Religious, Spiritual sights in Kaua'i
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Kaua'i's Hindu Monastery
On an island virtually devoid of Hinduism, the splendid Kaua'i Aadheenam, commonly called simply Kaua'i's Hindu Monastery, is both serious monastery and growing tourist attraction. Located on 458 acres of lush rainforest above Wailua River, the traditional South Indian Saivite (Shiva-worshipping) monastery is a sprawling garden oasis, with a meditation hall and Ganesha statues sitting amid wildly tropical landscaping. The gift shop here has chanting CDs, alarm clocks with the Great Crystal on the face, granite lingams and tiger-eye Ganesha figurines.
Access is limited to tours three or four times a month, which are well worth the time. Check the website for tour dates.
In…
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Wai'oli Hui'ia Church
A popular site for quaint church weddings, Wai'oli Hui'ia Church was built by Hanalei's first missionaries, Reverend and Mrs William Alexander, who arrived in 1834 in a double-hulled canoe. Their church, hall and mission house remain in the middle of town, set on a huge manicured lawn with a beautiful mountain backdrop.
The pretty green wooden church retains an airy Pacific feel, with large, outward-opening windows and high ceilings. The doors remain open during the day and visitors are welcome. A Bible printed in Hawaiian and dating from 1868 is displayed on top of the old organ. The Wai'oli Church Choir, the island's best, sings hymns in Hawaiian at the 10:00 Sunday…
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C
Kaulu Paoa Heiau
The vague remains of Kaulu Paoa Heiau stand just five minutes' walk from Ke'e Beach. Here, beneath a cliff face, large stones create a long flat grassy platform where a thatched-roof hula halau (school) once stood. In ancient Hawai'i this halau was Kaua'i's most sacred; students aspiring to learn hula came from all of the Hawaiian Islands and the legendary Kaua'i chief Lohi'au trained here.
Present-day hula halau (troupes) still leave lei and other offerings to Laka (goddess of hula) in crevices in the cliff face.
To find the remains of the heiau, take the path on the western side of the beach. Follow the stone wall as it curves uphill and you'll reach the heiau almost…
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Waimea Foreign Mission Church
Waimea Foreign Mission Church (cnr Huakai & Makeke Rds) was originally a thatched structure built in 1826 by the Reverend Samuel Whitney, the first missionary to Waimea. The present church was built of sandstone blocks and coral mortar in 1858 by another missionary, the Reverend George Rowell.
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Koloa Jodo Mission
East of town, find Koloa Jodo Mission, which follows Pure Land Buddhism, a non-meditating form, popular in Japan since the 12th century. The Buddhist temple on the left is the original, which dates back to 1910, while the larger temple on the right is currently used for services.
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Waimea Hawaiian Church
In 1865 Reverend Rowell had a spat with some folks in the congregation and went off to build the Waimea Hawaiian Church, a wooden-frame church that was downed in the 1992 hurricane but has been rebuilt. Sunday services include hymns sung in Hawaiian.
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