Kauai Aadheenam

More Results of Rudra’s Winds

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  • This tree that fell over from the neighbor's property missed the Media Studio roof by inches. It was blocking one of our storage containers and got cleared over the past couple days.
    This tree that fell over from the neighbor’s property missed the Media Studio roof by inches. It was blocking one of our storage containers and got cleared over the past couple days.
  • A broken branch over our back road is suspended high up, barely held by the tall tree
    A broken branch over our back road is suspended high up, barely held by the tall tree
  • Our monks were able to cut through the talipot palms to open a single narrow lane on the concrete road leading to Iraivan Temple, thereby saving us time to reach that side of the property
    Our monks were able to cut through the talipot palms to open a single narrow lane on the concrete road leading to Iraivan Temple, thereby saving us time to reach that side of the property
  • The monks cut through fallen bamboo to open another driving lane near the svayambhulingam mandapam
    The monks cut through fallen bamboo to open another driving lane near the svayambhulingam mandapam
  • This and the next five photos show current scenes adjacent to and beyond the San Marga Path along our fenced property line that borders the University of Hawaii Agricultural Research Station. Our property line has many tall blue gum and swamp mahogany trees.
    This and the next five photos show current scenes adjacent to and beyond the San Marga Path along our fenced property line that borders the University of Hawaii Agricultural Research Station. Our property line has many tall blue gum and swamp mahogany trees.
  • Some of the numerous downed albesia trees on the university side
    Some of the numerous downed albesia trees on the university side
  • Uprooted sections of the cactus garden outside the Media Studio
    Uprooted sections of the cactus garden outside the Media Studio

Today we view some of the progress in opening up various access points and driving lanes on the grounds, along with images of what happened along the property border beyond Iraivan Temple and adjacent to San Marga Path, where we have many tall trees along the fenceline.

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Quartzite Arrives from Brazil

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  • 20 crates arrive from Brazil. The concrete on the left is a glimpse of the path that will be clad with stone.
  • Quartzite is an especially hard stone, so dense it does not give a foothold to molds and fungi like softer stones do.
  • Offloaded onto the asphalt west of Iraivan.
  • It made it all that way—9,000 miles by ship—with no breakage.
  • Each crate will cover 45 linear feet of the Garden Path.
  • It’s a big project and will take about two months to install, depending on the weather.

We sometimes kid that projects always take less time, effort and money than expected. Of course, only those who never completed a big project believe it. This Garden Path has been many years in the making. The final step, of many, is to install half-inch-thick quartzite onto the recently poured 900-foot-long, 8-foot-wide concrete path.

It took about four months for the stone to reach Kauai, and that allows Alfredo to begin the installation after the hurricane passes. You will meet him in future TAKA posts. This project is also significant because it is the last large construction project at Iraivan.

Jai to our Beloved Gurudeva! Jai to our Light-filled Paramparai! Jai to Iraivan’s Grace-giving Mahalingesvara!

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New Bronze Handrail for Iraivan Temple

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Future pilgrims coming down San Marga from the Rudraksha Forest will climb the staircase to the Iraivan Temple entrance. It will be their first darshan of the temple, and a dramatic one at that. To make the climb safe, a new handrail has been installed. It is a gift from a husband and wife who saw the need and sponsored the project.

The craftsmen of Kauai’s Liquid Metalworks fabricated and installed it. They created a simple but elegant handrail that starts on the right side of the stairs and ends at the male elephant. At that point, a pilgrim moves to the left side of the path, in front of the mother elephant and her calf, and continues to the top.

The bronze is soft to the touch and marvelously shaped. In just a few months, the tropical weather will oxidize the metal, and it will take on a weathered patina: a deep, earthy color somewhere between brown, black and gold. At that point, it will fit into the garden better than the glitzy new color.

  • The bronze handrail installed.
  • Pilgrims first darshan of the temple
  • In their shop welding, grinding, polishing.
  • The hardest part was drilling into the stone.
  • Craftsmen level the metal
  • They achieved a super accurate straight line.
  • It will end up a brownish copper color
  • An elegant way to end the handrail.

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Pradosha Puja, and Satguru Returns

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In the first image, Nandi at Iraivan Temple’s Pradosha Puja yesterday was bedecked with extra flowers due to these warmest months.

Today on a sunny afternoon, Satguru and Shanmuganathaswami returned from the US and Canada mainland trip after stops and satsangs in Montreal, San Francisco area and Los Angeles area.

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Moscow Kids Discover Saivism

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  • Our Moscow team set up a corner for children to color the images in the recently published Saivite Hindu Religion in Russian
  • It’s a coloring book with all the basics of Saivite culture and philosophy for little ones.
  • This is the entrance to the conference hall.
  • Inside the massive chamber with Siva looking on.
  • It’s India Day
  • Our Editor-in-Chief Dinanatha Bodhinatha with the festival organizer, Sammy Kotwani
  • Music, song fill the stone chamber
  • And in another corner, learning some dance moves
  • The Gift Shop with murtis, lamps, tapestries and such.
  • Yoga was a popular activity.
  • Coloring in the book.
  • Lots of interest in the art.
  • Such a creative way to introduce Hindu ideas.

August 20-23

The 11th India Day Festival is underway in Moscow, and our Himalayan Academy team is there in full force. Here is Dinanatha Bodhinatha’s short report sent to Kauai this morning with some great photos.

Namaste, dear Swamis!

We are having a wonderful event…

The 11th India Day Festival in Moscow is taking place at Gostiny Dvor (a historic 17th-century exhibition center in the center of Moscow near Red Square). This is the largest Indian cultural festival in Russia, created for those who appreciate Eastern traditions and seek inspiration: yoga enthusiasts, Ayurveda enthusiasts, fans of Indian cuisine, and all who believe that India is not just a country, but an entire world of wisdom, beauty, and spiritual discovery.

“Hinduism Today” in Russia held an event at the Festival’s children’s playground, providing the recently published book “Saivite Hindu Religion” for children’s creativity…

I am enclosing photos of the event and general plans of the Festival and the Gostiny Dvor building, including a photo of myself with the founder of the India Day Festival, Mr. Sammy Kotwani, President of the Indian Business Alliance (IBA) in Russia.

Jai Gurudeva! Jai Satguru! Jai Kauai Aadheenam!

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Living in Lala Land 🌀

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  • Hurricane Lala passes below the Hawaiian Chain
    Hurricane Lala passes below the Hawaiian Chain
  • Lots of rain and gusts pass over the aadheenam
  • there’s some strong winds, but it’s not too bad
  • The river is surging from the mountain rains
  • Lots of leaves and sticks cover our walkways
  • As of now, the storm is mostly passed and we await the clear skies ahead.

Yesterday and today, Hurricane Lala brushed against the big island of Hawaii as a level one hurricane. Thankfully, the strength of the big island’s large mountains quickly downgraded Lala to a tropical storm, but not without a large amount of damaging weather and flooding. Over the day, Lala passed beneath the island chain—its outer weather bands covering all the islands with heavy rains and some decent wind speeds. At certain points the rain was so thick that you couldn’t see the distant tree tops.

Thankfully for Kauai it was not a very difficult storm. All the monks are safe and well, and the Aadheenam didn’t suffer any real damage. Many small branches and countless leaves now decorate our roads, but only a few larger tree chunks fell in isolated areas. We did have our power out for most of the day (it’s back now), but the main monastery buildings have an emergency generator to keep them running. We look forward to a sunnier day tomorrow!

Aum Namah Sivaya

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