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Darshan meeting

The Selvarajah family visiting from Edmonton. Selvarajah and his wife are some of the core founding members of the Mahaganapati Temple there and have been here before, but it was the first visit for son Mayuran and daughter-in-law Shankeetha. They were very impressed despite a short visit and plan to return to Kauai for longer stays. They discussed with Bodhinatha the positive power of the temple having only Ganesha as the main Deity.

Guru Parampara Painting Arrives From India

The Selvarajah family visited our publications offices and were on hand to help Paramacharya Palaniswami open up a package that had just arrived from India with a giant new Guru Parampara painting

Shankeetha and Amma Mangai hold up the painting.

Nandinatha from the Himalayas, who initiated Tirumular…

The line continued through time in South India until it came to the silent Rishi who lived in the Bangalore area and initiated Kadaitswami who took the lineage from India to Sri Lanka.

The Parampara continued to flourish in Sri Lanka through Chellappaswami and Yogaswami

Then from Sri Lanka all the way to America to Gurudeva and Bodhinatha.

Appa Selvarajah (center) knew Siva Yogaswami when he was a boy.

Selvarajah brought a letter from the priest of the Edmonton Mahaganapathy Temple, Subramania Kurukkal, who is the priest of the Edmonton temple. He included two photos of Gurudeva in Sri Lanka in 1983.

Gurudeva in Sri Lanka

On the right is Subramania Kurukkal with Gurudeva in Sri Lanka. He writes:

“Here with I am sending the photos which were taken back home in our temple Navaly Chintamani Vinayagar Koyil in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, in 1982, when Gurudeva visited and had his birthday celebrated at his Alaveddy Ashram. The ceremony was officiated by me with my father -in-law, Viswanatha Kurukkal.

Ganesha Homa March 2009, Spiritual Park

The March Ganesha Homa at the Spiritual Park of Mauritius was another wonderful spiritual event for devotees coming from all over the island of Mauritius.

The early morning devotees are already seated inside the Mandapam while preparations are being finalised for the ceremony.

Kulapaties start the Homa ceremony at 9.30 AM.

Devotees over the Ganesha Bridge.

Offerings at the small Pancha Mukha Ganapati Shrine, a few metres away from the Mandapam.

It is a local practice to bring lighted oil lamps as an offering t the deity.

A couple giving a testimony of how Lord Ganesha helped them out of a problem in their family life.

Another young devotee sent a testimony in writing about how Lord Ganesha helped her in her studies. Sishya Kownden is reading her letter to everyone.

Kulapati Manon Mardemootoo giving the monthly talk from our Saivite Trilogy

A little crowd worshipping at the Sivalingum…

A view of the large crowd seated outside…

Every month a dedicated team of ladies take care of offerings being brought by devotees.

Inside the Mandapam…

The final arati concludes the ceremony. Everyone stands up….

At the Himalayan Academy Booth…

Jis Chenganna and Kulapati Valayten offering the flame to devotees…

A couple from France with their friend (middle) from Coimbatore, India… They have been invited to visit the Spiritual Park by one of our monks from Kauai Aadheenam.

Spontaneous Iraivan tour with Paramacharya Palaniswami

Paramacharya Palaniswami spontaneously gave a very special tour of Iraivan to local guests and other visitors during the cement roof pour. A sweet deva and new resident of Kauai, four year old daughter of Anastasia and Bruce Allyn, dances about Iraivan Temple.

Sadhaka Haranandinatha explains details of Iraivan to local guests.

Bramacharini Shama Kumaran brings another group of guests out to see the temple. Originally from Gurjurat, India the are awed by the wonders of Iraivan.

Paramacharya Palaniswami explains the beautifully carved pillars come as large raw stones from the granite quarry near Bangalore.

Chidambaram Stapathi and the silpis patiently stop work while all of the guests walk on the newly place floor stones admiring their fine craftsmanship.

Bruce and Anastasia Allyn came to Kauai on vacation from London with their two young daughters. As many do, they fell in love and now are building a Vastu style home in Moloa'a, north of Kapaa. Anastasia is very devout and brings the children regularly to the temple. They are gradually learning all about temple protocol and worship. The children are bilingual speaking Russian and English. Their father, Bruce, is a building and economy consultant traveling internationally. They enjoyed their first tour of Iraivan, a special retreat day tour on this historical occasion.

Palaniswami explains the unique qualities of the black granite chain carved from a single stone.

All listen intently as Paramacharya explains how the stones are magically held together without cement or rebar by the carved peg like outcropping the fits into a carved hole in each stone. Each stone is numbered and placed according to the master plan designed by the Stapathis in India.

It was a joyous festive day and all enjoyed Paramacharya's uplifting presence and educational sharing.

The temple is made according to ancient tradition. The stone is alive and is reverently carved entirely by hammer and chisel.

Palaniswami explains that the hammer"s handle is made with a special variety of bamboo which is solid and absorbs the shock of the constant battering. This unique design protects the wrists and arms of the craftsmen.

The silpis work on the East handrail.

A View From Iraivan Temple's Roof

March 12th was the historical final sixty yard cement roof pour for Iraivan Temple. Special guest included neighbor Nicole Lawerance and Kulamata Savitri Palani from Concord, CA hosted by Kulamata Isani Alahan. Between the third and fourth of six eleven yard cement trucks, the roof was available for observation.

From Malaysia, taskforce guest Murutu is learning hands-on the skills and challenges of building a sacred monument designed to last a millennium and more.

Workers begin to gather for the arrival of the next truck.

Pilgrim Vayudeva Varadan has a wonderful view in the scaffolding next to the Rajagopuram.

Workers on hands and knees masterfully smooth the last pour.

Yes, he is part of the crew and faithfully stays near his owner while work progresses.

Sannyasin Yoginathaswami and Sadhaka Tejadeva discuss the project beneath the shoot attached to the pouring tube.

Always cheerful and every helpful, Sadhaka Tejadeva takes a break to smile for TAKA. The temperatures have been in the 50's during the past few weeks, but this was a boon for drying the cement slowly.

The mud is being loaded below to flow through the canvas tube.

Here it comes. All attention is focused to smooth the concrete in this crucial and technical pour.

Sadhaka Haranandinatha observing and hosting guests.

Extensions are added as needed to the smoothing tools to reach across the fresh cement.

The cement truck loading the pump truck.

As we descended the scaffolding stairs, the fifth truck pulled up for the next eleven yard pour.

Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.

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