Sri Lanka Innersearch Day 12: Kadaitswami Mahasamadhi Puja

From 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM the Innersearchers were blessed with our richest, longest, most elaborate temple rites. An amazing Siva homa and abhishekam was held at the Siva temple which has a shrine for Kadaitswami's mahasamadhi.




A team of ten priests worked tirelessly (and clearly had been working for days to prepare all of the kumbhas, offerings and conches.) A large crowd of devotees filled the entire temple hallways and drums and nagaswaram played loudly throughout. This temple holds a special place in our hearts. It is where Kadaitswami's body is interned and in 1983 Gurudeva was asked to participate in a kumbhabishekam ceremony here.


Sadasivanathaswmi stood by anxiously as Gurudeva climbed a rickety bamboo ladder to the top of the temple vimanam to pour holy water over the golden kalasams. It seemed a dangerous moment. Several of the trustees today recounted that morning today. Siva was taken around the temple toward the end in a small chariot, and hundreds of devotees rushed forward to touch Bodhinatha's feet, or even the hem of his robes, seeing a brief moment of grace. Men held to monks' arms, tears streaming down their cheek, eyes wide open in gratitude. Such a long puja is rare these days, but the power released was equal to the love of Siva present.