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The San Marga '''Iraivan Temple''' is a white granite stone ] ] temple being built in ], Hawaii. It is the first stone-carved temple built for at least a century and the first built in the West. It was envisioned by ] and is cared by the ].
⚫ {{Infobox Hindu temple
| name = Iraivan Temple
| image =Iraivan Temple.jpg
| alt =San Marga Iraivan Temple
| caption = Iraivan Temple
| coordinates = {{coord|22.059361|-159.396946}}
| native_name = San Marga Iraivan Temple
| country = ]
| state = ]
| district =
| location = ]
| elevation_m =
| deity = ]
| festivals =
| architecture =]-style Temple
| number_of_monuments=
| inscriptions =
| established =1990 construction started
| creator =Kauai Hindu Monastery and architect V. Ganapati Sthapati
| website ={{URL|www.himalayanacademy.com/}}
| map_type=North Pacific#Hawaii}}

The San Marga '''Iraivan Temple''' is a ] temple dedicated to ] located on ], an island in the state of ], USA. "Iraivan" means "One Above All," and is one of the oldest words for God in the ]. It is the first all-stone, white granite temple to be built in the western hemisphere<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/monastery/temples/iraivan/in-the-news|title=Iraivan temple in the news|last=|first=|date=|website=|at=THE GARDEN ISLAND|access-date=}}</ref> whose construction began in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/monastery/temples/iraivan/in-the-news|title=Iraivan Temple In the News|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|at=THE NEW YORK TIMES & ]|access-date=}}</ref> The Iraivan Temple is located next to the ] and 8&nbsp;km from ]. It is maintained by the ] which is also known as Kauai Aadheenam and Kauai's Hindu Monastery. The temple is under construction. The main ], or worshipful icon, is a rare {{transl|sa|spathika ]}}, a pointed, six-faced 700-pound clear quartz crystal.

Sri Trichy Mahaswamigal (d. 2005) of Kailash Ashram, ], describes the temple's importance: "The Iraivan Temple is going to be to America what the temples of ], ], ], and other great Siva temples are to ]."<ref name="Island Temple">{{cite web | title = Island Temple | url = http://www.himalayanacademy.com/ssc/hawaii/iraivan/island_temple_magazine/isleTemple-04_14-15.pdf}}</ref>

==History==
The Iraivan Temple was envisioned by the founder Satguru ], on February 15, 1975.<ref name="Iraivan Temple In the News">{{Cite web|url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/monastery/temples/iraivan/in-the-news|title=Iraivan Temple In the News|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|at=The Navhind Times, India|access-date=}}</ref> He required that the temple be made without the use of machinery.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Iraivan Temple In the News |url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/monastery/temples/iraivan/in-the-news |access-date= |website= |at=INDIA TODAY}}</ref>

In 1990, two swamis, Sri Sivaratnapuri Mahaswamigal and ] provided eleven acres of land outside ], India. The land served as a carving ground for 75 stone-carvers who hand-carved more than 4,000 blocks of granite to be transported to the temple site at ].<ref name="Iraivan Temple In the News"/> Beginning in 2001, the stone were shipped to Kauai and assembly begun by a team of silpi temple carvers under the direction of a master architect or ''sthapati''. The 3.2 million pound temple is still under construction.<ref>{{cite web | title = Iraivan website FAQ | url = http://www.himalayanacademy.com/about/faq.shtml}}</ref><ref name="himalayanacademy.com">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Iraivan Temple In the News |url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/monastery/temples/iraivan/in-the-news |access-date= |website= |at=The Navhind Times, India}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The current head of the project is Satguru ], successor to the founder.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-28 |title=A Spectacular Hindu Temple in Hawaii Began as a Dream in SF |url=https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/28/hindu-temple-hawaii-began-san-francisco/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en}}</ref>

==Architecture==
]
The temple faces south and is a ] architectural style temple and designed according to the ] and ] scriptures by ]. It is made entirely from granite and possesses a number of rare architectural features.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Iraivan Temple In the News |url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/monastery/temples/iraivan/in-the-news |access-date= |website= |publisher= |at=INDIA TODAY}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-11-15 |title=Salute the sculptor |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/salute-the-sculptor/article4098020.ece |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> At the entrance of the temple, there is a 32 diameter bell and chain carved from one entire stone that hangs from the ceiling.<ref name=":1" /> The pillars of temple include unique features, such as eight lion-shaped pillars with a rotatable stone ball in each of their mouths and two pillars with 16 carved rods that produce musical tones when struck with a mallet.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=January 28, 2012 |title=The Navhind Times |url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/monastery/temples/iraivan/in-the-news}}</ref>

The temple is carved entirely by hand by craftsmen who follow and preserve traditional methods, shaping the stone with small hammers and utilizing over 70 types of ]. There is the {{convert|4|ft|m|adj=mid|-thick}} foundation made of a crack-free, 7,000-psi formula using ], a by-product of ] burning.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Vastu architecture aims at creating a space that will elevate the vibration of the individual to resonate with the vibration of the built space, which in turn is in tune with universal space. The whole space of the temple is defined in multiples and fractions of one unit, {{convert|11|ft|m}} and 7<sup>1/4</sup> inches. Pillars through the temple are spaced and structured to serve as energy points for the building. Iraivan Temple will be completely free of electricity for mystical reasons, as decreed by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}
== Deities ==
The inner sanctum of the temple houses the ] (sacred image) of Shiva in the form of a rare ], a pointed, six-faced 700-pound clear quartz crystal.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Photos: An all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in Hawaii |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/11/23/photos-on-hawaii-island-the-wests-only-all-granite-hand-carved-hindu-temple |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iraivan Temple Crystal Siva Lingam Installation Ceremonies Commence on Kauai – Hindu Press International |url=https://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2023/03/21/iraivan-temple-crystal-siva-lingam-installation-ceremonies-commence-on-kauai/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |language=en-US}}</ref> In the early 1980s, Subramuniyaswami had been seeing the crystal in his dreams. He found it in 1987 and brought it to Kauai. The stone, estimated to be 50 million years old, was not cut out of rock by a miner. Instead, it was found in a perfect state encased in mud, probably harvested from its original outcropping by an earthquake.The Spatika Lingam is considered especially sacred because it represents the element of ].<ref name="Island Temple" /> The campus also hosts and maintains the ] in which Shiva in the form of ] is the primary deity.<ref name=":0" />
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Iraivan Temple.jpg|Iraivan Temple's side view
File:Vimanam.jpg|Vimana over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum
File:Iraivan2.jpg|Vimana over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum
File:Iraivan dsc8361.jpg|Iraivin temple
File:Iraivan DSC 3275.jpg|Interior of Iraivan temple
File:Iraivan Pillared Mandapam.jpg|Inside Iraivan temple
File:Iraivan5.JPG|Iraivan temple under construction
File:Iraivan1.jpg|Iravian temple view from afar with flag
</gallery>

== See also ==

* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

== References ==
{{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
*
*
*

{{Shaivism}}
{{Shiva temples}}
{{Hindu temples in the United States}}


]
⚫ {{Hindu-temple-stub}}
]
{{Hawaii-struct-stub}}
]
⚫ ]
]
⚫ ]

Latest revision as of 01:54, 27 March 2024

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Construction progress updates needed past April 2023. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (February 2024)
Hindu temple in Hawaii, United States
Iraivan Temple
San Marga Iraivan Temple
San Marga Iraivan TempleIraivan Temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DeityLord Shiva
Location
LocationKapaʻa
StateHawaii
CountryUnited States
Iraivan Temple is located in North PacificIraivan TempleShown within North PacificShow map of North Pacific Iraivan Temple is located in HawaiiIraivan TempleIraivan Temple (Hawaii)Show map of Hawaii
Geographic coordinates22°03′34″N 159°23′49″W / 22.059361°N 159.396946°W / 22.059361; -159.396946
Architecture
TypeChola-style Temple
CreatorKauai Hindu Monastery and architect V. Ganapati Sthapati
Date established1990 construction started
Website
www.himalayanacademy.com

The San Marga Iraivan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located on Kauai, an island in the state of Hawaii, USA. "Iraivan" means "One Above All," and is one of the oldest words for God in the Tamil language. It is the first all-stone, white granite temple to be built in the western hemisphere whose construction began in 1990. The Iraivan Temple is located next to the Wailua River and 8 km from Mount Waialeale. It is maintained by the Saiva Siddhanta Church which is also known as Kauai Aadheenam and Kauai's Hindu Monastery. The temple is under construction. The main murti, or worshipful icon, is a rare spathika Sivalinga, a pointed, six-faced 700-pound clear quartz crystal.

Sri Trichy Mahaswamigal (d. 2005) of Kailash Ashram, Bangalore, describes the temple's importance: "The Iraivan Temple is going to be to America what the temples of Chidambaram, Madurai, Rameshwaram, and other great Siva temples are to India."

History

The Iraivan Temple was envisioned by the founder Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, on February 15, 1975. He required that the temple be made without the use of machinery.

In 1990, two swamis, Sri Sivaratnapuri Mahaswamigal and Sri Balagangadharanatha provided eleven acres of land outside Bangalore, India. The land served as a carving ground for 75 stone-carvers who hand-carved more than 4,000 blocks of granite to be transported to the temple site at Kauai. Beginning in 2001, the stone were shipped to Kauai and assembly begun by a team of silpi temple carvers under the direction of a master architect or sthapati. The 3.2 million pound temple is still under construction.

The current head of the project is Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, successor to the founder.

Architecture

Artist's conception of Iraivan Temple

The temple faces south and is a Chola architectural style temple and designed according to the Vastu and Agamas scriptures by V. Ganapati Sthapati. It is made entirely from granite and possesses a number of rare architectural features. At the entrance of the temple, there is a 32 diameter bell and chain carved from one entire stone that hangs from the ceiling. The pillars of temple include unique features, such as eight lion-shaped pillars with a rotatable stone ball in each of their mouths and two pillars with 16 carved rods that produce musical tones when struck with a mallet.

The temple is carved entirely by hand by craftsmen who follow and preserve traditional methods, shaping the stone with small hammers and utilizing over 70 types of chisels. There is the 4-foot-thick (1.2 m) foundation made of a crack-free, 7,000-psi formula using fly ash, a by-product of coal burning.

Vastu architecture aims at creating a space that will elevate the vibration of the individual to resonate with the vibration of the built space, which in turn is in tune with universal space. The whole space of the temple is defined in multiples and fractions of one unit, 11 feet (3.4 m) and 7 inches. Pillars through the temple are spaced and structured to serve as energy points for the building. Iraivan Temple will be completely free of electricity for mystical reasons, as decreed by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.

Deities

The inner sanctum of the temple houses the murti (sacred image) of Shiva in the form of a rare Spatika Lingam, a pointed, six-faced 700-pound clear quartz crystal. In the early 1980s, Subramuniyaswami had been seeing the crystal in his dreams. He found it in 1987 and brought it to Kauai. The stone, estimated to be 50 million years old, was not cut out of rock by a miner. Instead, it was found in a perfect state encased in mud, probably harvested from its original outcropping by an earthquake.The Spatika Lingam is considered especially sacred because it represents the element of akasha. The campus also hosts and maintains the Kadavul temple in which Shiva in the form of Nataraja is the primary deity.

Gallery

  • Iraivan Temple's side view Iraivan Temple's side view
  • Vimana over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum Vimana over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum
  • Vimana over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum Vimana over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum
  • Iraivin temple Iraivin temple
  • Interior of Iraivan temple Interior of Iraivan temple
  • Inside Iraivan temple Inside Iraivan temple
  • Iraivan temple under construction Iraivan temple under construction
  • Iravian temple view from afar with flag Iravian temple view from afar with flag

See also

References

  1. "Iraivan temple in the news". THE GARDEN ISLAND.
  2. "Iraivan Temple In the News". THE NEW YORK TIMES & The Navhind Times.
  3. ^ "Island Temple" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Iraivan Temple In the News". The Navhind Times, India.
  5. "Iraivan Temple In the News". INDIA TODAY.
  6. "Iraivan website FAQ".
  7. "Iraivan Temple In the News". The Navhind Times, India.
  8. ^ "Photos: An all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in Hawaii". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  9. "A Spectacular Hindu Temple in Hawaii Began as a Dream in SF". The San Francisco Standard. 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  10. "Iraivan Temple In the News". INDIA TODAY.
  11. "Salute the sculptor". The Hindu. 2012-11-15. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  12. ^ "The Navhind Times". January 28, 2012.
  13. "Iraivan Temple Crystal Siva Lingam Installation Ceremonies Commence on Kauai – Hindu Press International". Retrieved 2024-03-27.

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