Blog Archives

Today we had a special visitor from California, Lady Nellie, a Choctaw medicine woman, who is 94 years old. Though advised not to travel at her age, she insisted on the pilgrimage to fulfill a vision she had. A year ago she was given a large "Andara" volcanic stone by a Siox chief. Some time after she had a vision of it sitting next to the Iraivan Crystal Lingam, so she decided to bring it herself and gift it to Bodhinatha. It is a 140 lb. other-worldly greenish glass stone. (picture coming soon)

Lady Nellie felt a strong connection to the Crystal Lingam and told a story of her grandfather Chief Natatichi who had died in the same vicinity of where the Crystal Lingam was originally found in Arkansas. Turns out Chief Natatichi was killed shortly after signing a peace treaty with the "white man". As she sat in Kadavul Temple in front of the Crystal Lingam, Lady Nellie said that today was the high point of her life and the Andara stone was very happy to now be in the monastery.

Lord Shanmuga, under the banyan tree near Kadavul Temple.

A sweet young couple, Sayanathan and Anubama Sivanathan both originally from Jaffna, Sri Lanka were just married July 2nd and have now made their home in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. They enjoyed worshiping in the Kadavul Temple and later talked to Paramacharya Ceyonswami.

Another couple arrived, Prasanna Sampath and Narmada Rajamani from Madras, now residing in Redmond, Washington State.

Prasanna said he had heard about this beautiful Iraivan Temple and made this visit the focal point of his vacation. His visit was "beyond anything he could have imagined. it was beautiful!"

Jay Dare, his wife Alka and their two children, Bahar and Bijal from Texas had also heard about this famous and beautiful temple from friends. The came to worship and enjoy the darshan of this sacred place and tour the Iraivan Temple complex.

As the sun rose on Kauai island today it revealed the first pink lotus blossom of the season. A yellow one bloomed two weeks back.

Within sight of the lotus is Iraivan, where a crane was lifting 13 roof and sunshade stones into place early in the day.

Our well-trained team was working on the ground and atop the roof.

Kartikeya Katir and Maruthu, two task forcers, are shoulder-to-shoulder with the monks.

Helping to lash the stones for each lift.

It takes a lot of teamwork.

And concentration.

Kartikeya places protective cardboard to prevent damage to the stones.

Up they go, to be settled into place by the team at the top.

Visitors from yesterday, since today we have to keep clear, for everyone's safety.

Chelliah has been raised in Bangalore for 13 years as his father worked on Iraivan, and he too became a fine sculptor in the process.

He shows off a stone he will work on. He has marked a lotus design in it in red dye.

Then he chips away to give the flower its depth.

It will take him two full weeks to carve out this motif.

Such patience.

Hour after hour. Chip, chip, chip.

This stone will grace the roof near the central sanctum.

Jai to our lifting team, and to all who help, in small ways and large, to make this marvel manifest on the Earth for the upliftment of the human spirit.

A giant heliconia flower, almost five feet long.

And a delicate one in a cluster of pink and blue.