Kauai's Hindu Monastery is home to Kadavul Temple and over 20 monks living under strict spiritual discipline and the guidance of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. It is a sacred place of pilgrimage for all Hindus seeking peace and divine experience.


Aloha and Namaste! We are happy that you are planning to visit our humble home on the garden island of Kauai. Please read the appropriate section below which best describes the intention of your visit.

The temple is open between 9am and 12 noon daily for worship and closed in the afternoon to drop-in visitors. Make your plans to come in the morning.

If you are interested in a tour of the monastery grounds, please call toll free 1-888-735-1619 to find out upcoming tour dates and reserve your parking space. Reservations are not required if you arrive by taxi and the taxi does not stay.

A. Hindus visiting for worship or pilgrimage read below.

B. General interest or curiosity. Click Here
to go straight to this section.

C. Cruise Passengers Click here and then come back to his page.



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A. Hindus visiting for worship and pilgrimage

Kauai's Hindu Monastery is a sacred place of pilgrimage for all Hindus seeking peace and divine experience. Here are some basic guidelines to help you plan your visit.

When to visit?

The front monastery area, including Kadavul Hindu Temple, is open daily from 9am to noon.

A self-guided tour is available for this area. You are welcome to download the PDF map of this tour click here, (file size 575kb) or pick up the map and accompanying booklet when you arrive at our entrance. The tour will give you a basic introduction to the monastery and its areas of service.

Hindus are encouraged to attend the 9am Siva puja in Kadavul Temple. It lasts about 1.5 hours. Hindus wanting an archana performed for them in Kadavul Temple must write clearly in English, on a piece of paper, their name, nakshatra and gotra (if known). Hand this piece of paper to the monastic in the temple at 9am before the puja commences. While there is no fee for an archana, donations are welcome.

After the puja, if Hindu guests wish to see the under-construction Iraivan Temple, a local devotee may be available to show you out, or you can request a self-guided tour map from the priest. This additional area is accessible before or after our monastic retreat days.

Monastic Retreat Days

Please note that our monastery follows the traditional lunar calendar, panchangam. The table below shows dates when the offices and some parts of the monastery grounds including Iraivan Temple are closed (the monastery's Kadavul Hindu Temple remains open every day). These days are known as "monastic retreat days," or days off for the monks. Hindus should plan their visit around these monastic retreat days, as Bodhinatha and the monks are not available to meet with guests on these days. However, Kadavul Hindu Temple always remains open for worship and meditation between 9am and noon, with the daily Siva puja beginning at 9am and the final arati about 10am.

2010
May: 5, 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 June: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27
July: 4, 5, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 26 Aug: Monastic long retreat: 2-15
16, 17, 23, 24, 25
Sept: 1, 2, 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 30 Oct: 1, 6, 7, 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31
Nov: 5, 6, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 28, 29 Dec: Monastic long retreat: 1-14
20, 21, 22, 27, 28
2011
Jan: 3, 4, 11, 12, 18, 20, 26, 27 Feb: 2, 3, 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25
March: 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 20, 25, 26
 April: Monastic long retreat: Mar 30-Apr 12
2, 3, 10, 11 17, 18

Some Important Guidelines

1. Clothing - Hindu guests are eagerly encouraged to dress in traditional Hindu clothing when visiting. Alternatively, modest clothing is permitted. No shorts, short dresses, t-shirts or tank tops. Polo shirts are okay.
2. Video and photography of the inside of Kadavul Temple is not permitted. All other areas may be photographed.
3. We ask visitors to bring an umbrella as it rains often here.
4. Remember, it is always prudent, even in paradise, not to leave valuables in your car.

Additional Information

To assist your visit, click here for additional information on lodging, dining, directions to the monastery, etc.

For answers to frequently asked questions about Kauai's Hindu Monastery, click here.



B. General interest or curiosity

We appreciate your interest in our monastery. Here are some basic guidelines to help plan your visit.

When to visit?

The front monastery area, including Kadavul Hindu Temple, is open daily from 9am to noon.

A self-guided tour is available for this area. You are welcome to download the PDF map of this tour click here, (file size 575kb) or pick up the map and accompanying booklet when you arrive at our entrance. The tour will give you a basic introduction to the monastery and its areas of service.

A detailed guided tour gives access to more of the beautiful monastery grounds. Please see further below for details.

Kadavul Hindu Temple

For those wishing a contemplative time, you are welcome to attend the traditional worship ceremony (called puja) at 9am or meditate in Kadavul Temple. Inside the temple, guests should ideally sit cross-legged, but never with legs strecthed out towards the Deity. No video or photography is allowed of the inside of the temple.

Note: Only those wishing to worship or meditate should enter Kadavul Temple.

Detailed Guided Tour

Approximately once a week, a guided tour begins at 9am in the gazebo at the monastery entrance, 107 Kaholalele Road. It lasts about 90 minutes. The tour is free, however love offerings are welcomed, as donations from visitors are what allows us to continue building Iraivan Temple and beautify this sanctuary. Parking is very limited, therefore reservations are required. Please call toll free 1-888-735-1619 to find out upcoming tour dates and reserve your parking space. Reservations are not required if you arrive by taxi and the taxi does not stay.

Highlights of the walking tour include:
- introduction to the monastery and Hinduism
- the 353-acre spiritual sanctuary with its botanical gardens, waterways and ponds
- watch the stone craftsmen, silpis, from India carve and assemble the granite Iraivan Temple--a noble icon of Hinduism's beauty and greatness
- the awesome monolithic 20,000 pound, 12-foot-tall black granite statue of God Siva as Dakshinamurthi
- Kadavul Hindu Temple with its central sanctum housing an exquisite, 6-foot-tall bronze statue of God Siva as Nataraja, Lord of the Dance. The temple also houses Iraivan Temple's future 700-pound, 39-inch-tall quartz crystal Sivalingam deity.

Some Important Guidelines

1. Clothing - Hindu guests are eagerly encouraged to dress in traditional Hindu clothing when visiting. Alternatively, modest clothing is permitted. No shorts, short dresses, t-shirts or tank tops. Polo shirts are okay.
2. Video and photography of the inside of Kadavul Temple is not permitted. All other areas may be photographed.
3. We ask visitors to bring an umbrella as it rains often here.
4. Remember, it is always prudent, even in paradise, not to leave valuables in your car.
5. Remember, For Hindus planning an pilgrimage, or seeking audience with Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, it is best to email us in advance to coordinate your visit.

Additional Information

To assist your visit, click here for additional information on lodging, dining, directions to the monastery, etc.

For answers to frequently asked questions about Kauai's Hindu Monastery, click here.

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