Skanda Vale

Skanda Vale is a non-denominational spiritual centre and monastery located in Carmarthenshire, Wales, near the village of Llanpumsaint. Founded in 1973 by Guru Sri Subramanium,[1] the monastery is inhabited and run by the Community of the Many Names of God, which also runs Somaskanda Ashram in Switzerland. Skanda Vale promotes a practical spirituality centred on devotion and selfless service.

Skanda Vale is a syncretic religious community, albeit one that is seen from the outside as being a Hindu ashram. The monastics take Franciscan Christian vows of poverty, obedience and chastity and wear Christian monk-style robes. The ethos is based on Krishna's teachings from the Bhagavad Gita and sanatana dharma.[2] The main shrines are to Hindu deities, and the pujas are clearly Hindu, however most monks and nuns are from western backgrounds. The temples are a place of pilgrimage for Hindus from Tamil and South Indian backgrounds who worship Murugan. Gujuratis and Bengalis visit the temples of Vishnu and Shakti.[3]

Skanda Vale is a registered charity in the UK and is funded entirely by donations.[4] It is closely associated with the legally separate charity that sustains Skanda Vale Hospice.[5]

Statue of Ganesha at Skanda Vale Ashram, Wales
  1. ^ "Guru Sri Subramanium Obituary". Hinduism Today. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  2. ^ Hurn, Samantha (2016). "Animals as Producers, Consumers and Consumed: The Complexities of Trans-Species Sustenance in a Multi-Faith Community". Ethnos. 82 (2): 1–19. doi:10.1080/00141844.2015.1107611. hdl:10871/18431. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  3. ^ Jones, Demelza (2015). "Being Tamil, being Hindu: Tamil migrants' negotiations of the absence of Tamil Hindu spaces in the West Midlands and South West of England". Religion. 46 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1080/0048721X.2015.1027968. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Skanda Vale - Frequently asked questions". Skanda Vale. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Skanda Vale Hospice - About Us". Skanda Vale Hospice. Retrieved 14 November 2018.