Lots of lumber and labor go into preparing Iraivan Temple's completed stones for their journey to Kauai. In the past few days two more containers are being readied in Bengaluru (we think they are the last). Teams of carpenters and silpis are joining in the effort to be sure the precious cargo arrived unscathed after its 8,000-mile voyage. In this slideshow we get a glimpse of what it takes, even after years of carving complete, to safely crate the stones. They know what they are doing, having sent almost 100 containers to Hawaii in the last 23 years. Good job, everyone!

Even in normal times, getting complex things done in India is, to be gentle about it, challenging. With the expected return of our silpis to Kauai in October, it has become critical that the last two containers be loaded and shipped. Trouble was, the craftsmen making key items for Iraivan Temple were dragging their feet. Promising but not performing. When Jiva and his sons, Thurai and Senthil, realized the urgency, they went to work, using the willower Gurudeva instilled in them for decades.

They took a three-day jaunt to Kumbhakonam, where the metal shop is located, and told the sthapatis they would not leave until Iraivan's items were finished. It worked! After three days all was in readiness to be shipped to Bengaluru. In this slideshow we see the results of their persistent push to get things done (remember, India is in the midst of a COVID rise).

Devotee Rishi Thondunathan reports from Jaffna, Sri Lanka--
"We, the devotees of the Sri Subramuniya Kottam, dedicate the year 2022 (January 5, 2022 - January 5, 2023) as the Year of the Nandinatha Sampradaya for the following, very special reasons:

The 150th birth anniversary of Paramaguru Siva Yogaswami

The 80th jayanthi of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami

The 50th anniversary of Satguru Bodhinathas initiation by Gurudeva in Alaveddy, Sri Lanka

The 50th anniversary of the installation of Pasupatheswarar Siva Lingam in the Sri Subramuniya (Ashram) Temple in Alaveddy, Sri Lanka

The 40th anniversary of Gurudeva's installation of the Sri Shanthilingam with his own hands in Kopay, Sri Lanka.

For these auspicious reasons, we plan to have celebrations all through this year and are also planning several charitable activities to mark these special occasions.

Above all, our main focus will be completing the "Sri Subramuniya Temple Project," a spiritual sanctuary to preserve our beloved Gurudevas legacy in Sri Lanka."

Rishi also noted that Satguru Bodhinatha's sannyas initiation day and Sivaratri fell on the same day this year. "We had a wonderful Maha Sivarathri and initiation day at our Sri Subramuniya kottam. Nallai Adheenam Karthar, Jaffna Chinmaya Mission Swami, Vethantha Madham swami, kilinochi Chinmaya Mission Brahmachari and Dr. Aru Thirumurugan are the special guests along with the local devotees.

Here with I'm enclosing a few pictures.

Jai Ganesha!

Here we see a few inspiring photos from the Bengaluru carving site. In the first photo we can see some of the granite cladding which will grace Kadavul Temple's Nandi Mandapam and Kodimaram base. In the second photo we can see that the remaining red granite pots for Iraivan Temple's perimeter wall are also almost completed. Aum.

Our various wooden surfaces in the outdoors need regular maintenance if they are to look new. Our Ganesha and Muruga ornate roofs at the entrance to Kadavul Temple haven't been oiled in quite a while, so we thought it would be neat for you to see the before and after look from the other day.

Aum Namah Sivaya

Following the rush of our end-of-year guests, Satguru decided to streamline our reservations for Kadavul Temple's morning puja with an online system. Recently (with some help from our Digital Dharma Drive) we've completed Kadavul Temple's new online reservations webpage. With our current limited temple capacity, this site allows guests to schedule a time slot for their Deity darshan while here on pilgrimage. You can book up to three months in advance of your stay and come for either the 9:00am Siva puja or for the 11:00am slot which is good for quiet personal worship and meditation. Visit himalayanacademy.com/reservations/ to schedule your visit! Aum.

Aum Namah Sivaya

On the event of this month's celebration of the Ardra Nakshatra, a beautiful, handmade gift was placed at Siva's feet. An anonymous bhaktar spend many hours producing this masterpiece. Its future is to rest upon Iraivan Temple's Spatika Lingam. The mala is made of our large, Kauai-grown rudrakshas interspersed with rose quartz crystals. In these photos you can see it as Deva Seyon brought it into the Media Studio for our monks to see. In the last photo you can see it on the Lingam, as it was placed there during Ardra.

Aum Namah Sivaya

Recently, sculptor Holly Young created this wax for what will become the future golden-bronze support for the yantra in Iraivan Temple's inner sanctum. The gold yantra will be placed in the center of this lotus, and the lotus will hang upon the back wall of the sanctum aligned behind the tip of the crystal Siva Lingam.

Aum Namah Sivaya
Recently Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami and Acharyas Kumarnathaswami and Arumuganathaswami set about to weigh Iraivan Temple's granite bell. It turns out that it weighs 511lbs. What's more exciting, is that the team was able to ring the bell while they held it aloft. This video gives you a glimpse into the bell's charming sound. Aum.

Aum Namah Sivaya
Recently Jiva Rajasankara sent us this wonderful little video.
It is his graphical tribute to the mystical process that has constructed Iraivan Temple. Aum.