Temple Builders' Pavilion Officially Inaugurated

At about 9:26am on October 17th the life-sized bronzes of Gurudeva, the temple architects and silpi sculptors was formally blessed and opened. After a short chant by Kumarswami Gurukkal, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gave all present an overview of Iraivan and how this collection of masterpieces fits into the future visitor's experience. Then Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami offered a detailed history of Gurudeva's instructions to build the pavilion, followed by stories of Holly Young, the sculptress, and the 32 artisans in Colorado who have done this work over the last eight years. He also spoke of some chain handrails that will come next year. Gurukkal then did a series of beautiful pujas, bringing all of the devas of earth, air, fire, water and akasha to bless and support the pavilion into the far future. Enjoy the photos of the opening:

From Gurudeva's mathavasi shastras 6-11-2001
"So Iraivan is a mind merge of working togetherness which we all do very very well and in a extremely very very nice way. That's why everything works so nicely here and why we have silpis out there and why we are building this beautiful temple which is a testament of the harmony and productivity of all the mathavasi with their brahmachariya and the brahmachariya makes you extremely creative when you are doing it properly.

The silpis create these beautiful statues and temples and their names are not there, you don't know who they are. They don't become famous and they don't advertise themselves. That's the tradition. You do something and create a piece of art and it stands on its own. You don't sign your name on it and stand up and do all that stuff. So its best to always take a humble position or a behind the scenes position."

Satguru Bodhinatha and Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami reading the newly installed sign

Kumar Gurukkal starts with invoking the prayers of thankfulness to the Earth Goddess for the bountiful offerings of precious granite for Iraivan Temple

Satguru Bodhinatha gave an overview of Iraivan Temple which will be uploaded to Youtube later

Paramacharya read from the Karana Agama 10. MT, 66: For the purpose of protection of all, a Linga is variously caused to be built in villages by Gods, by seers and by ordinary men.

From the Suprabheda Agama 21.28.-29.SA, 180: Cutting all the stones to be cut, carving all the stones to be carved...

...boring all the stones to be bored, such are the three aspects of the shilpis\

s art.'

The architect and the sutragrahin build the temples and craft the images, ...

... but it is with the takshaka that the architect effects the opening of the eyes...

of these images, and similiar rites.

Group photo at the launch of the Temple Builders\

Pavilion'

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