Feature
It is advisable not to sleep when Lunar Eclipse taking place on Guru Purnima
Lucknow: On the occasion of Guru Purnima, the authority and management team of Radharaman temple has announced that the temple will remain closed after 2.50pm as the lunar eclipse is following on this day.
Beside this many other temples throughout the country will likely to be remain closed on the evening of the 27th, which will be disappointing news for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who manage to get away from the daily grind come to Vrindavan to have a glimpse of their god.
It is important to notice that the darshan of Vrindavan’s deities is not something that is easily achieved so here followers have to face little bit setback.
The eclipse will no doubt also decrease the number of people doing parikrama in the evening as it is thought that the best thing to do at such times is to stay inside and sing or chant.
As the eclipse has been described as the longest eclipse in the century. The Lunar Eclipse Starts at 11:54:26 on 27th July and ends at 3:49 am on 28th. Now, during this time, the moon will appear red as the earth’s shadow blocks the other wavelengths of light.
Protections need to be taken at this time because evil influences are thought to be more prominent. It is not recommended to sleep during an eclipse as such prominent celestial events can cause nightmares.
Beware: It is important for you not to sleep during Lunar Eclipse on Guru Purnima day:
The clash of Guru Purnima and the lunar eclipse is unfortunate although perhaps some will take advantage by having their own jagran (fast from sleep) program.
All the devotees visiting Braj for Guru Purnima might also get the chance to have darshan of Lord Dwarkadheesh’s silver jhula.
Dwarkadheesh temple has announced that Lord Dwarkadheesh’s Jhulan Yatra (swing festival) will begin from the evening of 28th July.
Braj’s temples will also hold Jhulan Yatra festivals in the month of August. The swing festival is held for several days, even weeks in some temples.
As the festival continues until Raksha Bandhan (26th August) many temples begin the festival from Hariyali Teej (13th August) by installing Thakurji’s swing among decorations made from greenery.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.