As most of you already know, the large crystal Sivalinga has been “temporarily” residing in Kadavul Temple since August 1987, awaiting its move to the Iraivan Temple sanctum. Our architect, Selvanathan Sthapati, has indicated that now that the Iraivan Temple structure is complete and the 11,000-pound panchaloha Avudaiyar base has been moved into the inner sanctum, we need to move forward with installing the Sivalinga. Actually, Sthapati was more colorful in his urgings, reminding us that the temple is a living being, with a conception (Gurudeva’s three visions), a birth and a lifespan. And, he offered, we have waited long enough, to the point that the temple is like a pregnant woman who is two weeks overdue, and we can no longer delay the event. Based on that instruction from our Master Builder and guidance from India’s Sivacharyas, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami has set the Sivalinga installation rituals for March 21-26, 2023. These historic rites will be professionally filmed and livestreamed on our youtube channel for everyone to have a front row seat wherever you live around the world.

A just-uploaded trailer video for the ceremonies can be viewed here.

If you would like to plan ahead for watching the livestreams, here is the schedule of morning and afternoon streams:

March 21
Morning Ceremonies
8:00 AM Start
12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam
Afternoon Ceremonies
3:00 PM Start
7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam

March 22
Morning Ceremonies
8:00 AM Start
12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam
Afternoon Ceremonies
3:00 PM Start
7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam

March 23
Morning Ceremonies
7:30 AM Start
12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam
Afternoon Ceremonies
3:00 PM Start
7:30 PM Distribution of Prasadam

March 24
Morning Ceremonies
8:00 AM Start
12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam
Afternoon Ceremonies
3:00 PM Start
7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam

March 25
Morning Ceremonies
8:00 AM Start
12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam
Afternoon Ceremonies
3:00 PM Start
7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam

March 26
Morning Ceremonies
6:00 AM Start
10:19 AM Auspicious Moment
12:00 PM Anna Dhaanam

Access to Iraivan Temple for these installation ceremonies will be through the monastery, with cars utilizing our existing parking lot of 37 spaces. Our maximum capacity of confirmed attendees for the event has already been reached, based on the existing facilities of the Aadheenam and Iraivan Temple. Permitting greater attendance would create substantial issues for us with our neighbors and the county over traffic and parking.

The good news is that starting on March 28th and thereafter, all Saiva Siddhanta Church sishyas and those on a prearranged pilgrimage to Kauai Aadheenam will be able to attend a daily puja at Iraivan Temple, something we have been waiting for all these years.

After March 28 visitors to the Aadheenam who are not formal pilgrims, Saiva Siddhanta Church sishyas or students of Himalayan Academy can still access the rudraksha grove and the monastery entrance areas, including Kadavul Temple, the Meditation Banyan and the MiniMela gift shop. But they will not have the opportunity to attend the Iraivan Temple daily puja until we fully establish additional facilities at the rudraksha grove entrance, thus meeting county regulations to have more parking and bathrooms to accommodate greater numbers of visitors before we can host large crowds. This development is still a couple of years away. 

With good weather, the contractor is moving quickly with framing the final back storage room which will hold the rest of our publication print runs, now that we have discontinued a storage warehouse on the mainland.

The Siddhidata Kulam's new office and and machine maintenance building frame is quickly taking shape. The contractor team of two put this much together in just five days. It is a metal building, so the work consists of bolting all the pre-fabricated pieces together.

Two flatbed trailers arrived with girders and other parts for the prefabricated metal building. The assembly contractor just finished unloading everything so the trailers can be returned. Dennis Wong is adding gravel around the sides of the foundation, and the Siddhidata Kulam (with new taskforce arrival Thuraisingam Rajasankara) is taking inventory of the many parts to see if everything arrived safe and sound.

For a long time we've had a muddy situation at the end of the First World section where the path is low and there is a gate just before Muruga Hill. When we have heavy rainfall, a stream of water forms over the path, which is untenable in the long run. Our employee Dennis Wong is now terraforming with a bulldozer to lift the path in that section and redirect water to the side. He also just installed a culvert for channeling the stream of water under the path instead of over it. The first photo below shows the small shrine where we'll soon install a Ganesha murti to watch over the First World section.

Jai Ganehsa!

Today we did a quick temple flyby with our drone to bring you this short aerial video. It shows the progress on the outer, red-granite tile that surrounds Iraivan Temple. Thus far, the tile has been completed along the north, west and eastern sides of the structure. All that is left is the southern tile which surrounds the Nandi Mandapam. In this video you can see the white sealant which the final tile will be placed over. Aum Namah Sivaya.

In order to occasionally provide Internet access around Iraivan Temple area, we need a electrical power station for hardware to receive a WiFi booster signal from our Media Studio building. We've purchased a set of batteries and somewhat quiet gas-fueled and solar-fueled generators to be used in tandem. Our employee just built this shed for holding the equipment, and three solar panels will be mounted on top. Soon we will place this shed in Rishi Valley below Iraivan Temple area, which will minimize sound pollution.

The picture above tells the story. Pilgrims arriving, finding a place for their shoes before entering the temple. For many years we had a red and white canvas tent that sat right on the path. As part of the upgrade to Nandi Mandapam, we decided to bring up the shoe tent standard as well. This time we put the wood and aluminum structure to the side of the Tiruneri path, giving more room for the growing numbers of shoes, and also making the approach to the temple sweeter. Now you can see the kodimaram from a distance, and pilgrims don't have to shuffle through piles of other people's shoes on their way to Siva. Yesterday new shelves arrived and today is the first real day of use. Enjoy the tale of the making the new Shoe Pavilion.

For fun, we asked ChatGPT to rewrite our description. Here is the computer's unedited and enthusiastic offering:

Great news for all visitors to our sacred temple! A brand new shoe pavilion has been constructed to ensure the safekeeping of your footwear during your visit. The pavilion boasts state-of-the-art facilities and features ample space to store your shoes comfortably. You can now explore the temple without any worry or stress, knowing that your shoes are well-protected in a secure and organized manner. We hope that this new addition enhances your overall experience and makes your visit even more enjoyable.

A group of us were on Kauai's south side and visited with tortoises in a nature reserve in Koloa. They are raised to be like a replacement for an ancient animal that used to graze in the area and is now extinct. For a long time the entrance walkway just before the Kadavul Temple dhvajasthambha has been congested in the spot where the shoe racks and benches are kept. Our employees have just finished constructing a new covered pad next to the path, where visitors can sit and store their shoes. This will allow a free flow of traffic on the main path itself. In the last photo, the concrete foundation has just been poured for the final extension of the Pillaiyar Kulam building for storing more publications and other Minimela items. Now it will cure for some time.  

Sun Salutations Śivabhaktars! Are you perpetually pulled by a passion to promote prolifically about pavilions? No? Well today we caved, crafting coverage of the contemporary canvas coverings above the Swayambhu Lingam Mandapam. Two tepees were also tented up over Ganesha and Murugan towering over the temple's threshold. These big topped tabernacles trigger a tremendous transformation of the terra. Such structures are a spectacular soft shell shade, shining in the sun, significantly sturdier than their soft structured seniors. OK that's enough for today. Aum Namah Sivaya!