Gurudeva Annual Puja– More Photos of Day 3
As the annual Gurudeva Puja events have winded down and we head into Skanda Shashthi, sishya Rajkumar Manickam shares additional photos, taken with his fancy camera, of scenery and the San Marga murthi moves on day three. The final afternoon will be a separate post.
Island School Visit, and San Marga Ganesha Shrine
Two events in one post:
1) A couple weeks ago Island School made their annual student field trip over here as part of studying world religions. They also visited other religions' places of worship on the island.
Isani Alahan gave a tour which included attending part of the Siva puja in Iraivan Temple. Most of these photos were taken by 8th grade teacher Pat Gegen. He reported afterwards, "Thank You again for the wonderful tours you provide for us and our students and the wisdom and insights into better understanding Hinduism as practiced here on Kauai. I continue to learn more every year and it is always a highlight for the students."
2) The other day we affixed a kalasam to the top of the small Ganesha shrine on San Marga path. A Ganesha murti will be officially installed inside in the coming weeks.
Plants & Reincarnation
Each day in Siva's Sacred Gardens something magical is there to surprise and inspire. Nature's beauty and complexity are truly miraculous, if we but keep a wonder-filled heart and eye, alert to and aware of Siva's presence in it all, working from deep inside.
Here we share a couple of blooms from today, coupled with some interesting quotes about reincarnation....
Outside the New Siddhidata Kulam Building
Rock and Gravel Finished for Last Section of Pilgrim’s Path
Siva’s Sacred Gardens
In a walk near the Path of the Saiva Satgurus this morning we were greeted with this remarkable orchid in bloom. Wow! It is Grammatophyllum wallisii, a rare native of the Philippines. It is among the largest orchids in the world and has many nicknames in the botanical world: Giant Orchid, Tiger Orchid, Sugar Cane Orchid. The flowers are a full 3.5 inches in diameter and the 8-foot-long spikes each have dozens. In the days ahead the spikes will extend and the drama will only increase. The plant as it grows older will form a basket of aerial roots, which is designed to catch falling leaves which will decompose and release nutrients and thus sustain the plant. Above is a Before & After slider of Iraivan from high above.
Mondo Grass Planting Update
Two Unusual Photos
Fun photos for today. The first is a shot of Nimu, the African Grey parrot you have seen on TAKA before. This morning he was caught piloting our drone (which can be seen on the other side of the glass if you look closely).
The second is a shot of Rudraksha tree roots, taken in May by Rajkumar Manickam. This tree is near the Swayambhu Lingam, near the Muruga shrine.
Siva’s Sacred Gardens on July 19th
Today our peripetetic photographer roamed and captured a handful of the many botanical exhibitions in the garden. The amazing thing about a mature garden is that it is different each day, always something new, something blossoming, something growing high above in the trees.
Moving a Rose Granite Bench
Years ago, seeing the deterioration occasioned by the tropics on all things wooden, we decided as much as feasible to use longer-lasting materials. So when a wooden garden bench rotted out, we had four rose-colored granite benches made by our team in India, and installed them in the gardens.
One among them became overgrown by the foliage, and no one was using it. So two days back we took a team of six out and moved it to a new location. It now sits near the flagpole, overlooking Rishi Valley, a place it will be used often and enjoyed.
Story in the slideshow.
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.