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.

It has been a journey of some 10 years, designing the frames that would hold the 35 bronze panels, carving these into the perimeter wall in Bengaluru, shipping to Kauai and installing the wall. Then designing the 14" by 47" panels, sculpting the bas-relief art on 20 of them, casting the art, writing the text for each one (not easy to write something you hope will be relevant in 1,000 years), casting the text in Pennsylvania, shipping to Colorado, casting the sculpted images, adding the patina, welding the art and text together and shipping to Kauai. Whew!

Two days back the final step happened for 9 of them, drilling six holes for each one in the hard granite and then another team affixing them with anchored bolts to the granite wall. Enjoy this final stage which took our teams five days in all.

A rare, aadheenam-grown sunflower blooms for the first time today.

Please enjoy today's Sun One Upadasha from Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. Unfortunately there was an error with our video file, but you can still enjoy the audio! Click Play below. Aum.

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.

We are thrilled to receive a donation of a new people mover for conveying visitors around the monastery grounds. It is a great leap forward from our previous people mover, both in seating capacity and noise control. In the old one it was difficult to speak with people while driving due to the gas engine. This new one is electric and therefore much quieter. It also seats around 25% more people. A great boon indeed. A fancier tent has been erected to store it.

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.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

It is the Great Night of Siva. Enjoy a four minute slide show Rajkumar Manickam made, and enjoy the silence within. As Tayumanavar wrote:

"It is easy to tame an elephant in musth and bind the mouth of the bear or ferocious tiger, it's easy to ride the back of a lion. It is easy to hold a cobra in your hand and make it dance. It is easy to sit in a blazing fire, alchemize the five base metals into gold and sell them for a living. It is easy to roam about the worlds that are invisible to others, to live young eternally, command the celestial devas, enter another's body and walk on water. What is difficult is to control the mind and remain still.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AQzlU035Ks

We just received this 18-minute compilation of the events last month. Filmed and edited by Indivar Sivanathan (mahalo, Indivar).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTGhp9_tTCU