rear of iraivan temple
Yesterday I had the enormous pleasure to get a peak at the crowning jewel to the amazing Kauai Hindu Monastery, the Iraivan Temple. Currently under construction out of pure white granite, which is hand mined and hand carved in India, then sent the 10K miles by boat to be erected. Once on the island, the pieces are assembled and further refined by masons and the resident monks who spend endless days working on this amazing structure.
side of iraivan temple
mason works on a piece of granite
interior detail of temple
The structure is being completed as donations come in to pay for it. It is estimated the the total cost to build will top out at about 16.4 million dollars, which when seen appears to be a bargain. It is estimated that completion will not take place until at least 2014. Besides the grand structure, there are plans for steps that lead down to the sacred Wailua river and a fantastic entrance which will symbolically take people thru lessons to follow in life’s journey.
The location alone for the temple appears absolutely perfect. Perfect weather and beauty natural surroundings which seem to fit right in with the basic principles that are being taught. But besides the perfect location, what I personally find amazing is that this is sort like watching history occur before our very eyes. Walking around the perimeter of the building you can witness the masons carving, and positioning pieces into place while appreciating all the hard work that has already been done up to this point. I really have no hesitations on calling this a historical site, even though it hasn’t been completed as of yet.
In addition to the temple and the rest of its surroundings, there is another unique feature of this temple. Just outside of it, there is a forest of Rudraksha trees, from which the seeds which fall are often used as prayer beeds.
To the right is a view of what will eventually be the interior of the temple. Besides all of the amazing detail to the supports and walls, take note of the chain that is currently hanging. The chain above was apparently carved out of a single piece of stone and not merely pieced together. Simply breathtaking.
For additional information on the temple as well as to donate check out the temple website.
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