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New Instruments Arrive At Gandharva Loka, March 2013

Mar 29th, 2013
by Admin.
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Autumn in Hagley Park, Christchurch

As Autumn arrives and the leaves begin to turn colour and carpet the pavements of Christchurch, we at Gandharva Loka have been bucking the trend by adding numerous instrument-leaves to our music-tree following the arrival of several shipments from around the world – and we are expecting more in the coming weeks. Here is a sampling of some the new instruments that can be found in our world music store at the moment…

New Instruments

  • Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls – all sizes and tunings, from 8″ (20 cm) to 20″ (50 cm) bowls.
  • Gongs – highest quality gongs from Wuhan, China. All sizes and types.
  • Various Egyptian Instruments including Oud, Semsemia and Udu.
  • Bodhrans – Irish frame drums with adjustable heads.

New Instruments at Gandharva Loka in Christchurch

And those nearing our shores…

Instruments Arriving In The Coming Weeks

Easter Hours

  • Good Friday, March 29th : Closed
  • Saturday, March 30th : Open from 11 am to 3 pm
  • Sunday, March 31st : Closed
  • Easter Monday, April 1st : Closed

We resume our normal shop hours from Tuesday the 2nd of April.
Please note: our companion enterprise, The Lotus-Heart vegetarian restaurant, will be open Easter Friday, Saturday and Sunday – business as usual for The Lotus-Heart.

Our Latest Video Clip

We invite you to have a look at our latest video clip:
Singing performance at Gandharva Loka and The Lotus-Heart, March 2013.

When we sing,
We embody and become
The power of music.
This power has a free access
To the Universal Heart.
    – Sri Chinmoy.

Gandharva Loka Christchurch News – March 2013

Mar 7th, 2013
by Prasasta.
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5th Anniversary of Gandharva Loka Christchurch

Here we are – March 7, 2013 – and the 5th anniversary of Gandharva Loka in Christchurch. We feel a deep sense of gratitude for all of the opportunities that have come our way as a result of opening Gandharva Loka in Christchurch and we would like to thank all of our friends and customers for the support and encouragement we have received over the past five years – you have been awesome!

Body Mind Spirit Festival, Christchurch

Body Mind Spirit Festival, ChristchurchThis coming weekend Gandharva Loka, along with our dear friends from The Lotus-Heart, will have a stall at the annual Body Mind Spirit Festival in Christchurch.

Whether you’re seeking information or inspiration, inner peace or mental stimulation, or you’re just curious about what’s out there, the Body Mind Spirit Festival invites you to revitalise your body, stimulate your mind, and pamper your soul…

With our wonderful selection of exhibitors, our ever popular series of free, inspiring workshops, all day entertainment, and healthy food from Govindas and The Lotus-Heart, the Body Mind Spirit Festival promises something for everyone.

We look forward to seeing you there…

Christmas 2012 / New Year 2013 Shop Hours

Dec 21st, 2012
by Vajin.
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Christmas BellsHere we are again on the brink of Christmas and a New Year! We would like to advise everyone of our Christmas New Year hours of business, which are as follows:

  • Sunday December 23: 11 am – 3 pm
  • Monday December 24: 11 am – 3 pm
  • Tuesday December 25: Closed
  • Wednesday December 26: 11 am – 3 pm
  • Thursday December 27: 11 am – 3 pm
  • Friday December 28: 11 am – 3 pm
  • Saturday December 29: 11 am – 3 pm
  • Sunday December 30: Closed until Friday January 04, 2013
  • Friday January 04, 2013 – we resume our regular shop hours.

We would like to wish everyone a happy, safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Thank you all for your support throughout 2012.

Vajin and Prasasta Armstrong,
Gandharva Loka Christchurch.

August 2012 Extended Hours and Closures

Jul 29th, 2012
by Admin.
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Temporary Sunday Hours

Gandharva Loka in Christchurch is normally closed on Sundays but we will be open on the following Sundays from 12 noon until 3 pm: July 29, August 5 and 12.

August Closure Dates

Gandharva Loka in Christchurch will be closed from Thursday August 16 and will reopen on Friday August 31.

Gandharva Loka Shop Hours Into 2012

Dec 27th, 2011
by Vajin.
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Happy New Year!We are very happy to be open again at our new location on St Asaph Street – it is delightful to be nestled in with The Lotus-Heart vegetarian restaurant, tea house and health food store, and The Gift Shop. Thanks so much to our friends and customers who have called us or come by over the past three weeks to wish us well – your kindness and good wishes have been most encouraging.

Just a short note to let everyone know our hours over the New Years break. Gandharva Loka Christchurch will be closed from Thursday 29th December until January 2nd. We will be reopening on the 3rd of January and will then continue with our regular hours.

Prasasta and I would like to wish everyone a peaceful, happy and safe New Year and we look forward to serving your musical needs at Gandharva Loka in the new year.

Vajin Armstrong
Gandharva Loka, Christchurch

Music is an indispensable thing. We don’t have to know what it looks like or what it does. Its very existence keeps us alive. Music means Self-expansion and oneness. The Self expands through music. The Self that expands is not the individual self but the unlimited Self. Music is the expansion of unlimited Reality. When the Unlimited expands, that is music. – Sri Chinmoy.

Gandharva Loka Christchurch to re-open on December 6!

Dec 3rd, 2011
by Admin.
6 comments

We are delighted to announce that Gandharva Loka in Christchurch will be re-opening at 11am on Tuesday the 6th of December!

Our new location is:
363 St Asaph Street,
(Between Fitzgerald Ave and Barbadoes St
Christchurch.

We have a lovely space that is accessed from the St Asaph Street entrance of The Lotus-Heart restaurant, tea house and health food store – a new location for the popular vegetarian restaurant that is also home to The Gift Shop. At present a new facade is being installed so the building is shrouded in scaffolding. But prepare to be amazed when you step inside – the interior is enchanting!

We now have in stock the best range of instruments we have ever had and we are expecting that more instruments will be arriving in the next few days.

Our hours are:
Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-3pm.
Friday evening 5pm-8pm.
We are happy to accommodate customers outside these hours by appointment if our regular store hours do not suit.

(more…)

The Lotus-Heart is reopening!

Jul 24th, 2011
by Shardul.
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Along with hundreds of other businesses in central Christchurch, Gandharva Loka remains closed and somewhat homeless for now. Our world music store will reopen in Christchurch at some stage – we are just not sure when or where. It is a shared experience for many small businesses in Christchurch and one that can only be met with hope, optimism and determination. The spirit that makes Christchurch such a special place is the same spirit that will help us to accomplish the task of rebuilding this beautiful city.

The Lotus-HeartThere is always some good news though and we are very happy to be able to announce that The Lotus-Heart vegetarian restaurant is reopening this coming Wednesday (July 27, 2011) at its new location in St Asaph Street. The managers of Gandharva Loka in Christchurch, Vajin and Prasasta Armstrong, are also a part of The Lotus-Heart team and worked part-time at the restaurant in Cathedral Square. The original Lotus-Heart café, which was in the same block and two doors from Gandharva Loka, was also destroyed during the February 22nd earthquake. The building that The Lotus-Heart restaurant was in, the original Chief Post Office building in Cathedral Square, is still standing but, as with the entire central business district of Christchurch, remains unusable and closed for now.

Like Gandharva Loka, The Lotus-Heart is owned, managed and staffed by members of the Christchurch Sri Chinmoy Centre. Since April The Lotus-Heart team has been working very hard to convert and make ready an area within premises on St Asaph Street just outside the Christchurch CBD. This from The Lotus-Heart website:

The Lotus-Heart Restaurant & Tea House

We are delighted to advise that The Lotus-Heart will be open in a new location from Wednesday 27 July 2011, initially by reservation only. Kindly phone or send a text message to 021 256 6702 to make a reservation or use our online reservation service.

We are eager to resume service and therefore will open with further renovations yet to come, so kindly bear with us as we fully develop our new location. Read more »

Congratulations to all those involved in the rebuilding and reopening of The Lotus-Heart!

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