Here is Bodhinatha sitting with Jeyandrapuri Swami the new head of Kailash Ashram in India.

Sadhaka Dandapani is working hard on the coming Innersearch… beside constantly being on the phone and email settling arrangements in New Zealand and Australia, at home there are all the little things to get ready… luggage tags.

It may seem a small matter, but when you are moving a group of 50-100 people, being able to spot everyone’s luggage and quickly assemble all the bags is a mission critical component to efficient transits through hotels, buses, planes etc.

Our California missionaries on the move again…Invited by the Vedic Foundation, Kulapati Easan Katir and son Kartikeya joined them speaking before the California State Board of Education advocating improvements in teaching Hinduism in school texts.

Tirumular… he’s still in meditation after all these years!

Crab spiders come and go on Kauai, sometimes thousands spinning webs here and there. One of natures ever inspiring wonders…

Looks like we will have a lot of cocos soon from this tree…

Thuraisingam Rajasankara continues with his photo documentary of Bodhinatha’s recent visit to Bangalore.

“On 6th of November, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and the swamis visited Sri Kailasa Ashram. We had arrived there at 8.30 am and were greeted at the gate by the chief priest with a garland. He guided us to the room of Sri Jayendrapuri Swami, the current pontiff of the Ashram, after the mahasamadhi of Sri Tiruchi Swami in January this year.”

Sri Jayendrapuri Swami greeting the swamis.

The swamis sharing their thoughts on the activities of their ashrams. This is the room where Sri Tiruchi Swami used to give darshan to the devotees.

Bodhinatha listens intently…

This is Sri Sri Sri Jayendrapuri Swami, a scholar in Sanskrit, speaks 16 languages including Spanish, German, French and a well versed computer literate.

A view of the room which is adorned with various photos of the Kailash Ashram lineage. Standing are the current monks at the ashram. They have about 20 boys at their padashala learning Vedas and priest training. This ashram is one among the well established ashrams in the south of India.

After a short meeting, swami invites us for a breakfast ….. and we move.

Thats the smiling faces walking towards the dining room. Its a beautiful place, the ashram with trees, cows, peacocks, birds and lately deers as well.

Seen behind is a Ganesha shrine and on our left is the dining and what next .. a good breakfast!

After breakfast, we take a tour around the ashram. Swamis visited Sri Raja Rajeshwari Temple as well as the Sri Chakra temple where Sri Tiruchi Swami’s Samadhi is. Then we headed to the auditorium where here is the Silver Simhasanam for Sri Tiruchi Swami’s tiruvadi .. ..an excellent piece of work to be unveiled and used during the first year pooja of the mahasamadhi.

…. and we head back from the auditorium back to the swamis room. Bodhinatha and Arumugaswami have a question and answer session.

Taking a short break, Yoginathaswami and Shanmuganatha swami visit the stone worksite at Kailash Ashram. This is Satanathan Sthapaty the chief architect of Sri Rajeshwari Temple. At present the outer prakaram and the Raja Gopuram construction work is going on.

This is the Raja Gopuram construction going on at the outer most prakaram of the temple.

Yoginathaswami who is in charge of Iraivan jointing work in Kauai takes an opportunity to speak about technical parts of joining with Satanathan Sthapaty. Then we head back to the swamis room.

As the swamis bid goodbye to Sri Jayendrapuri Swami, the swamis are gifted with fruits, sweets and specially prepared murukku seen in the plastic container.

Each swami receives gift and prasadam….

Then Sri Jayendrapuri swami gifts the church with a piece of robe of Sri Tiruchi Swami as a mark of remembrance of the great saint to Bodhinatha.

…..and good bye

….there we go and now we leave to another ashram which is of Sri Balagangadhara Nathaswami of Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt. He is the pontiff who has given us the place for Iraivan worksite at Madanayaka Halli where the whole procees of Iraivan is happening.

Sri Balagangadhara Nathaswami of Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt seated in a posh room with Bodhinatha and his assistant standing at the back . He is a busy swamiji and almost all the time he is invited for inaugurations all over the country.

Most of his visitors are parliamentarians and ministers, a very influential person in the state also very much instrumental in creating a safe environment for the silpis at the worksite for Iraivan carving to move smoothly. He has done amazing social work and uplifted the entire state of Karnataka on many levels. See the recent October 05 issue Hinduism Today to learn more about Swami’s amazing mission in India.

Arumugaswami, Shanmuganathaswami and Yoginathaswami listen as the swamis speak.

Every year there is always a problem between the two states Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the Cauvery River issue. Hence its a potential threat for the silpis who are mostly from Tamil Nadu to stay and move around the village we live. But to date no harm has been created thanks to this saint who once got the highest officials of the law and order to give a warning to the locals there when the 1993 Cauvery problem blew out of control. That was a time when every truck passing by our carving site village which had a Tamil Nadu registration plate was burned down or pelted with stones.

And Bothinathaswami speaking about the ashram activities to swami …

and the smile…

Recently Hinduism Today Published a centerfold about Balagangadharanatha Swami and here they look at the Island Temple magazine….

…. and Bodhinathaswami describing the current progress in our landscape …

and the discussion continues…

Balagangadharanatha Swami is also building a temple at his headquarters, Bellur which is about 100 km from Bangalore. The main deity is Kala Bairaveshwara and the temple is manifold larger than Iraivan.

Hence the swamis have a one mind discussion about temple carving and the joining work which is happening in Kauai as Balagangadharanatha Swami eagerly questions the current progress of Iraivan.

After this lengthy discussion, Arumugaswami puts across some questions on various issues concerning religion and life.

Then as we get ready to depart, Swami gifts shawls to all the swamis as a mark of respect.

One for Shanmuganathaswami ….

…and a basket of fruits.

And finally for our tall Yoginathaswami who had to really bend down to receive the shawl.

And Balagangadharanathaswami takes this opportunity to invite the whole team of monks to come for the inauguration of the Kala Bhaireshwara Temple which he expects to complete by next year.

And Bodhinatha Swami agreed to send as many monks as he can.

And before he forgets …hands over a couple of copies of his home publication ” Sri Kshetra Adi Chunchanagiri ” to Bodhinatha…

…And the last clip of the day after which the swami headed back to the hotel and checked out to the airport headed to Chennai.

That’s the end of our coverage of Bodhinatha Swami’s trip to Bangalore. We would love to have him again and look forward for his wonderful visit. Aum