Bodhinatha in a quiet moment during the Yogaswami puja in Sydney….more pictures from Innersearcher camera of Ganga Sivanathan below….

Today big news at the Aadheenam was the dome lift for the West Chinna Gopuram….

Our camera man arrives just after the first segment has been placed…

The ground team, taking a moment to chat as the silpis above move the first stone into place.

The second piece is all set and hanging, ready to go.

Special padding to protect the gold leaf work from the straps…

It is a happy day for all when Iraivan make a big move forward like this.

We want to thank our crane company man and operator… the very expert and super-safety conscious, Larry Conklin. Larry loves working with the monks… every one works together so smoothly.

Our TAKA reporter from Mauritius, Kulapati Rajen Manick writes:

“The sixth year already! We are now name files from Mauritius photos for 2006. It has been a real experience serving the Guru this way.

Here in Mauritius we are starting the fasting for Thai Pusam. Most temples will start a special ceremony tomorrow. At the Park plans are ahead to repair the Ganesha Bridge and to build a small shelter to cover the small Pancha Ganapati murthi. Classes on the Saivite Hindu Religion and Saivite Trilogy have started for 2006 and this month we are sending our Spiritual Park 2006 Newsletter to the press for printing.

We are sending the first photos for 2006 of our January public Ganesha Homa at the Spiritual Park. We look forward to send our best shots for TAKA for 2006. Our thanks to Bodhinatha and the TAKA team.

Photo: The first day of January 2006 was blessed by the shakti of Lord Pancha Ganapati at the Spiritual Park through a Homa at the Spiritual Park. Many families from all parts of the island were there to attend this morning event.

Devotees dressed impeccably arrived early to secure a seat inside the Mandapam which is always overcrowded on these occasions.

The ceremony starts with devotional songs.

Here is Kulapati Manon Mardemootoo the eldest kulapati presiding over the Homa. Hundred of notes are being sent into the sacred fire.

Next seated is Kulapati Koothan followed by two other kulapaties which make up a team of four around the sacred fire.

The ceremony continues under the divine guidance of Lord Pancha Mukha Ganapati

Everyone enjoys the darshan of Lord Ganapati ….

Outside the Mandapam looked radiant with the morning sun rays over the pine trees which are now growing tall near the pool… the Homa is over and devotees are coming out into the mango grove where food is being served.

Ravin Doorghiat and his sons from the south…

Prakash Gunesh with his newly wedded wife Saroja. Prakash and Saroja are leaving for Britain where they will stay for some time until Prakash completes his Law studies. He is studying to become a Barrister.

(from right) Kulamata S. Mardemootoo , Mrs. Veerapen and Kulamata Pallanee …

Bodhinatha greeted us each morning with a smile. Rumour had it that as we were very slowly getting out of bed early each morning, he was up even earlier and had already taken a long walk. Ganesha murthi

One of the beauties of Innersearch is that each day unfolds in a magical and mystical way, with a short “down time” scheduled each afternoon. While waiting for our next bus, Barney Lu continues to read Gurudeva’s books.Ganesha murthi

On our last day in Sydney we were privileged to attend a Yogaswami Puja at the Sivathondan Nilayam. It was a wonderful puja with beautiful energy and we were looked after magnificantly by the Yogaswami devotees. It was a wonderful way to connect into our lineage.Ganesha murthi

Ganesha murthi

Innersearcher Shivani Rajan was able to sing with the chior. Shivani and Priya Alahan both have beautiful voices and also sang at the Murugan Temple in Aukland on the last night of Innersearch.Ganesha murthi

Bodhinatha presented the Sivathondan Nilayam with a painting of Satguru Yogaswami.Ganesha murthi

Bodhinatha does the final arati.

Lynda McClanahan and Suselah Periasamy approach Bodhinatha for vibhuti blessings.

Then we had a 2 hour bus ride into the Hunter Valley just North of Sydney, arriving at the Dooralong Resort where we shared wonderful Bush Cabins.

Nilufer Clubwala, our Innersearch doctor.

Chudika Mahadevan, who had her birthday on Innersearch.

Ready for Bodhinatha’s next lesson – Usha Shastri, Monica Sewpaul, Hema Patel and Priya Alahan. In his lessons, Bodhinatha used a great mix of presentation, individual activity and group activity. In the activities, we could use the Dooralong gardens to reflect, experience and share. Our stories and the sharing of our experiences gave Bodhinatha examples that he could then incorporate into his materials. Bodhinatha wants to make sure that the examples that he uses in his talks are “down to earth” and not soley from the “ivory cave”.

Of course, we continued to eat well. We really appreciated the quality of the vegetarian food on the trip.

The Australian Bush at Dooralong was magnificent, and we were treated to a range of Australian wildlife – strange bird calls along with kookaburras and kangaroos. One of the beauties of the Australian bush is that it changes coloour as the light changes during the day.

Each afternoon, a group went horse riding, wandering through the trails at Dooralong.

Rudi and Dora using the bikes to explore Dooralong.

The local Dooralong dog in the horse stables.