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Report from devotees in London:

Vanakkam, Namaste and Aloha,

Jai Ganapati!

With great joy, we humbly share news of the much-anticipated visit by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Shanmuganathaswami to London in August 2025.

Six years since their last visit, the Satguru and Swami were warmly welcomed at London Heathrow by devotees with garlands and flowers, before continuing on to rest after significant travels.

The following evening marked the first gathering, a satsang at the Santhirapala home. After a traditional welcome, accompanied by the recital of thevarams, devotees were uplifted by a melodic chanting of the Sri Rudram, offered by disciples of Sri Jeyandrapuriswami and father–son duo Keshav and Jijjit Thukaram. This set the divine vibration for the satsang, further elevated by the iconic voice of London’s orthuvar, Sri Sami Thandapani, who led the London Pan Isai group in renditions of Thirumurai and Natchinthinai.

The presence of the Parampara was profoundly felt, especially through Satguru Bodhinatha’s upadesha, in which he spoke with clarity on questions often faced by Saivites in the West, such as “Aren’t all religions the same?” He expanded on the four goals of life—dharma, artha, kama, moksha—offering practical wisdom for spiritual seekers. The evening was further blessed with the Samaya Diksha of Niraj Thaker following decades of preparation, concluding with sacred vibhuti blessings for all in attendance.

The next day brought an impromptu vegan lunch with close friends of the Aadheenam. Over beautifully prepared Japanese-inspired dishes, conversations flowed from the philosophical to the practical, and many cherished the opportunity to personally connect with Satguru and Swami.

The finale of the four-day visit was a Youth Workshop on Saivism at Shree Ghanapathy Temple in Wimbledon—a temple with long-standing ties to Kauai Aadheenam. Satguru and Swami were lovingly welcomed with devotional thevarams and escorted to the first floor shrine of Paramaguru Siva Yogaswami. The décor, themed to honour the Parampara flowing from Lord Nataraja, provided the perfect setting. A short gift was offered to Satguru Bodhinatha by 9 year old Anju Kumaran who lovingly and expressively delivered a speech on the life and times of Paramaguru Yogaswami.

Satguru Bodhinatha’s talks at the workshop were both profound and accessible, covering topics such as Lord Ganesha, the chakras, the ladder of consciousness, the purusharthas, the yogas, and much more. The youth listened attentively, some taking notes, and engaged in question-and-answer sessions. The closing comments deliver by Saivite Youth relayed Satguru Bodhinatha’s unique ability to explain complex concepts simply, while showing their relevance to daily life as Saivites in the West, left a lasting impression. Geetha and Satkurunathan Maheshwaran, a dynamic husband and wife duo, who industriously work to support Hindu activities within the UK and are senior management at Shree Ghanapathy Temple, were duly honoured for their kind efforts and love in supporting this beautiful visit (and many prior).

Alas, after a whirlwind four-day stay, Satguru Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami departed for Oslo—pausing for a final coffee with devotees at the airport. The visit was truly divinely timed, filled with love, grace and blessings for all.

Aum Namah Sivaya.

Jai Ganesha!

As everyone knows, our new season, Jivana Ritau, has started. So today, we decided to share our final Sadhu Paksha photos for everyone to enjoy. Aum!

Today is the first full day of our new season, the Jivana Ritau. Early this morning, monastics and sishyas gathered in Kadavul Temple for a short puja (monthly Krittika Homa at Iraivan Temple was on the day prior) and then listened to a past upadesha from Satguru, who is traveling right now. Following the upadesha they proceeded out the the Aadheenam’s flagpole to fly the dvaja for the new season.

Excerpts from Saiva Dharma Shastras about the this time of year:
“Beginning with Hindu New Year in mid-April, three seasons of the year divide our activities into three great needs of humankind the learning of scripture in the first season, Nartana Ritau; the living of culture in the second season, Jivana Ritau; and the meditating on Siva in the third season, Moksha Ritau. Thus we are constantly reminded that our life is Siva’s life and our path to Him is through study, sadhana and realization. In ritau one, we teach the philosophy; in ritau two, we teach the culture; and in ritau three, we teach meditation.

During Jivana Ritau, the rainy season, from mid-August to mid-December,Living with Siva: Hinduism’s Contemporary Cultureis the primary text. The key word of this season is work. The colors are rust, copper-maroon and all shades of red rust for earthy preservation, copper-maroon for fulfillment and red for physical energy. The Aadheenam’s flag pole flies the rust-colored dhvaja, symbolizing environmental care. Copper-maroon and all shades of red adorn our smaller flags. This is the season of honoring and showing appreciation for those in the vanaprastha ashrama, life’s elder advisor stage. The focus is on preserving what has been created, manifesting goals and fulfilling plans made in the past. Inwardly the emphasis is on direct cognition and caring for the practical details of the external world. Practicality is a word much used this season.”

The assembled shrine (without the granite piece)

The large crate it had arrived in

The monks assemble it in the new building

The granite section

The original concept for the shrine in the Siddhidatta Kulam’s new office, started many years ago after acquired a set of murtis for the new building. The kulam’s monks considered building one themselves or buying a pre-made shrine, but neither option was feasible at the time. That’s when they reached out to Kanda Alaha, a skilled cabinet maker and a longtime devotee of Gurudeva and Bodhinatha. Kanda happily stepped forward to help. With dimensions and drawings from Yoginathaswami, he began constructing the shrine.

After a year of dedicated work, the shrine was finished, crated and shipped all the way from California to Kauai! It arrived three days ago, and the monks were thrilled to unpack and assemble it. The shrine is truly special, with a carved Aum on the storage drawer and a beautiful section of black granite—which was an extra piece that had been originally made for Iraivan Temple.

We are so grateful to Kanda for his time, his talent and his hard work.

Jai Ganesha, Muruga and Siva!

Jai Ganesha!

We are coming to the end of Sadhu Paksha and getting ready to start a new season. Our monks walked around the monastery and took some beautiful photos. Today, we are happy to share them with you. Aum.