Iraivan Temple
The San Marga Iraivan Temple is a Chola-style Hindu temple dedicated to the Shiva located on the Kauai island in the state of Hawaii, USA. "Iraivan" means "He who is worshipped," and is one of the oldest words for God in the Tamil language. It is the first all-stone, white granite temple to be built in the western hemisphere whose construction began in 1990. The Iraivan Temple is located next to the Wailua River and 8 km from Mount Waialeale. It is maintained by the Saiva Siddhanta Church which is also known as Kauai Aadheenam and Kauai's Hindu Monastery. The temple is under construction. The main murti, or worshipful icon, is a rare spathika Sivalinga, a pointed, six-faced 700-pound clear quartz crystal.
| Iraivan Temple | |
|---|---|
San Marga Iraivan Temple | |
Iraivan Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| Deity | Lord Shiva |
| Location | |
| Location | Kapaʻa |
| State | Hawaii |
| Country | United States |
Shown within North Pacific Iraivan Temple (Hawaii) | |
| Geographic coordinates | 22.059361°N 159.396946°W |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Chola-style Temple |
| Creator | Kauai Hindu Monastery and architect V. Ganapati Sthapati |
| Date established | 1990 construction started |
| Website | |
| www | |
Sri Trichy Mahaswamigal (d. 2005) 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."