About us
Skanda Vale is an ashram located in a remote wooded valley in West Wales.
The ashram is set in over 300 acres of beautiful woodland and pasture.
Skanda Vale was founded on pure Sanathana Dharma; the Timeless Consciousness of God, as taught by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. We believe that all religions stem from, and merge into the one Reality; God is One, though His forms are many.
We have three temples; the Murugan Temple, the Maha Shakti Temple, and this one; a lake temple dedicated to Sri Ranganatha.
We have around 90,000 pilgrims each year. We are not a tourist destination, but a powerful place for people to refresh their minds and deepen their experience of God.
We hold six pujas every single day of the year, and host an annual programme of special events and festivals. Pujas are lead by the resident monks, who have taken lifetime Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
All meals, accomodation and worship are offered completely free of charge. We depend entirely on God’s Grace in every aspect of our living, so are funded solely through anonymous, voluntary donations.
The swamis who lead the worship are the same people that cut the hay, cook the food and clean the toilets each day. The Community is very self-sufficient, and completely independent from any religious, charitable, governmental or commercial organisations.
Summer is our festival season, and the ashram buzzes with activity.
Besides looking after all the pilgrims, we also care for a lot of different animals, including Valli our Temple Elephant.
Valli was a gift from the Sri Lankan government. Here she’s having a mud bath to help cool her down in the hot weather and keep the mosquitos at bay.
We also look after a wide range of birds, including some exotic breeds like this peacock.
In caring for animals and birds, the monks and nuns learn selflessness, and experience God’s presence in all of life.
Since the very early days, we’ve kept a herd of pedigree Jersey cows. Their milk is made into yogurt and used as a precious offering in the temples during mahabishekams (the ritual purification of religious icons).
Many of our animals have been rescued from slaughter or neglect. Skanda Vale is a sanctuary for both animals and humans alike. We feel that life is very sacred.
People come to Skanda Vale and experience God manifesting through a rich diversity of different life forms; it’s an atmosphere conducive to experiencing God in His Universality.
Our lives are based on bhakti yoga (worship) and karma yoga (work). Nobody is paid for their work or worship – it is performed with great concentration and love as a selfless offering to God.
One of our main areas of work is Skanda Vale Hospice, where we offer a high standard of personal care for people with life-threatening illnesses, completely free of charge.
We welcome educational visits from school and university groups, and run a programme of spiritual seminars – designed to help devotees build a partnership with God in their everyday living – in the Swiss Alps each summer. These seminars are open to all.
A group of devotees formed the Swiss Association of Skanda Vale in 1994, and bought a mountain chalet in which to hold seminars. We’ve just completed the first stage in in which to hold seminars. We’ve just completed the first stage in in which to hold seminars. We’ve just completed the first stage in in which to hold seminars. We’ve just completed the first stage in to hold seminars. We’ve just completed the first stage in which to hold seminars. We’ve just completed the first stage in consecrating the property as a Shiva Shakti Temple.
Skanda Vale is not an exclusive club; we welcome people to join us in worship, whatever their religious or cultural background.
The experience of the Divine at Skanda Vale is tangible, real and very exciting. We show people how to escape the emptiness of materialistic living, and awaken to the true purpose of life – the realisation of God in the silence of the heart.
kanda Vale is a multi-faith ashram (or monastery) near Carmarthen in Wales. It was founded on pure Sanathana Dharma; the timeless consciousness of God, as taught by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. We believe that all religions stem from, and merge into the one Reality; God is One, though His forms are many.
The ashram was established here in Wales in 1973, though our roots can be traced back to Sri Lanka, for that is where our founder, Guru Sri Subramanium was born. You can find out more about the history of Skanda Vale here.
We have three temples; the Murugan Temple, the Maha Shakti Temple and the Sri Ranganatha Temple, and hold six pujas every single day of the year. Skanda Vale is the name of our organisation, whilst the people that live here are known collectively as the Community of the Many Names of God.
Nobody at Skanda Vale is paid. We are a registered charity; all community members live here full time, and are entirely dependent on the grace of God for all their daily needs. Skanda Vale is funded solely through voluntary, anonymous donations. We do not charge anyone for food, accommodation or services; everything is offered completely free of charge. The community is very self-sufficient, and completely independent from any religious or commercial organisations.
Most community members live as unmarried renunciants; dedicating their lives to loving, serving and experiencing God through karma yoga and bhakti yoga. We take the Franciscan monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Senior monks are known as swamis – they lead the higher forms of worship in the temples and take a more exacting form of vow.
Our work is of a routine and generally simple nature; cooking, cleaning and caring for an annual congregation of 90,000 pilgrims. An important area of our work is animal care. We have a large number of different animals, including Valli the temple elephant, a herd of cows, buffalo, deer, goats, plus many birds, rabbits and dogs – many of whom have been rescued from slaughter or neglect.
One of our main areas of work is Skanda Vale Hospice, where we offer a high standard of personal care for people with life-threatening illnesses, completely free of charge. The hospice is staffed entirely by volunteers, mostly from the Skanda Vale sisterhood.
Skanda Vale has been built with and is sustained only through the community’s trust in, and love for God. We are here to help people of all faiths experience God – not just believe, but come to discover for themselves the freedom, peace and joy of living in the consciousness of the Divine.
You can find out more about the legal and administrative organisation of the charity by downloading our information pack as a pdf.
