Swamini Nityamuktananda (Dr. Christa-Maria Herrmann) is visiting from the UK. She asked Bodhinatha some questions about our monastic traditions.

She was accompanied by some students from New York.

Abhimanyu and Gunjan Singh visited for the first time from Los Angeles area. It was extra special because his parents are visiting from Lucknow.

They really enjoyed the grounds.

Silpi Raman, a silpi from the first batch of workers who went to Kauai for jointing is still working efficiently with us. Here he is carving the Nandi Mandapam steps stone.

Totally we have seven steps that lead into the mandapam.

This is a rough sketch done by Selvanathan sthapati as part of the stage two of ornamentaion work to be done on the steps. Sthapati has finalized a yalli head design for the center motif and alangu flower motif for the top band of the Nandi Mandapam steps.

The half side sketch of the nasi head design.This will be flipped over to complete the nasi

The nasi after its composed on paper. This will be carved onto the steps.

The flower motif on the top band of the step. Our Nandi Mandapam is going to be one of the most exclusive pieces of art crafted in stone ever to be hand carve in this century !!

August 26th Acharya Arumuganathaswami and Brahmachari Mayuran attended Kauai’s annual Farm Fair. It’s the biggest event of the year on Kauai, attended by over 30,000 people--on an island with 60,000 population. Here’s a shot of one of our main interests, the fruit table! Always amazing to see what can be grown on Kauai.

This is the vegetable table. Many businesses and organizations have booths at the Fair, so it is a very good place to touch base with a large number of our island friends. We’re expected each year and have in the past given the blessing to open the fair, which rotates among the island’s religious organizations.

Brahmachari Mayuran with a special breadfruit tree we bought from the National Botanical Garden booth. In the background are the rides and games that attract the youngsters.

We stayed only a short time, long enough to touch base with various island residents who are there each year. As we left, hundreds of people were streaming down the road from the parking area to enter the Fair.

And this beautiful sunset saw us off.