It is said that the Hindu god of dance and destruction, Shiva, lives on Mount Kailasa with his consort Parvati.
Well Kauai seems to be an ideal place for such a heavenly hilltop abode, which explains the Hindu monastery atop Kauai’s hills.
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami set up the monastery in 1970 when he felt the “good vibrations” of the land. Now, the site has become a veritable golden palace for Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva. Inside the sanctum sanctorum is the golden image of Nataraja, with his sons Ganesha and Lord Subramania at his sides. Around the main hall are figures depicting the 108 dancing poses of Shiva. (No pictures allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum).
When we visited the premises in 2002, the monks told us they were in the process of planning an Iraivan Temple, which is now constructed. The monks said they brought in artisans from India to make the pillars and dome carvings as authentic as possible.
Nandi, is the bull who acts as the vehicle for Shiva. A Nandi statue almost always adorn the entrance way to Shiva temples because he is Shiva’s loyal steed.
Dancing Ganesha on the outside wall of the main temple hall.
Dancing Shiva water fountain and pool.
A six-headed god. We assume it is Lord Subramania (Shiva’s son) since he is referred to as the one with six heads.
The ashram has such a peaceful ambiance around it, perfect for meditating and forgetting your worries. But for those who still have a lot on their minds, they can write down their problems on little peices of paper, burn it, and place it in this urn. It is said that although the problems may not go away entirely, human distress associated with the problem will be alleviated.
On the way back down from the monastery, we stopped at Opeka’a Falls.
And that’s when my phone died, so I could no longer take pictures with it. More pictures from my digital camera to be posted when I get home.
We had lunch and cruised along Poipu Beach for the rest of the day, to see the Spouting Horn (which I mentioned in an earlier post).
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