A Hindu Monastery in Kauai?
Well, the answer to that question is yes. I wouldn’t have much to blog about if it were no, would I? It seems unlikely; how many Hindus are there on Kauai anyway? I don’t know but at a minimum there are the twenty monks that inhabit Kauai’s Hindu Monastery and they are building a temple out of hand carved stone that may last over a thousand years. It seems that in 1968 Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami came to Kauai and had a vision instructing him to found a monastery there. It’s located in a lush mountainous area near a beautiful river and they have tours once a week.
As I stepped into the monastery gardens I felt as though I was no longer in Kauai but had been transported to India. A friendly monk showed us around and explained some of the basics of Hinduism. The natural beauty of the are makes it an extraordinary place but the really amazing part was the San Marga Iraivan Temple which is still under construction. In 1991 a crew of 70 began hand carving granite stones in Bangalore. Ten years later the first of these stones was laid in Kauai. A crew of six more stone carvers fine tunes the stones and assembles them. They project the temple will be complete in 2010 and include 4000 stones. The beauty and intricate detail of the stone work, performed only with iron chisels, is astonishing. Next time you are in Kauai, don’t miss it.
posted by BOR-ee-us @ 3:25 PM
3 Comments:
did you know the hindu monestary is a kali temple.its worships siva which is like saying in christian terms,satans temple.the hindu mnks are all white guys who all graduated from stanford and princeton.its funny how all the simbles and design look very mosonic with a sudo indian design.sounds kind of fishy to me.
Where in the world did you get this information? Obviously not from a reliable source.
@anon: Kali is not the equivalent of Satan in Hinduism. Indeed, Kali is the goddess of annihilation but has a fairly interesting history, being the killer of evil many a time. In general, Hindu monasteries do not revel in religious conversions -- so lay your fears away, walk around the temple and enjoy the stories and sceneries.
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