Today, February 3, we went on an outing with the members to the Asian Civilizations Museum. Their very knowledgeable docent (guide) Garima Lalwani, originally from Rajasthan, gave us a special tour of the South Asia, China and South East Asia galleries. They had a special exhibit on cloth which explained how until the 18th century, India was the prime supplier of cloth to the world. They had many examples of decorative clothes 500 years old from India sold to Indonesia. We also met curator David Henkel and presented both with a copy of the History of Hindu India. We also plan to offer a few suggestions for their presentation on India and Hinduism. One is to eliminate the "Aryan Invasion" myth; the other to explain more of the high minded ideas of Hinduism, as they do for Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. In the evening Bodhinatha gave a sparsely attended talk at the SP Jain School of Management--a consequence of a Friday evening time slot! The three professors at left in the photo were very appreciative of Bodhinatha's presentation, which dealt with a key issue in business today: ethics.

Jiva and his sons have clearly spent days preparing for our visit, displaying the many projects we have begun. Many of the silpis are absent, a common event here, where entire teams disappear during festivals, returning to their home villages to be with family.

One of the new technologies (which we first saw a year ago) is shown by the carvers: carbide-tipped chisels. They are a fraction of the weight of the mild steel chisels we are used to. The old chisels are sharpened every 10 minutes, but these need only be sharpened twice a day.

The narrow shaft and light weight give the artist a finesse that shows in the intricate details.

Jiva takes us to the sunshade on which sits a graceful parrot, in cement. This parrot was sculpted by a specialist in Mahabalipuram, and it will be used to guide the hand of those men who transform it into stone. Eight of these will grace the corners of the Nandi Mandapam roof.

One by one, we review the projects. The entry steps design have been drawn by Selvanathan Sthapati on a large piece of plywood. This detail will lend a charm to the little bull pavilion that stands at the entry to Iraivan.

The Kauai map is nearing completion, and we have asked our Kerala visiting artist, Suresh, to offer some creative designs for the ocean and the base. Wait till you see what he did!

There is more to tell. Stay tuned...

On our final day in Bengaluru we visit the Iraivan worksite for most of the day. The large compound is full of stones in all stages of completion. When the Jiva Rajasankara family moved here 7 years ago, it was in the wilderness, but today it is surrounded by homes.

The fluted pillars are destined to go to Suttur Mutt, where we have been a week earlier.

We examine the steps that will lead up to the Rajagopuram, and another set that will take the priests up to Nandi's level at the Nandi mandapam.

Jiva and his sons take us through the many projects that are under the chisel, showing us the remarkable detail the team is achieving.

One project is a rose-colored map of Kauai island that will one day go into the gardens, near the flagpole. It shows all of the contours of Kauai, and the position of the temple on the island.

We carefully examine the three elephants, which are virtually done. Notice in the slideshow how the baby calf's trunk is interwoven with the mother's tail, all made from a single stoneÔøΩquite an achievement.

We take a close look at Hanuman, and talk for a time about the Chola base that he will sit on. The statue is 15 feet tall, and will sit atop a three-foot base, making him 18 feet high.

We are taken to an area which stores all of the Nandi Mandapam beam and roof pieces, completed, awaiting shipping. We marvel at the detail our silpis have achieved.

Sadhaka Satyanatha walks through a forest of pillars, which have been carved for Kailash Ashram, fifty of them.

Our Indian travelers reached the Iraivan worksite where Hinduism Today. Journalist Choodie Sivaram and family came to say hello. That's Jiva's home in the background, surrounded by lush gardens tended by his wife, Kanmani.

Sadhaka Satyanatha explored the site. Here he examines one of the Nanai Mandapam beams with Jiva and son, Senthil.
Sadasivanathaswami confers with Jiva and his two sons on the final details of the three elephants that are almost ready to ship to Kauai. They are carved marvelously and hand polished, since one cannot get a true polish by machine.


The continents of the earth will be carved into the ball on the bull elephant's head.

The family poses in front of their all glass and granite shrine room right after Sadhaka performed a welcoming arati. There is much more to tell, we hear, of the visit, but they are between here and there and unable for a short time to send a full report. Stay tuned .

We offer you hi-resolution slides of today's homa. Click on the pop-out or full screen icons.

Bodhinatha departed for India yesterday with Arumuganathaswami and Yoginathaswami early in the morning. They reported in from Singapore that they arrived safe and sound.

Today Bodhinatha's paduka sit by the homa. Sivanathaswami presided and gave a marvelous talk quoting from Gurudeva, our shastra and Merging with Siva. he focused on the Yugas in terms of the soul's evolution from Manipura to Vishuddha chakras.

Our four-hour drive to Vellore, half way to Chennai, was culminated in a rare hour with Shakti Amma, the creator of one of India's modern marvels, a golden temple, every pillar, every gopuram, every square millimeter is covered in real gold! Amma's temple was on the cover of Hinduism Today last year. After we had ventured through the Star Path which inculcates values to pilgrims, after we sat, just two of us, on a carpet in front of the main sanctum for a long puja at dusk (the crowds were kept some 40 feet away by guards, much to the dismay of one man), after we visited the hospital and the nursing school, the childhood home of her family, the Shanti Mandir where upadeshas are held, the amazing goshala where we saw cows of every shape and size and color, after we were fed with hospitality, finally we received a call: It was ten PM and Amma would see us now.

Off we drove, through a grove of trees to her cottage, nestled in a small forested area within the 100-acre compound, quiet and protected from the 25-50,000 visitors that come here daily. The day had ended. We had seen the doing, now to meet the doer, the force that began at age 17 to build this spiritual center and now, at 36, rules over institutions that have transformed this quiet corner of Tamil Nadu into a world-class spiritual destination.

We carried gifts from Kauai. A Rudraksha mala specially harvested from the finest (read largest) of our 300 trees, and a small tree for their gardens (Amma collects plants, many of them food-giving plants, from all over the world), a copy of The Guru Chronicles and more.

Amma was so curious about our life on Kauai: what is our daily schedule? what do we eat and when? how do we train the monks and how do they learn about and come to join the monastery? is it true we sleep in a forest guha on a plank? do we have cows? what kind? On and on the queries came.

A call went out for milk, laced with sweet herbs and slivers of almond nuts, warmed to perfection. Amma proved a deft conversationalist and a genial host, straightforward, insightful, fun to be with and talk to. When the cow discussion arose, Amma suddenly went into a lovely upadesha on the importance of the cow, and ghee and offerings to the devas. She noted that the devas, though greater than humans, are nonetheless dependent on humans, that the offerings received through the homa empower and feed the devas, and are essential to the balance of the universe. For the offerings, ghee is most important, and thus the cow takes prominence. The cow is to be revered (see our full post on the go puja Amma arranged for us to witness the next morning before our departure), let to know she is divine, and then her milk will be abundant and contain shakti.

The two Kauai travelers felt much at home with Amma, who gave us gifts as we departed and intimated she may be coming to Kauai in the not too distant future.