Vivekananda Grove Dedication, Vedanta Retreat, Olema, California

As part of the Labor Day retreat, there was a dedication on Sunday, August 31, 2014, of the recent enhancements at the Vivekananda Grove. In 1963 the Vivekananda Grove was planted and in 1969 the Swami Vivekananda memorial plaque was installed in honor of Swamiji. The original plaque listed the stones and trees associated with Swamiji, but did not identify them. In 2013-14, as part of our celebrations of Swami Vivekananda’s 150th Birth anniversary, a project was undertaken to augment this memorial as a further tribute to him. A statue of Swamiji in an elegantly carved cabinet was placed among the birch trees. Hand-carved and painted tiles of the leaves and pine needles representing the trees planted in the grove were installed on the plaque. The stones on the plaque from various places in the U. S. associated with Swamiji’s stay in this country were labelled. Engraved boulders identifying the Scarlet Oak, White Pine, and White Birch were positioned near those trees.