It is Sun Five today. The Ganapati Kulam shared news of its activities this phase. Palaniswami is busy following up on the many post Innersearch details and contacts made during the trip to Australia. Kumarswami is focused on editing the new book on our Parampara. Arumugaswami is working on Book Four of the Children’s Course. Natarajnathaswami is working on art for the same. Sivakatirswami is focused on the Digital Edition of Hinduism Today, HTDE, and web video research and Yogi Japendranatha has also been working on HTDE, drafting the terms of service and EULA, End User License Agreement for the same. This is just the tip of the iceberg of this kulam’s many projects in progress.

Another mini-photo documentary, starting at the beginning of Tiruneri path…

Jai to the Lord of Obstacles, whose strategic placement of barriers protects us from ourselves!

Iraivan Temple seen through two palm trees, sitting in the verdant jungles of Kauai island.

Today we had several wonderful visitors. These three enjoyed the morning puja, sang and told of their impending journeys to India.

Tomorrow is Thai Pusam, a sacred festival day for Lord Murugan. Our team of temple decorators is here this morning, cutting tropical flowers from the gardens which you see stacked here in front of the temple doors.

Foliage from our temple gardens waits for their deft touch.

Fox-Tail Ferns and Torch Gingers and a few dracaenas.

Here two of the team hang orange flags at Murugan’s shrine where tomorrow’s abhishekam and puja will take place.

Servants to the servants of Siva.

By tonight the shrine will shine.

Just two hundred feet away, down the path….

Hidden amid the thousands of tendrils and roots that surround our ancient Banyan tree…

Lord Murugan waits for the morrow. The Indian craftsmen have covered Him with white and blue tarps awaiting the moment.

Tomorrow after puja all with gather with Bodhinatha for the formal pratishta of our Shanmugam, here showing us only His Sacred Feet as if inviting us to draw near and know Him within the chambers of our heart.

Down at the front office of the Pillaiyar Kulam today another Shanmugam, our own Shanmuganathaswami, contemplates his namesake’s moment tomorrow.

The gardens, too, await the hour…

A lone Catteleya orchid has taken root on an old Wiliwili tree and shows her colors in celebration of Thai Pusam. We each celebrate in our own special way!

Our latest new resident guest: Nutanaya Sivaceyon. Nutanaya is 16-years old and has a break between graduation from 5th Standard and the new 3-month compulsory military service recently instituted in Malaysia…. He is an intelligent, clear-minded young man….

He is serving in various kulams in the morning and with the Siddhidata Kulam most afternoons.

Nutanaya rarely experiences 60 degree weather in Malaysia… Burrr. it’s chilly… Here he takes a moment in the sun while helping the SK at the Iraivan Temple site…