Bodhinatha attended the monthly meeting of the now officially titled “Interfaith Round Table of Kauai,” which is a fledgling interfaith group here on Kauai. Today they had special guests from The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) from Washington, D.C and Honolulu. These TIA representatives shared with the new group on Kauai their work in the field of fighting for America’s religious freedom. It was clear from everything they said that they are doing a very important job in our nation’s capitol. TIA has 150,000 members across the United States. See more about their work at their web site.

We had two mini-milestones today. Our Wailua Mission members came to finish the gold leafing of the Tandavas of Kadavul… Tandu Sivanathan with his wife Uma.

Also joining the team: Isani Alahan, Brahmacharinis Shama Kumaran and Lila Shakti Devi, Leonora Orr, Kulapati Deva Seyon…

There were only six left to do today out of the 108

The statues were painted with “sizing” earlier (a kind of special adhesive)…

Then, when they are just dry to the touch.. the gilding begins

If you gild too soon, with the sizing still wet.. the gold moves around under your brush and you won’t get a smooth finish….

It should be dry, but still tacky enough to attract the gold leaf…

Our sevaks have become masters at this work…

Once you get started…no time to waste…if the sizing dries out… you have to paint more and wait another two hours….

Tandu has a perfect finish, smooth, bright and shiny!

Tandu Sivanathan has been taking a lead in this Sivathondu and has the pleasure of returning the gilded statues to the temple.

Up onto the shelf…

The team captured Paramacharya Palaniswami to place the 108th one.

The temple looks radiant with these 108 golden dancers flashing in the mirrors….

There is a famous name for the temple of Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram–the “Chit Sabha” — Hall of Consciousness… With these golden dancing forms of Lord Siva… Kadavul too has certainly become another “Chit Sabha.”

Our pilgrims are beginning to arrive. Kailash Dhaksinamurthi is here. He has been working very hard in his tour agency business and also doing great Sivathondu for Himalayan Academy Publications by staffing our literature display booths and tables at many temples and festivals.

Another mini-milestone… containers are arriving filled with more stone…

This is the first of four that have arrived from India this week…

More surprises from the Holy Land!

We will close our captions here today… but give you more visual vignettes of Iraivan and the Aadheenam…