Hawaii
Photos: An all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in Hawaii
It is the only all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in the West built without power tools or electricity, and it is nestled on one of the smaller islands in Hawaii surrounded by lush gardens and forests.
On the island of Kauai, the presence of the Iraivan Temple – a white granite edifice with gold-leafed domes, modelled after millennia-old temples in southern India – is unexpected and stunning. Less than 1 percent of Hawaii’s 1.4 million residents are Hindus and on Kauai, the number of Hindus may not even exceed 50, according to some estimates.
But that has not deterred the two dozen monks living at the Kauai Aadheenam campus from being good neighbours and stewards of their faith, drawing pilgrims and seekers from around the globe. In this all-male temple-monastery complex, the monks study and practise Shaivism, a major tradition within Hinduism, which holds Lord Shiva as the supreme being.
One of the order’s monks, who has spent decades supervising the temple’s construction and tending to its gardens, is Paramacharya Sadasivanatha Palaniswami, who came to the Kauai community of Kapaa in 1968 with his teacher and the centre’s founder, the late Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.
He says the Iraivan Temple was inspired by the founder’s mystical vision of Lord Shiva seated on a large boulder on these grounds. Its construction began in 1990 and continued after the founder’s death in 2001. The word “Iraivan” means “he who is worshipped” in Tamil, a language spoken about 13,000km (8,000) miles away in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state.
The monks created an entire village in India for the artisans who hand-built the temple over the last 33 years, said Palaniswami.
“Our guru believed that electricity brings a magnetic force field and a psychic impact,” he said. “It’s like when the power goes out during a storm, something different happens when there is no electricity. There is a certain quiet, a calmness.”
Illuminated only by oil lamps, Iraivan has no fans or air-conditioning. Its architectural style is inspired by the Chola Dynasty, which ruled parts of India and Sri Lanka for about 1,500 years, starting in 300 BC.
The main deity is the 318kg (700-pound) quartz crystal shivalingam, an abstract representation of Shiva. The campus also houses Kadavul Temple dedicated to Shiva in the cosmic dancer form, or Nataraja.
Priest Pravinkumar Vasudeva arrived in March, when the temple – a formation of 3,600 stones, pillars and beams made with roughly 3.2 million pounds of granite – was consecrated. He is still amazed it stands on this tiny island.
“In India, you could possibly build something like this, but it hasn’t been done,” he said. “Here, it is nearly impossible, but it has been done.”
Monks say the order began in 1948 with founder Subramuniyaswami, a former San Francisco ballet dancer who sought out a spiritual teacher. In northern Sri Lanka, Guru Yogaswami initiated him into Shaivism and instructed him to build “a bridge between the East and the West”, said Palaniswami, the garden-tending monk.
Based in San Francisco in 1969, the founder “felt the sacred pull” of the Kauai property while on a retreat there, the monk said. It was a rundown Tropical Inn resort at the time.
To native Hawaiians, the plot of land was known as Pihanakalani, or “the fullness of heaven”. Cognizant of that connection, Subramuniyaswami wanted to make sure the new temple aligned with native Hawaiian spirits.
So, 35 years ago, he reached out to Lynn Muramoto, a local Buddhist leader who had navigated a similar situation. She is the president of the Lawai International Center on Kauai, which is home to 88 Shingon Buddhist shrines on an ancient sacred site where Hawaiians once came for healing.
She visited the temple site with the late Abraham Kawai’i, a revered Hawaiian spiritual practitioner, or kahu, and witnessed the “deeply moving” moment when Kawai’i called the location “perfect”.
Sabra Kauka, a native Hawaiian cultural practitioner on Kauai, said she was “a little aghast” in the beginning, but then consulted Aunty Momi Mo’okini Lum, her calabash aunt who is descended from Moikeha, the chief from Tahiti who built Pihanakalani some 1,000 years ago.
Lum told her the monks had the means to take care of the land in perpetuity. “And so I laid down my concerns,” she said.
Kauka praised the monks’ landscaping, from plant choices to controlling invasive species.
“The very fact that we have people on this island who care for our historic places, realise the value of them and are taking care of them in an exquisite way is remarkable,” Kauka said.
Hawaii
This Popular Hawaii Resort Has A New 3-Story Penthouse And Renovated Pools With Local Amenities
The family-friendly Resort Pool at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach
Photo: Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach
When it comes to Waikiki’s luxury hotels, the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach, is one of the most beloved properties for frequent visitors to this popular corner of Hawaii. With all its spacious rooms boasting balconies with ocean views and kitchens to ensure a comfortable stay no matter how long your trip may be, it’s a true home away from home, with the added magic that comes with the brand’s phenomenal customer service. To make things better, the resort recently unveiled a collection of new suites and reimagined pools, providing guests an even more elevated experience than before.
Dubbed the Sky Suites, these sumptuous, multi-bedroom accommodations have become the pinnacle of luxury living in Waikiki. Encased in floor-to-ceiling windows, delivering sweeping panoramas of the neighborhood’s namesake beach and the beautiful blue Pacific at every turn, the vistas alone are worth every penny. But once you add in the modern furnishings, full kitchens with Miele appliances, the formal dining spaces, and pristine white marble bathrooms, you’ll never want to look back. To top it all off, they also come with exclusive perks, including roundtrip airport transfers, a dedicated VIP concierge, and a pre-stocked refrigerator with preferred beverages and snacks.
The three-bedroom Sky Suite
Photo: Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach
Guests have the option between three- or four-bedroom Sky Suites. The former is a coveted corner unit that features what is arguably the resort’s best view of Diamond Head, along with a sleek, marble kitchen island that’s great for entertaining. The latter is the property’s largest, spanning nearly 3,000 square feet across two floors, and is the only four-bedroom suite in all of Waikiki. It also sports the resort’s biggest kitchen, making it particularly great for private chef dinners, and the double-height living room allows for plenty of natural light to filter in.
The Sky Penthouse rooftop deck
Photo: Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach
But the Ritz-Carlton’s crowning jewel, quite literally, is the Sky Penthouse. Occupying the top floors of the resort’s Diamond Head Tower, this three-story, two-bedroom suite soars 350 feet above Waikiki. The first level houses the living spaces, a kitchen with a wine fridge, one bedroom, and a small media room that also doubles as a great private reading nook. The second floor is entirely dedicated to the master bedroom, but it’s the rooftop that’s the real selling point. Touting one of the neighborhood’s highest infinity plunge pools, the furnished deck also features a hot tub and grill, and is particularly ideal for sundowners.
You won’t need to book the Sky Penthouse for an incredible pool experience, though. The property offers its guests two infinity pools, one of which is an adults-only oasis. Both offer private cabanas, with the options at the family-friendly pool being larger, that come with a mini refrigerator stocked with local beverages and snacks. All guests can also expect a variety of thoughtful pool amenities, including sunscreen service and hourly snacks that pay homage to local favorites, like fresh pineapple dipped in li hing mui. The resort’s popular daily afternoon ritual of complimentary ice cream and sorbet is still available, and now includes an adult version with the addition of sparkling wine float. Quite frankly, there’s enough to keep you at the pool that you may never want to leave.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s down to the wire for holiday shoppers, with just a few days until Christmas.
For those looking for last minute gifts, the Hawaii Holiday Craft & Gift Fair is happening this weekend at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.
More than 250 vendors are selling a variety of locally-made products, from clothing and jewelry to food and crafts.
Fair spokesperson Yasmin Dar joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about the event organized by Sunshine Productions and showcase some of the available products, including scarves from Beads & Things by Kori and candies from the Hawaii Candy Factory, which produces NOMs in local flavors like Banana Lumpia Chocolate Bark, Campfire S’Mores, Peppermint Chocolate Crunch Bark, Li Hing & Lemon Peel Covered Gummies and more.
The fair opens at 10 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. on Sunday. Buy tickets at the Blaisdell Box Office for $7 per person. Military families and children under 7 years of age are free.
More information and a $2 off coupon can be found at HawaiiHolidayFair.com.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
Pacific Century Fellows focus on strengthening Hawaii-Philippines relationship with special visit
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Members of a prestigious leadership training program from Hawaii recently traveled to the Philippines on a special visit.
Former Honolulu Mayor and current President/CEO of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association Mufi Hannemann founded the Pacific Century Fellows Program (PCF) in 1996, modeled after the White House Fellows program to empower emerging leaders across the state to solve local challenges.
Last month, this year’s cohort of 30 business and community leaders. along with some PCF alumni, met with Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who lived in Hawaii for 5 years, when his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., was ousted following a nonviolent revolution in 1986 and exiled here.
Marcos Sr. died in Honolulu in 1989, and the family was allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 and rebuilt their political careers.
The fellows met with various Filipino leaders and discussed ways to boost business opportunities and tourism for both destinations, including more flights to Ilocos Norte, where many Filipinos in Hawaii have roots.
The group visited Ilocos Norte at the invitation of Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc and learned about Hawaii’s strong historic ties to the region.
For more information, visit pacificcenturyfellows.com.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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