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Dr. Thiagarajan

Dr. Thagarajan met with Bodhinatha yesterday afternoon and today he worked with Arumugaswami on the Hindu Snakes and Ladders game, translating each of the Sanskrit labels on a huge grid of squares. The original goal of the game was to attain moksha.

Today he had his first chanting session with a group of the monks, helping to correct their Sanskrit pronunciation.

Here he is on top of Muruga Hill.

Bali Hai falls by the Wailua River.

Satguru Speaks fans will note a new talk by Bodhinatha was posted today. See the right side bar links.

It's Sun 3 Morning on Kauai

Aran Veylan from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is here on Task Force. This morning he was contemplating the many wonders of Siva's Garden of Life.

His task: to plant this edible pandanus. Pandanus amaryllifolius is is known commonly as dal pandan and used widely in Southeast Asian cooking. They have a nutty, botanical fragrance which enhances the flavor of Indonesian, Filipino, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese and Burmese foods, especially rice dishes and cakes. The leaves are sometimes steeped in coconut milk, which is then added to the dish. They may be tied in a bunch and cooked with the food. They also may be woven into a basket which is used as a pot for cooking rice.

Visitors walk past Dakshinamurthi

On the roof, Yoginathaswami consults with Deva Rajan. Plans are evolving for the next water-proofing membranes.

The silpis at work on the floor installation.

It's a time-consuming project, but where else do you get a floor that will withstand any amount of traffic for one-thousand years?

Chip, chip, chip…

Chip, chip, chip…

Nearby Silpi Chitaiya works on the hand railing.

He is smoothing the joints where two stones come together.

It is work for patient men of unparalleled skill.

Gold Leafing on Raja Gopuram completed

Deva Rajan and Jill inspect yesterdays gilding for any missed spots which need to be touched up.

Upon completion of the gilding, the tarps and wind breaks were removed.

At about 1:30 PM the Sun shone brightly on the Raja Gopuram.

Micheal Kramer uses a gentle brushing technique which attaches all the gold dust particles to the sizing. He told us we were witnessing the absolute brilliance of the gold leafing process. The first rain will change the luster slightly.

A radiant Mahakala image on the east end of the Raja Gopuram.

The gilding enhances the ornate carvings. Nine miniature tridents are perfectly carved in the second semi-circle below Mahakala on the south side.

West facing Mahakala representing Time beyond time, who devours all things and forms helping the soul transcend all dualities.

Soon the wooden scaffolding will be dismantled, and the glowing Raja Gopuram will be seen gloriously against the tropical blue sky.

We tried to capture the blinding radiance of the sun shining on the gold leaf best seen in the lower left corner

Golden Day

Golden Guardian. With fierce visage and sharp fangs this creature looks out upon the temple compound, providing psychic protection.

Today the guilders, under the expert guidance of artisan Michael Kramer, continued gold leafing the giant stone that sits atop the entry tower.

From the roof one sees Rishi Valley and just beyond the flagpole representing hindu dharma.

The main vimanam will be next. It is covered with plastic today to keep it clean.

After the gold work is completed, this roof will be covered with several layers, and on top a thin sheet of copper. It will be quite a site from the air, and helicopters already come near to take a peek. Someone in jest suggested we put a giant word on top: WWW.GURUDEVA.ORG

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

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