Kauai’s Hindu Monastery

By Niyantha Shekar 10 December 2007 367 views One Comment

I have been to Hawaii four times and a trip to the Aloha state is incomplete without visiting Kauai ’s Hindu Monastery. Kauai, referred to as the Garden Island, is an amazing tourist destination with water-sports, brilliant sights and cheerful, effervescent people.

Kauai ’s Hindu Monastery occupies 458 acres at the foot of an extinct volcano and is an embodiment of supreme peace and tranquility. It is worth visiting just to immerse yourself in the beauty of the land: a waterfall that leads to a lake where monks take an afternoon swim; a botanical garden that consists of many rare plants and a gorgeous mountain backdrop. It is a Hindu monastery, but people from different religions visit it just to learn what Hinduism is all about, and have an experience that makes you feel like you can attain inner peace, if only you try hard enough.

The lake

It’s green everywhere you look

The monastery has two temples, both dedicated to the Hindu God Siva. The Kadavul Temple which was the first temple constructed in the monastery, houses a 6 foot tall bronze statue of Lord Siva in his Nataraja pose (Lord of the Dance). I have been to quite a few temples, but I have not found myself more at home than when I’m sitting in front of the altar at the this temple. My religious beliefs range from mild to agnostic, but the great thing about this temple is that it makes me feel that I’ll be fine as long as I know I’m doing the right thing. After all, isn’t that what most religions advocate? Be good, do good.

A very interesting aspect of this monastery is that it is fully Wi-Fi enabled. You’ll see monks walking around with digital cameras or working on their magazine ‘Hinduism Today’ on their Macs. They have embraced technology and use it to put forward their message. They even assemble their own computers and set up the internet connections that allow them to keep visitors and devotees updated on what is happening in the monastery.