Kauai's Hindu Monastery was established in 1970 by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, affectionately known as Gurudeva and is steadily gaining recognition around the world, both as a beautiful place of worship and a bridge between East and West.
Guided tours, always conducted by a junior monk, are held several times a month attracting visitors as diverse as crystal healers, law students, local surfers, sari-clad Indian grandmothers and plump middle-aged tourists in garish Aloha shirts.
Following introductions, the yogi speaks briefly about Gurudeva, who was born in California in 1927. As a young man, Gurudeva studied dance and became the premier danseur in the San Francisco Ballet, but left America at the pinnacle of his career in 1946 to travel to India and later Sri Lanka.
After his own initiation by his satguru (teacher of truth), Gurudeva went on to help build 37 Hindu temples in places as far flung as Fiji, London, Anchorage, Sri Lanka and Denmark. Gurudeva also led pilgrimages and established the Himalayan Academy, as he fueled enthusiasm for Hinduism around the world until his death in 2001.
The discussion of Gurudeva leads to a basic introduction to Hinduism (see side bar) after which the yogi ushers the group to the Kadavul Temple where Nandi, a 32,000 pound black granite bull stands at the entrance. The imposing lava rock temple is built on the site of a 1929 plantation bungalow and sits adjacent to a traditional Japanese-style house built in the same era which today houses the monastery's offices and library.
From the temple, the group is lead past a sacred pool surrounded by ficus bonsais, coconut palms and breadfruit trees. A few steps away, all stop at a dramatic overlook which the yogi refers to as "our million dollar view." This spot, which the Hawaiians named Pihana Kalani- "where heaven touches earth," is an arresting vantage point into the heart of Kauai. After heavy rains (almost daily), when the clouds part (almost never), over fifty waterfalls can be seen plummeting like strands of fine silk from the green peak of Mt. Waiale'ale, one of the wettest spots on earth.
The verdant hillside is overgrown with giant ape (ah-pay), Jurassic-sized philodendron, ferns, taro and ti plants which blanket the basin that drops down to a waterfall and pool the Hawaiians call Nani Kaua- "beautiful rain." This is where Polynesian paradise meets the idyllic beauty of Shangri-la depicted in Indian religious postcards.
Here the yogi points to recently acquired abandoned sugar cane fields across the Wailua River, adding that the monks have planted 2,200 coconut palms along with native Hawaiian koa trees, milo, mahogany and monkey pod which are grown for their spiritual and cultural significance along with their uses as medicinal and fragrant trees.
As well-tended as any botanical garden, the temple grounds are a sensuous feast of tropical beauty with paths leading through a rainbow of hanging orchids, gingers, fruit trees, succulents, cacti and a world class collection of palms, bromeliads, heliconia and South Asian introductions like neem, camphor and sandalwood. Lily pads float in a lava rock pool and on a nearby pedestal, a pot bellied bronze Ganesh (the elephant headed god) holds an umbrella.
"Ganesh heard about all the rain we get in Wailua, so he brought his umbrella," jokes the yogi. Walking through a grove of towering green-striped bamboo, the group is led beneath a rare blue jade vine in full bloom which hangs from branches like a fishing net laden with catch. As they approach the San Marga Iraivan Temple which is now under construction, the yogi explains how 3 million pounds of granite are being hand carved in South India and fit together one giant stone at a time on site in Wailua.
"These days, most temples are made of brick or concrete. People want it and they want it now," remarks the yogi, "but we told our workers, take your time."
First envisioned by Gurudeva in 1975, the building of the only granite Chola-style temple anywhere outside of India has been a gradual process which has included planting forests and orchards, building a village for the stone cutters and of course, raising funds. The 197-foot long concrete temple base alone costs over $500,000, due to exacting engineering requirements.
One of the most remarkable features of the Iraivan Temple is the enormous 700-pound, six-sided milk-white crystal which stands over three feet tall. The crystal, called a Shivalingam, literally "mark of Shiva," is an icon of Lord Shiva, who represents the absolute reality of the divine. This rare gem is the focal point of prayer and meditation in the sanctum sanctorum of the Kauai temple. Discovered in Arkansas in 1975, this unique crystal is held in highest esteem not only because of its unprecedented size, but also because of its natural form, called svayambhu sphatika in Sanskrit, "self-created crystal," which means it was formed by nature and not carved by man. Presently, the temple has already taken on a distinctive south Indian form with twelve of its forty pillars erected. Carved with images of Hindu gods, depictions of yoga and Hawaiian plants like pua kenikeni and taro, the pillars gracefully combine Hinduism and Hawaiiana in stone.
"Blasting with dynamite may cause small fractures inside the stone and so they are all hand cut," says the yogi, indicating the slabs of grey granite which are being meticulously chipped away by Indian stone cutters, contracted to work on the project in Kauai for two-year stints. Simultaneously, in a village outside of Bangalore, India, seventy-five stone masons are sculpting stones for Kauai's Hindu Temple with completion expected around 2009. As the steady clink-clink-clink of the stone cutters fades behind them, the pilgrims tramp through a stand of sacred Himalayan rudrakshah trees whose bubble gum blue seeds carpet the forest floor like marbles. These seeds are the source for the mala bead rosaries worn by Hindus world wide.
Continuing down to the river, the group passes through a grove of Mindanao gum trees (Eucalyptus degulpta) with their psychedelic camouflage bark pattern of lavender, lime, emerald, orange and brown. The muddy trail weaves beneath giant palm fronds, ferns and clumps of giant heliconia standing deep in the Hawaiian jungle. With the yogi at their side, the pilgrims begin their ascent to a wooden meditation pavilion where they are left to contemplate their surroundings in silence. Relaxed, rested and ready to continue, the group follows the yogi past fan-like traveler's palms and giant tree ferns until they reach the upper temple complex where they again gather beneath the canvas pavilion to collect literature about the temple and Hinduism. The rain has finally let up and the late morning sun now pierces the jungle canopy. Listening patiently, the yogi is showered with a deluge of questions. "Why did Gurudeva chose Kauai for this temple?" asks one. "How can I center my life?" still another. And one pilgrim wants to know, "How come Ganesh has an elephant's head?" For some this is simply where the tour ends, for others it is where the journey begins.
TRAVEL NOTES:
Kauai's Hindu Monastery is located in cool, wet Wailua, a twenty minute drive from the Lihue airport, which is a twenty-five minute flight from Honolulu. Although dates vary, the two and a half hour tour is usually conducted four times monthly beginning at 9 a.m. The monastery requests that visitors dress modestly (no shorts, short dresses, t-shirts, etc.). Hindu dress is ideal. For tour dates, directions and further information, visit http://www.himalayanacademy.com/hawaii/ or call 1-808-822-3012 ext. 237.
Hinduism 101: The Very Basics
Visitors to Kauai's Hindu Monastery are taught some of the most fundamental beliefs and practices of the Hindu faith. These include Ahimsa (non-injury) Satya (truthfulness), Daya (compassion) and Karma (action and reaction).
Concepts such as the endless cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution are discussed as are the belief that a soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karma has been resolved and moksha, or liberation from the cycle of rebirth leads to nirvana. And while non-Hindus are accustomed to thinking of Hinduism as a polytheistic religion, it can be said that Hindus believe in one, all pervasive Supreme Being, which despite taking on many names and forms, is ultimately One.
Lastly, Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God's light, deserving tolerance and understanding.