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BANGALORE, INDIA, May 22, 2002: While HPI usually abstains from reporting on its own Kauai home, others are doing so at an unusual pace these days. This report is just one of several recent ones. It states that more than 80 sculptors in India have given up smoking, drinking and eating meat while they carve exquisite designs on granite pillars destined for a Hindu temple on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The San Marga Iraivan Temple, dedicated to Lord Siva, is being funded by a US-based Hindu organization, Saiva Siddhanta Church. Most of the sculptors are from the state of Tamil Nadu, famous for its ancient temples, and they have vowed not to touch alcohol, cigarettes or meat while they work on the pillars in Madanayakanahalli village, in the state of Karnataka. One of the workers, V. Chelliah, a stone carver with 13 years of experience, said he hoped to be able to go to Kauai one day to see the finished temple. “I have worked in other temple projects but the amount of divinity involved in this temple was quite clear from day one,” said Chelliah, wearing a religious red thread around his wrist. “I used to eat meat earlier, now I have become a full-time vegetarian,” he said. The US$16 million dollar project, conceived by late Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami was initiated a decade ago when a trust was formed to build a 11-acre village in Madanayakanahalli to house the stone carvers and their families. “This is the first hand-carved temple to be built outside India,” said Jiva Rajasankara, coordinator of the project in Bangalore, the state capital of Karnataka, 12 miles from the village.”All the pillars and beam stones and capstone, everything, will be carved by hand.” Rajasankara said 75% of carvings of the pillars, entrance towers, capstone and floor stones was completed. But he said only 10% of the sculpted stone had been shipped to Hawaii because of a lack of funds. “There are about 250 more containers each costing $7,000 waiting to be shipped. Fund raising is a massive effort,” he said. Hindu devotees in 45 countries were working to raise funds for the project including Australia, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States, he said. “Eight million dollars to be collected from various devotees will be saved in an endowment for future repairs and renovations and the aim is to build it with no loans or debts,” Rajasankara said.
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