Yesterday we shared images of the sculpture who carved marvelous murthis for Gurudeva back in the 1970s and 80s. It was a time when Gurudeva was working hard to capture the traditional Hindu arts and especially the sacred sculptures.

We stumbled on the letter here in the same moment we found those photos of Neelamegham Sthapati, a letter that tells much of Gurudeva's intentions and vision for Hinduism in America. We share it today.


THE HINDU YOUTH OF AMERICA
ARE AT THE HOLY FEET OF MOTHER INDIA

Kauai Aadheenam
December 12, 1982

India has given the world all blessings and love through its
rishis, saints and sages in spreading the Sanatana Dharma throughout
the ages, thus sustaining mankind through its karma on the path to
mukti.

In this technological age when the intellect overshadows the heart,
Mother India has again come forward giving the world art, culture
and ways of worship to quiet the aching mind.

With the advent of Hinduism in America, through the opening of temples,
India's great architects, sculptors and priests loom high. We open
our arms to all these great ones who bring to our country the last
increment of the "Greatest Religion in the World." First the gurus,
rishis and swamis came; then the holy scriptures were published in English,
and now the sacred temples are coming up on our soil.

Ganapathy Sthapati has been chosen as the Sthapati of Kauai Aadheenam
for his flexibility, ingenuity, hereditary skills and ability to
converse, teach and lecture in English. Surely, his formidable
knowledge will help him to build many of the temples in the United
States, and we hope Canada and other countries. His zeal in the
preservation of the ancient culture and art forms and his ability
to adapt to modern building techniques and codes without
compromise makes him a useful instrument for our Great God Siva in
erecting the homes for the most important among the thirty-three
million Gods of our religion.

It is important that we all realize that the next ten years are the
most crucial time for these temples to come up and be stabilized with
a respected, educated, well-trained and well-paid priesthood, one
well-versed in the Vedas, conversant in Vedanta as well as Saiva
Siddhanta and able to clearly explain the methods of temple worship
in English. This need we bring to the feet of Mother India to help
her children who now live world-wide. Hindu priests can perform their
rites without a temple, but a temple without its priests exists only
as a monument.

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Guru Mahasannnidhanam of Kauai Aadheenam