4 ½ Weeks of eventful abundance lie behind us. It was a moving, successful, intimate and all-embracing time.
A lot of progress has been made around the temple’s construction and in the past months much more has developed there.
Now the time has come where great secrets are created inside and outside. From now on this will be done without the public, to not anticipate any inner experiences for the future temple visitor before the opening.
Therefore, SHIN SHIVA SVAYAMBHU – the principal of this project – asks for understanding that in future no more pictures of the temple will be put on the website until the opening.
Gelände rund um den Tempel
Work here is also progressing rapidly.
The guard house is mostly finished and has become a very graceful building.
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The construction of the bathhouse is also well advanced.
The wall, which encloses the entire temple area, takes on beautiful forms and the planning of paths has begun.
Celebration – distiction – friendship
People from all over the world have responded to the call for the seminar in spring 2020 with SHIN SHIVA SVAYAMBHU. They came from New Zealand, Mexico, Australia, India, Germany, Switzerland, France, America, Austria and Canada. The whole area of Anand Lok was fully booked.
It was a fulfilling retreat on “The way behind the ways”. With the unique teaching of SHIN all areas and levels of the human being were addressed.
Highlight of this time was the Shivaratri celebration, which honoured during three days and nights the god aspects Bhairava, Shiva and Pashupati. They were flowery, joyful and very sacred and inwardly touching celebrations. The nature celebrated as well with all its power and everything was decorated festively.
The festival in honour of the god was opened with drums, singing and dancing.
The gods of all directions were invited and called with a horn and a ritual was performed to honour and greet them.
The teachers of the nature school sang songs from the Garhwal.
And in the evening gifts of herbs and resins were given to the fire.
The festivities were completed with a celebration for friendship. The people from the surroundings and from the village of Bhairava Nagar, the children, the temple’s workers, the old and the young were invited to dine together in the round of Surya Square and to meet each other.
And last but not least Waimaania and Ojasvin from New Zealand presented a wonderful surprise to SHIN SHIVA SVAYAMBHU. They collected during one year at all their seminars and travels in different places of the world money for the Ganesha statue in the temple.
So, Ganesha as the guardian of the new beginning is supported by many people of all nations and this contribution serves as a wonderful beginning for a temple built for the peace of all peoples and religions.
New life is born below the temple
Shortly before our arrival a female dog gave birth to three little dog girls below the temple.
We named the mother MAMI. She was very emaciated. Our construction manager Mahipal Negi gave the little family a place under a construction tarpaulin where they could at least stay dry and reasonably protected.
When SHIN SHIVA SVAYAMBHU heard about the dogs, he asked us to find a suitable and sheltered place for the dogs on the Bhairava Nagar site.
So Bhagin R. Kellenberger and I immediately looked for a nice place and built a small “dog bungalow” from simple materials from the temple construction.
The small family visibly enjoyed this place
and we had a lot of fun with the little “blissful creatures”.
And a deep friendship has developed between MAMI and me.
She was perfectly happy for all the love and affection, the regular feeding and protection of her young. They are all developing and thriving.
The farewell was not easy, but Angelika and Mikhael from France looked after the four for another two weeks before they had to leave India unexpectedly and earlier than planned because of the Corona crisis.
And they gave the three puppies names:
SHANTI – PALITA – SHINA
Now Dilbar and some Indian friends have taken over the care.
The dogs are allowed to stay in the house at night, so that they are also protected from leopards, jackals and wolves.
And we hope to see them all healthy and happy again on our next visit and that MAMI, SHANTI, PALITA and SHINA have become wonderful guardians of the place.