It is Sun Four of a 6-day phase and the Siddhidata Kulam reported on their activities today. The big news is that Sadhaka Nilakantha has departed for his official “Sojourn In The World” which is part of the monastic program for young monks who are on the sadhaka path, during their first twelve years. Every four years they leave the monastery for 6 months or more and live under their monastic vows, but out in the world. During this time they are under the Guru’s direction and endeavor to maintain the monastic sadhana no matter where they are. After they complete this “tapas” three times they can remain in the monastery “forever.”

This is Sadhaka Nilakantha’s second sojourn in the world. He is going to go live and serve at the famed “Archosanti” project where he was accepted as an intern at this unusual “Urban Laboratory” created by renowned Italian architect. Paolo Soleri.

Check it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcosanti target=”blank”>http://www.arcosanti.org/with a modern city in Arizona that is established for the purpose of modeling sustainable living. Bodhinatha’s commission to Sadhaka is for him to learn as much about sustainable living as he can and bring this knowledge back to Kauai Aadheenam.

Meanwhile Sadhaka Haranandinatha is on a mission today to get some photos of Iraivan which have been a bit sparse on TAKA these days. With him is Task Forcer Teja who is manning the camera.

The painstaking work of the Tara pillars as been occupying our silpis for many weeks.

Alignment from the top of one pillar to the next in relation to the roof, the existing Vimanam and the future Raja Gopuram in the front is “mission critical.”

It is almost impossible for a stone as huge as the Tara pillar to be absolutely symmetrical to within 1/4 of an inch. So this means that the base must be placed in such a way that the top of the pillar is accurately in line.

The silpis are doing a great job but it’s slow work. Making minute adjustments to huge stones weighing
several tons takes time.

Below, today’s visitors. While we have two official tour days, if one of our selfless hosts is free, they get a chance to take visitors to the temple on other days.

Completing the placement of the top section of one of the Tara pillars are Rajendran, Karupiah, Manikandan and perched on top waving is Chelliah.

(Center) Arati and Suresh Bangalore with their daughter Divya. Originally from Bangalore they now live in Virginia Beach, VA. They heard about the temple through reading a friends Hinduism Today magazine.

(Right) Judy Brewington and Leo Masson from Sacramento, CA. They work for Kauai Blue Tour Book. Their experience here was “so wonderful. We’re so grateful to have been able to see this sacred place.”

(Left) David and Sunya Barry from Los Angeles. They heard about our temple from Kauai Tourism Book. They felt “so happy to be here. Its so beautiful and so very peaceful here.”