The San Marga Iraivan Temple is a white granite stone Hindu temple sculpted in India and currently under construction on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. "Iraivan" means "He who is worshipped," and is one of the oldest words for God in the Tamil language.[citation needed] The Iraivan Temple is located next to the Wailua River and five miles (8 km) from Mount Waialeale. It is the first all-stone temple to be built in the United States. It is maintained by the Saiva Siddhanta Church, also known as Kauai Aadheenam and Kauai's Hindu Monastery.
Sri Trichy Mahaswamigal 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 Dhakeshwari temple was built in the 12th century by Ballal Sen, a king of the Sena dynasty, and many say the name of the city was coined after this temple. The current style of architecture of the temple cannot be dated to that period because of numerous repairs, renovations and rebuilding in its long years of existence and its present condition does not clearly show any of its original architectural characteristics. It is considered an essential part of Dhaka's cultural heritage. Many researchers say that the temple is also one of the Shakti Peethas, where the jewel from the crown of the Goddess had fallen. Although there is not enough historical context in order to establish this as a fact, researchers were directed to this site while trying to locate the particular Shakti Peetha. Since ages, the temple has been held in great importance. The original 800-year old statue was destroyed during the War of 1971. The temple was further damaged during the riots of 1989/90.
The San Marga Iraivan Temple is a white granite stone Hindu temple sculpted in India and currently under construction on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. "Iraivan" means "He who is worshipped," and is one of the oldest words for God in the Tamil language.[citation needed] The Iraivan Temple is located next to the Wailua River and five miles (8 km) from Mount Waialeale. It is the first all-stone temple to be built in the United States. It is maintained by the Saiva Siddhanta Church, also known as Kauai Aadheenam and Kauai's Hindu Monastery.
Sri Trichy Mahaswamigal 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
Iraivan Temple was inspired by a vision of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in which he saw Lord Shiva walking on the land where the temple is now located. It is intended as a place of pilgrimage for Hindus worldwide. Subramuniyaswami set three parameters for its design and construction:
* that it follow traditional design according to the Saiva Agamas * that it be designed to last 1,000 years * that it be entirely carved by hand, without the use of any machinery.
The temple design was completed by Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati in the late 1980s. Carving of the 3,000-plus blocks of granite commenced in 1990 at a worksite in Bangalore, India. 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 expected to be completed in 2017.
Malibu Hindu Temple, a temple of the Hindu god Venkateswara, built in 1981, is located in the city of Calabasas near Malibu, California. It is owned and operated by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California. Built in the traditional South Indian style, it is frequented by followers of Hinduism in Southern California.
The priests are situated and live on the grounds of the temple. The temple has many gatherings for ceremonies, and provides numerous space for meditation, picknicking, it has a full stage for special cultural and Hindu programs.
In 1997, the temple was used in a small scene in the movie Beverly Hills Ninja starring Chris Farley. In January 2006, the pop-star singer Britney Spears had her 4-month-old son blessed in a large ceremony by the Brahmins, or Hindu priests, of this temple. The event had world-wide coverage in the media.
The Hindu temple has two complexes - the upper complex with Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity and the lower complex with Lord Shiva as the presiding deity. In addition to the presiding deity, both complexes have shrines for other deities.
Address
1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Rd,
Calabasas,
CA 91302
Temple Hours
The temple is open every day of the year.
Weekdays: Summer hours: 9:00 A.M to 12:30 Noon and 5 P.M to 8 P.M.
Winter hours: 9:00 A.M to 12:30 Noon and 5 P.M to 7 P.M.
Weekends & Holidays: Summer hours: 8:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M
Every year, the Dallas area Desi community hosts one of its biggest events, the Diwali Mela. For the last few years, the Diwali Mela was held in the Texas Stadium in Irving but this year, they are hosting it in the new billion dollar Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The event is on Sunday October 4th. This year they organizers are expecting over 100,000 people to show up for this event. Some of the attractions planned for this year are
Ram Leela performance
Versatile Bollywood Singer Kailash Kher with his full Orchestra will entertain
Elephant And Camel Rides
Special Kids corner with bouncy house, magicians, train rides, puppet show, etc.
Petting Zoo with 45 animals for kids
Separate Food Court
Laser Show
Raas Garba
Ravan Dahan
The address for the new Cowboys Stadium is
New Cowboys Stadium
925 N Collins St
Arlington TX 76011
There is an entry fee of $8 this year to attend the event.
One of most exciting moments in life is when one gets their first admission letter from a foreign university. Its a very exciting moment for most because it may be their first trip to a foreign country, possibly their first time away from home on their own and also may be the start of a long and successful future. The moments of joy slowly start to turn into bouts of fear - what do I do, where do I stay, what is the weather like, what is the cost of living etc.
As more and more Indian students have gone abroad to study, they have formed Indian Student Associations
that help students with these very questions and also help them settle
down once they arrive in this new country.
Most of the Indian Student
Associations typically help with advising new students on the following
Procedures to obtain a student visa
Cost of living including rent and food
What to bring when one arrives
Financial Aid related questions
Help with looking for room mates
Student Orientation
Getting in touch with someone from the Indian Student Association is a great way to calm the fears of making this huge change in ones life. Videsh.com has diligently searched the net for Indian Student Associations around the world. We have found over 200 such associations and are constantly adding more to our list.
If you are traveling abroad then you only carry so many items from India and the need for an Indian item will arrive sooner than later. If you are a tourist, you may need an Indian Grocery Store for small snacks, phone cards or a quick Samosa fix. If you are an immigrant or moving to a foreign country for studies or work, then having an Indian Grocery store in your town is a must. The Indian community has spread to all corners of the globe and one can find an Indian Grocery store in many big and small cities now.
Videsh.com has searched the Internet, Yellow Pages and made phone calls to locate Indian Grocery Stores for its visitors. So far we have identified over 3000 Indian Grocery Stores in over 20 countries from New Zealand in the East to the USA in the West. We are constantly updating our site with new stores. Many of our readers provide us with good reviews as well and we hope you will do the same.
Below are some of the popular Indian Grocery Store locations -
