Sri Sadisvara Mandiram (Part 4) Nandi’s Altar

Om Namah Sivaya!

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya!

Sri Sadisvara Mandiram (Part I)

Sri Sadisvara Mandiram (Part II)

Sri Sadisvara Mandiram (Part III)

As devotees at SAT awaited the arrival of the new Murti-s, an altar for Nandi was built. Below are images of its creation. Scott and Ganesh form the frame of the structure. It must be very strong as Nandi and His base weigh over 700 pounds. They begin outside the Temple, cutting wood and screwing it together. Then it is brought inside to the position where it will stay permanently in the Sri Sadisvara Mandiram.

The frame is complete and ready for its covering…

Next, Scott covers it with thick plywood and a special material that will hold the mud that will be applied next.

Blocks of wood are screwed in underneath the top of the altar to form the design and shape of the structure.

Now the altar is ready to be mudded.

The mud is applied to form a smooth finish.

A special plastic adhesive is placed over the mud to make it waterproof.

Scott adheres the marble tiles to the structure.

Each piece is precisely cut and cemented onto the structure. Scott uses blue tape to hold the tiles in place until the cement dries.

The next step is to round or “bullnose” the edges to give them a smooth finish. This is done with a “wet” grinding machine. A tent must be erected to keep the water from the grinder contained so that water is not sprayed everywhere!

Scott works inside the tent grinding the edges smooth…

Scott is just visible inside the tent.

Grinding is almost complete!

Scott and Ganesh check for rough spots and smooth them out.

Nandi’s altar is complete and beautiful. Suitable for Siva’s foremost devotee!

Om Namah Sivaya!

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya!

 

If you would like to donate to the holy endeavor of creating the Sri Sadisvara Mandiram, please visit the SAT website at: http://www.satramana.org to find out more about this project and the SAT Temple.