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Nectar in stone getting ready for Hawaiian home

G.K. Nair

KOCHI, Feb. 25

FOR the past 11 years, 48 shilpis (sculptors) assisted by 15 helpers have been quietly carving over 3,000 pieces of granite weighing 3.2 million pounds at a village near Bangalore, for the first-ever fully granite temple in Chola architecture style outsi de India, in the Hawaiian islands.

White granite pieces from Karnataka and black ones from Tamil Nadu have been brought to an 11-acre site at Madanayakanahalli.

When completed, the 3,067 stones would be shipped to the temple site in the Hawaiian island where the San Marga Iraivan temple is being constructed by Satguru Sivasubramania Swami under the supervision of Dr. Ganapathi Sthapathi, the Chennai-based chief architect of the temple, who constructed the 133-foot Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari.

The construction is expected to be completed by 2010, according to Jiva Rajasankara, the India co-ordinator of the project. ``The temple is being built to last 1,000 years. The four-million pound, three-foot high concrete foundation sits on a three-foot deep compacted gravel bed assuring the temple's stability for centuries.''

The stone work would take another six years to complete, he added. After the Thanjavur Shiva temple, this will be the second temple in the world where the capstone is carved out of a single granite piece weighing about 12 tonnes after completion.

The capstone took about three years to complete, he said. This temple will also be the second temple to have the `raja gopuram' made of one stone.

Another magnificent part of the project is the chain of stone rings hanging from eight sunshades (kodungai). The shades have chains of seven rings carved from one stone at each corner. The rings alone took three months to complete.

There are four `badra sthambam' pillars (four pieces make up a pillar) and four `tara sthambham' pillars, all made of black granite from Tamil Nadu. Besides, there are eight lion pillars and a musical pillar, and 24 normal pillars. Carving of 234 trident s each one foot tall took a year for 10 shilpis.

The roof would be covered with 189 carved stone slabs, while 89 beam stones and 541 floor stones cover the entire floor area. Besides, two life-size elephants are being carved in black granite. A 700-pound crystal kalpaka _ spiritual wish-fulfilling ling a _ would be enshrined in a polished, pink granite cave-like chamber.

As electricity is not allowed, solar cables and oil lamps would illuminate the sanctum sanctorum and symbolise the clear white light within the mahayogi. Openings in the `gopuram' (tower) are passages for light and air.

The Iraivan temple is located at the foot of an extinct volcano on the banks of Wailua river on the northern-most of the Hawaiian islands.

``Twelve-foot wide stone steps lead pilgrims 150 metres up the sacred river to the temple of Lord Shiva (Hawaiian God Kane). On the way, offerings may be made to Lord Lambodhara (Hawaiian God Lono) and Lord Kumaran (Hawaiian God Ku). Hindu and Hawaiian t raditions thus merge here.''

Unlike in such work sites, the shilpis here have their own co-operative fund from which they are allowed to take loans from Rs. 500 to special loans of Rs. 15,000. They receive an annual bonus of Rs. 3,000 each and also have a retirement benefit scheme.

Besides, each shilpi has been insured for Rs 1 lakh. They have been provided with accommodation and food, and each earns Rs. 170 per day.

Thus, with little fanfare, the first hand-carved, all-stone Hindu temple ever erected in the Western hemisphere is slowly taking shape.

`Raja Gopuram' for the San Marga Iraivan temple in the Hawaiian islands being carved on stone.