Recently the Siddhidatta Kulam completed the construction of the heavily reinforced ramp that will support the Avudaiyar on its way into the inner sanctum of Iraivan Temple. The 10,141.26 pound Avudaiyar will be lifted onto this ramp and then guided on rollers into the temple.

Today we are excited to see the preparation of a heavy-duty ramp leading into Iraivan Temple's Inner Sanctum. This ramp will support the Spatika Lingam's Avudaiyar on its way within. The Avudaiyar weighs 4,600 kilogram or 10,141.26 pounds! So this Ramp has to be strong.

Today the Siplis are hard at work preparing and jointing the next layer of stone which will sit atop the Nandi Mandapam.

Over the last several days, the monastery's kitchen received new roofing and copper flashing. The work was done by our good neighbor Bobby Soares, His son and his longtime friend and coworker under the aegis of his company Garden Isle Roofing. The team removed all the old, dilapidated roofing tile and replaced it with the same blue roofing material we have on other buildings. This is an old building, and the new lighter roofing will help by not weighing down the aging structure. Thanks Bobby!

Last week, Satguru, monk and siplis gathered atop the Iraivan Temple scaffolding to have a blessing for the first of the Nandi Mandapam's roof beams. These intricate stones are beautifully carved and carefully adjusted to fit between the mandapam's 12 pillars.

Yesterday Dennis Wong completed the first phase of the mountain on which Lord Hanuman will stand. He will be arriving on Kauai within a month. The slideshow gives details. Jai Hanuman! May we all learn from His strong service, His unbending loyalty, His pure devotion to Siva.

Jai Ganesha!

At this auspicious time, just before we celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi, our monks joined Satguru in the inner sanctum of Iraivan Temple for the placement of the stones which support the crystal lingam's bronze avudaiyar. There is a hole beneath the stones which travels all the way down to the ground. During the ceremony Satguru blessed and lowered to the ground, a copper wire that has silver and gold spun around it. This wire then connects the avudaiyar to the earth. For the final arati after the placement of everything, the lights went out unexpectedly and only the beautiful glow of the camphor flame was left to complete the ceremony. Iraivan is now another step closer to completion. Aum Namah Sivaya. Sivaya Namah Aum

When Nandi the Bull was installed at Kadavul Temple in 1985 there was a major story on Honolulu's KRON TV channel. They sent a film crew to Kauai and the famed Joe Moore opened the evening news (remember those days?) with the headline "16 Tons of Bull." You have to grab your audience, right? And he does weigh 32,000 pounds.

It was a marvelous accomplishment for the monastery, a monolithic bull kneeling before Siva day and night, the symbol of strength humbling itself before God. We managed to bend a giant crane while lifting it onto its peedam.

But when the dust settled, Gurudeva confided to the monks that he loved the Nandi but was disappointed in the base. It was without ornamentation, just plain raw stones. Gurudeva called it "A pile of rocks." And he softly indicated that one day, perhaps, we could make it right.

So last year we had Selvanathan Sthapati draw a proper Chola base design. Yesterday we received the first series of photos from Jiva and his sons in Bengaluru showing the progress, which is significant as the photos show.

In the not too distant future, Gurudeva's wish will come true, and Nandi will be seated atop an intricate base worthy of His devotion.

Aum Namasivaya!

On this special Subha Siva Loka Day, and a day Bodhinatha is flying off to the Very Big Island, Hanuman received a new concrete base. It will be His home for a thousand years, so we took time to make it just right. A team of eight worked on it today. Enjoy the slideshow that tells the tale...

Today our master sculptress, Holly young, sent photos of the stanchions (small posts) that will hold the three giant stone chains. As you may recall, these 10-foot-long chains will be a kind of handrail out at the Temple Builders' Pavilion, not far from Iraivan Temple. Holly is going to Colorado to fine tune the part that attaches to the chain, since that is mission critical. One more step toward perfection. Wait a minute! It's already perfect, and getting better.