Today at Kauai Aadheenam

The first Polynesians reached Hawaiʻi around 300–800 CE. It was a time in India of the regional kingdoms of the Pallavas and Pandyas, a time of great bhakti movements and temple building. These first seafaring adventurers probably came from the Marquesas (south of Hawaii and East of Australia), with later waves from Tahiti. They sailed in double-hulled voyaging canoes using stars, currents and birds to navigate. The journey of roughly 2,000–2,500 miles took 3–6 weeks. It was hazardous—storms, starvation and dehydration posed real risks, and some voyages likely failed. They brought “canoe plants” and animals choosing things they needed for survival in the new land: taro, breadfruit, coconut, banana, sugarcane, pigs, dogs and chickens. Kauaʻi was among the earliest islands settled.

They brought the noni tree as their primary medicine, a fruit which strengthens the human immune system helping it to fight off all kinds of ailments. Fast forward to today, when the monks tend 10 acres of noni trees and ferment the fruit into a healing juice. They also make noni powder. It is a new product for us, and seems promising. One Swiss company imports it to add “organic Hawaiian noni” to their superfood products.

The process is simple but time-consuming. It begins with harvesting ripe, firm fruit from the tree. The fruit should be mature and mostly white, but not overripe or soft enough to fall apart. Next comes sorting and washing with water to remove dust and debris. 

After washing, the fruit is allowed to ripen further in 30-gallon food-grade containers for up to a week until it becomes uniformly soft. Once ready, it is processed through a pulping machine to remove seeds and create a smooth mash. This pulp is spread in thin layers on trays for drying.

Drying happens in two dehydrators until the mash becomes crisp. The dried product is then tested for moisture to ensure stability and shelf life.

The final step is breaking the large thin sheets into chips and pulverizing the hard, dried fruit into a fine powder.  The finished powder is packed into sealed bags, labeled and stored in a cool, dry place awaiting shipping.

Recent visitors have asked the monks, “Iraivan is designed to last a thousand years. Will the bronze panels have to be replaced before that?”

A great question since ordinary metal is seen to rust and disintegrate in a couple of centuries. We dove into it to respond meaningfully. What we found was that bronze works from ancient India (Mohenjodaro) are alive and well 4,500 years after they were created. Bronze works go back farther, 6,500 years back in Serbia. Above you are looking at the famed Nebra Sky Disc (c. 1800–1600 BCE) fabricated in present-day Germany. A flat bronze disc with gold inlays, sometimes considered the earliest “designed surface” bronze object. It shows celestial symbols—arguably the closest early example to a true decorated bronze panel.

Our Iraivan panels will survive as long as the temple, carrying forward the history and mysticism of the temple.

You can explore the art and text of any (or all) of the panels here:

himalayanacademy.com/iraivan-temple/bronze-panels-of-iraivan-temple