Maha Shakti Temple
The Maha Shakti (also known as the Maha Kali) Temple houses a striking six-foot-tall murthi (sacred image) of Maha Kali, surrounded by shrines to Lakshmi, Pattini, Saraswati, Mother Mary and more. The temple was inaugurated by Guru Sri Subramanium in 1991, on the direct instruction of the Divine Mother, who began making dramatic daily appearances to Guruji from 1986 onwards.
The temple is open for pujas every day at 06:30 and 18:00 and is closed at all other times. The highlight of the month is our full moon Kali mahabishekam – please check our puja calendar for times.
“I can tell you the experience of the Divine Mother is something worth experiencing because She bears the imprint of great authority and power and Shakti; the energy of the life force that follows the whole Universe. And when She comes to me in my room and I am doing my puja, or praying, or meditating, well you could imagine the whole of London airport had arrived in my room! Humming… The mighty roar of the Ganga, for She is the Ganga, bringing the tide of great energy and power into our lives. She is Shakti, She is there to change the destiny of humanity. In this Kali Yuga when life is destructive, when all of humanity is in this whirlwind of destruction, it is only the compassion of the Lord in the form of the Divine Mother who will come to the assistance of humanity. Plead to her Divine friends.”
visiting
weekend passes
The temple is small and can seat only 50 people. On Saturdays from May to September, we have to issue free passes on a random basis to give everyone an equal opportunity to be inside the Temple. These passes are distributed at 15:00 outside the Yaga Sala (where you have lunch).
If you do not get a pass, don’t worry – we have plenty of seating, with a sound system and video screens, and we never close the temple until every single pilgrim has had darshan and aarthi.
Temple rules
If you have eaten meat, poultry or fish three days before coming to Skanda Vale, please remain outside the Temple on the terrace – we will bring aarthi and prasadam out to you.
Children under the age of 7 years old are not allowed inside the Temple until the final aarthi, so as not to disturb the devotions.
Strictly no phones or cameras are allowed inside the temple or terrace. Please focus on the devotions and do not talk.
Transport
The Maha Shakti Temple is situated at the top of the ashram, a 15-minute walk uphill from the main car park.
We have a minibus available to drive elderly and disabled pilgrims from the car park to the temple. This leaves approximately 20 minutes before the start of the puja, every day.
The minibus is not available to families with young children or any able-bodied devotees, so please walk to the Temple as part of your pilgrimage to Devi.
Our Temples
Lord Murugan Temple
Established in 1973, the Lord Murugan Temple was the first temple at Skanda Vale. Open for darshan every day at 05:00, 13:30 and 21:00.
Somaskanda ASHRAM
Inaugurated in 2016, Somaskanda Ashram is our mountain temple in the Swiss Alps.
Sri Ranganatha Temple
The Sri Ranganatha (or Lord Vishnu) Temple was inaugurated on the millennium. Open 24 hours a day, with daily pujas at 09:30.