From the Hindu Temple archives:
Today we had a special visitor from California, Lady Nellie, a Choctaw medicine woman, who is 94 years old. Though advised not to travel at her age, she insisted on the pilgrimage to fulfill a vision she had. A year ago she was given a large "Andara" volcanic stone by a Siox chief. Some time after she had a vision of it sitting next to the Iraivan Crystal Lingam, so she decided to bring it herself and gift it to Bodhinatha. It is a 140 lb. other-worldly greenish glass stone.
Lady Nellie felt a strong connection to the Crystal Lingam and told a story of her grandfather Chief Natatichi who had died in the same vicinity of where the Crystal Lingam was originally found in Arkansas. Turns out Chief Natatichi was killed shortly after signing a peace treaty with the "white man". As she sat in Kadavul Temple in front of the Crystal Lingam, Lady Nellie said that today was the high point of her life and the Andara stone was very happy to now be in the monastery.
We moved the stone to the courtyard ledge where he can get some sunshine. Saravananathaswami peers at the stone from the side.
It's a really remarkable stone.
A giant obsidian, it has the appearance of being shiny and opaque from some angles.
But from other views, it is deep and translucent...
It gives the feeling of containing a whole other world inside.
In addition, this beautiful Indonesian Andara was also presented by Crystal Jones to lay next to the Crystal in the sanctum of the Temple.
