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Jai Ganesha!

Firstly we’d like to mention that, following our very-recent storm, our monks are all doing well. Last night’s Hurricane Lowell was at peak intensity around midnight as it passed by our island, delivering ~80-90 mile-an-hour winds or more. Ever since Hurricane Iniki leveled the whole island in the 90’s, the monastery has taken disaster preparedness very seriously, and we were quite well prepared for this storm. For example, all of our buildings have quickly deployable metal hurricane shutters on doors and widows. Last night, in between moments of sleep, the large and loud wind gusts could be heard, flying debris through the air, all with the sound of a falling tree every 10-20 minutes.

This morning we awoke to a stunning sunrise, accented by the extra light now filtering through our many de-leaved trees. The first order of business was damage assessment. The Aadheenam’s buildings were for the most part completely unharmed. The winds were strong enough, however, to fully uproot many huge trees. Nearly every road around the aadheenam acreage had been blocked. The whole island is temporarily without power, but the monastery has a big generator and our fiber internet connection remains unbroken. The island’s utility water is also out, but again we are well prepared while county teams work tirelessly to bring everything back online. The day has been spent making sure our basic utilities are up and running, as well as chainsawing trees, clearing our vital roadways and removing debris.

Aum Namah Sivaya

Future pilgrims coming down San Marga from the Rudraksha Forest will climb the staircase to the Iraivan Temple entrance. It will be their first darshan of the temple, and a dramatic one at that. To make the climb safe, a new handrail has been installed. It is a gift from a husband and wife who saw the need and sponsored the project.

The craftsmen of Kauai’s Liquid Metalworks fabricated and installed it. They created a simple but elegant handrail that starts on the right side of the stairs and ends at the male elephant. At that point, a pilgrim moves to the left side of the path, in front of the mother elephant and her calf, and continues to the top.

The bronze is soft to the touch and marvelously shaped. In just a few months, the tropical weather will oxidize the metal, and it will take on a weathered patina: a deep, earthy color somewhere between brown, black and gold. At that point, it will fit into the garden better than the glitzy new color.