San Marga Sanctuary

Experience the life-transforming darshan of sacred Iraivan Temple

Come on Pilgrimage Today!

During its phases of construction and landscape development, the San Marga Sanctuary is open for guided tours. At this time, there is a once-a-week guided tour for the public, designed to impart knowledge to a group and to provide personal time of reflection so central to the Sanctuary's mission. Donations are encouraged but not required.

Already, Kauai's hotels, condos and bed-and-breakfasts carry the Sanctuary schedule to offer their guests a unique and transforming cultural experience. And the Sanctuary-in-development is regularly featured in local and mainstream magazines and newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, India Today and The Garden Island. Presently, more than 20,000 visitors each day come to stay on Kauai for three days or more. By 2030, the number is expected to reach a daily average of 30,500, mainly from the US, Asia and Canada. A rapidly growing number of Hindu families are vacationing in Hawaii, often combining convention business with pleasure, or choosing this island paradise as the optimal place for family time. The number of Indo-American Hindu families and couples visiting Kauai is surprisingly high, and many visit the Sanctuary every week.

Besides the tours of the Sanctuary, an individual, couple or family can arrange in advance with the Sanctuary to visit as pilgrims. Pilgrims journey to the San Marga Sanctuary in the tradition of spiritual intensification. It is an annual opportunity, available once a year at a time of the pilgrimage party's choice. The Sanctuary is open to these serious seekers to explore the Hindu path and dharma for up to twelve days, with custom schedules and events planned for them.

Nestled in a Monastery, Founded by a Guru

The genius behind San Marga Sanctuary and its Iraivan Temple is Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), beloved Gurudeva to thousands of devotees, a spiritual giant who knew no challenge too great to meet, no obstacle too imposing to overcome, no problem too difficult to solve, no opponent too obstinate to win over, no hurt too deep to assuage, no detail too insignificant to address. Iraivan Temple all started with his vision of Lord Siva sitting and walking near the very site where the temple arises today. From that moment on, planning, orchestrating and manifesting the Sanctuary was a steady, joyous project to which Gurudeva applied relentless effort through the well-honed, sophisticated infrastructure of his Saiva Siddhanta Church. Kauai's Hindu Monastery, of which the San Marga Sanctuary is an important part, is the headquarters of Saiva Siddhanta Church, an international congregation of Saivite Hindus who daily tread the strict and rewarding path of spiritual transformation under the guidance of the satguru. After Gurudeva's mahasamadhi in November, 2001, his designated successor, Bodhinatha Veylanswami, ascended the spiritual seat of authority. Bodhinatha adeptly and dynamically guides along the mission that Gurudeva began.

Next: Ways to Contribute

San Marga Land Map