Following Sun One at Kadavul Temple, Wialua Mission Members met at the Rudraksha Forest entrance on Kuamo'o Road to collect the rudraksha fruit. This is the first step in the process of preparing the sacred rudraksha seeds to share with the world from the Mini-Mela gift shop and website as a fund raiser for Iraivan Temple.

This year we are gathering earlier than usual as our stock of beads is running low.

Often the forest floor is covered with the amazing indigo colored fruit, however today there were not too many beads to pick in the forest.

We found another area where more fruit had fallen near the Wailua River. In the future the steps leading to Iraivan Temple will eventually be set near here.

Under the shade of the Rudraksha trees and within earshot of the sacred river, the energy of the sacred grounds seems to clear the mind and uplift the spirit.

Rudraksha fruit among the roots of the trees and the fallen leaves.

Step two in the process is to soak the fruit.

After churning in a cement mixer with sand and gravel for three hours, the seeds are ready to be drilled. Followed by individually placing each bead on a specially designed rack for power washing. Finally the beads are oiled, rinsed and ready for making into sacred rudraksha malas.

Each full bucket of beads is reduced by half after the fruit is removed in the cement mixer step. So far twelve five gallon buckets of beads have been collected.