of ancient Russia.

The idol found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back to VII-X century AD.

Staraya Maina village in Ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city 1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities.

"We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research," Reader of Ulyanovsk State University's archaeology department Dr Alexander Kozhevin told state-run television Vesti.

Dr Kozhevin, who has been working in Staraya Maina for last seven years, said that every single square metre of the surroundings of the ancient town situated on the banks of Samara, a tributary of Volga, is studded with antiques.

Prior to unearthing of the Vishnu idol, Dr Kozhevin has already found ancient coins, pendants, rings and fragments of weapons.

He believes that today's Staraya Maina, a town of eight thousand, was ten times more populated in the ancient times.

It is from here that people started migrating to the Don and Dneiper rivers around the time ancient Russy built the city of Kiev, now the capital of Ukraine.

An international conference is being organised later this year to study the legacy of the ancient village, which can radically change the history of ancient Russia.

The Only Hindu Temple in Moscow was razed to the ground to make way for construction of a shopping mall by Moscow City Authorities.

Mayor Yuri Luzhkov had promised an alternative site for construction of a new Vedic Center. Following protests and violence by the Orthodox Church who protested the building of 'Pagan Satanic Temples' (as they aall Hindu Temples), Yuri Luzhkov has cancelled the earlier granted land and permission to build the Temple.

As of today, there will be no Hindu temple in Moscow although the city has a Hindu population of more than 15,000 including Indians, Russians and other ethnic nationalities.

A make shift Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna housed in a temporary Tin structure serves as the only place of worship for 500 regular devotees who flock to have darshan every day.

India is host to 12 Russian Orthodox Churches and the Government of India pays our tax money to maintain 6 of them.

During the Vaypayee regime, Putin had promised to look into the matter favourable. The present Congress Government has all but washed its hands of this matter.

Hinduism is one of former Soviet Union's fastest growing religions thanks to pioneering work done by Gaudiya Vaishnava Organisation, the ISKCON. However, only four religions: Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism are official recognised and all other religious orders and followers will have to register themselves to avail of their otherwise fundamental right to worship and maintain places of worship. In the past few years, Hindus have been victimised by voilent Skinhead fanatics and the average incidents of Indians attacked by such neo-nazist groups has touched an all time hight of 497 (one Indian targetting atleast once a day).

On November 12, about 500 Devotees of ISKCON and Indian Expatriate Community went on a Hunger Strike to protest against the cancellation of the Land Grant for the temple.

Read more at Kommersant. If you have a blog, kindly mirror this news so that the plight of Hindus in the Russian Federation be highlighted.

What is the position of Vaishnavism on Caste?
I attempt a humble answer to this question in a series of postings starting with this one.

1. Firstly, Vaishnavism is not a sectarian religion with inshakable dogmas, but rather has its roots in pure Bhakti. One who has unadulterated Bhakti, Devotion for the Supreme Lord is a Vaishnava.


2. The individual Soul, the Jeevatman has but ONE singular Identity, which is as an atomic part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. This relationship is the only eternal identification of the soul. The individual soul resembles the Supreme Soul in all qualities


3. The individual soul, because of causeless Karma adopts a body to enact its desire for independent enjoyment of this material universe. The body takes on counless identities according to the vasanas and desires. Thus a Man or a Woman, Black or White, Tall or Dwarf, Clever or Mentally Challenged, etc qualities are to be found. These are all bodily identities which have absolutely no effect on the individual soul.


4. Since these identities like sex, nationality, intelligence are only superficial, temporary, mundane and illusionary, so is caste. Even purity is illusionary.


5. Material Universe and material existence itself is a contamination of the pure individual soul. Caste and birth and other kinds of contaminations are only nominal compared to the material conditioning of the soul.


6. One should strive to get rid of this material existence, the Samsara and the cycle of birth and death, endeavor to reach the pure spiritual realm of real existence, the Vaikuntha.


7. Caste does not play any role in Bhakti


8. Any person, in any stage of life, of any birth has equal chances of attaining the supreme refuge, the Lotus feet of the Lord.


9. The Material Universe is so diverse, deep, chaotic, enticing, and illusionary, that we will never be able to understand it even a tiny bit.


10. All endeavors of science are doomed to fail since it would be like trying to find laws inside a dream - a dreamworld is one where no laws exist although the dream might project, possess or obey certain laws like gravity, etc. Similarly is the case with this material universe. It is a product of Maya or illusion and thus totally deceptive.


11. In this illusionary universe, it would be a superimposed illusion if a born being considers himself/herself to be superior to another - Double illusion


12. A prime quality of a Vaishnavite is that he should consider every other person or even living being as superior to himself. A Vaishnavite who can tolerate and hold himself unmoved by any amount or degree of humiliation is a true Yogi and capable of God-realisation.