Yesterday something, we don't know what, happened to this website. We are trying to find out and hope you will have access to the page today. Since you missed some nice adventures yesterday, we are running the day again, so you can enjoy the guests, photos of Gurudeva dancing with our island mayor, the arrival of the tiles for the Guru Peedam and more.

Jai Ganesha! Our first photos today shows Milan Nezbeda and his wife Margaret. They are owners of Nezbeda Tile on our island, and for years have been donating very beautiful Italian tiles to the temple (yes, he is from Italy!) Today was the first time Milan personally delivered a large shipment, and so we captured them. And it was Margaret's first visit to the monastery. We hope you enjoyed your ride around the grounds, Margaret.

Now you know where all that tile is going. It is good souls like this, so generous and supportive of the Iraivan Temple project, that are making the massive effort work so wonderfully. Mahalo, Milan and Margaret. We are deeply moved by your constant generosity, and your sweet hearts and gentle presence on our Garden Island.

Those are the monks unloading the truck and moving the tiles into the Guru Peedam where they will be installed one day soon.

Elsewhere in our miniverse, the Hinduism Today Iraivan issue of the December magazine is coming together quickly now. We just finished two short articles about three extraordinary artists who've contributed their natural talent to the Iraivan temple project. They are Indra Sharma, D.J. Khamis and David Donnangelo. You'll see artwork from each of them in the Iraivan issue. And we received two paintings from India that artist Manivel did last week, showing Iraivan on the plinth, and one Gurudeva commissioned to show Lord hanuman flying through the air, carrying the white temple from India to Kauai. It's quite an image, and probably will end up on the cover of the issue.

Gurudeva and the Saiva Swami Sangam phoned the two swamis who are serving and living at our other monastery in the country of Mauritius. They had the wonderful news that the giant, elaborate Ganesha Mandapam has been completed. Dozens of workers and craftsmen have been laboring for months to lay floors, build roofs, tile roofs, weave special thatch, install hardwood pillars, and more. Photos are on their way, we are told. We will get a full report and show you the photos in the days ahead.

Yesterday we shared a most wonderful endorsement from our island Mayor, Maryanne Kusaka. Far from being a politician's boilerplate response, it is a kind of mystic poem and we thought visitors would like to see the heart of our wonderful mayor at work.

We also thought that those of you who did not attend Gurudeva's one-of-a-kind, unforgettable 72nd Jayanthi party last January 5th would like to see photos of the cultural exchange that took place between our Gurudeva and our lovely and talented Mayor (who is a very accomplished hula dancer). She "taught" Gurudeva a Kauai hula and in turn he taught her a brief manipuri dance from India. Talk about cooperation between Church and State!

"As the island emerged from the deep Pacific, God of all worlds gazed at the intriguing formation sitting apart from the rest in the archipelago. Lush, green mountain ridges had pulled together on Mt. Waialeale to cradle the Alakai swamp, the source of its spectacular waterfalls and rivers. "My Island Temple!" He said. Today, a stone temple is being built at a most breathtaking site overlooking the Wailua River by our friends at the KauaÔi Hindu Monastery. Working in community partnerships with Gurudeva's following has enriched our live with a spirituality of peace and love, a nurturing aloha that inspires good beginnings and joyous achievements."

We also got a wonderful response from our former mayor, JoAnn Yukimura. Thank you, JoAnn, for sharing these overly kind words about our humble efforts and their impact on the island.

"It is with great anticipation that we on Kaua'i look to the manifestation of Gurudeva's magnificent visionÑthe building of the "Island Temple." It will stand as a proud reminder of God's spirit which surrounds, embraces and upholds all of us in love. People from all over the world will come to see the Island Temple, many to worship in its beauty and peace. We hope they will also come to share in the life of our island as we strive to live as a community of aloha. I am deeply grateful for the joy, love, hard work and many material and spiritual gifts that Gurudeva and the Saiva Siddhanta Church have contributed to Kaua'i."

Important notice: Many of you don't yet know that each day Gurudeva is recording a new and delightful MERGING WITH SIVA lesson. You can find this each day under the LESSON OF THE DAY button. go there and click on the audio track! Wow! it even has the text you can follow, or print out, or send to a friend if it is particularly relevant. We encourage everyone to go to this new audio lesson.