Skanda Vale

Beautiful place

This has been a very peaceful and beautiful place ! The whole atmosphere is blissful & spiritual! Food is excellent and provided to all the visitors!

This is a remote place surrounded by steep hills. That simple geographical fact makes it a calm and peaceful place. One would be well advised to visit their website and read up before embarking on the journey to Skanda Vale. For example, you'll notice that they say "no smoking, no mobile phones and no cameras". They also stress that "this is not a tourist attraction, but a place of worship". The road leading up to the temple is very narrow, so be prepared to pull over or reverse if you have to allow an oncoming vehicle to pass. It's worth going well prepared to deal with bad weather: rain, cold wind. Severn Bridge is free to cross now. There are three temples and several poojas a day; the first of these is at 5am. On some days they have abishekams instead of a pooja. What's the difference? An abishekam appears to be a rather elaborate Hindu prayer ritual that tends to take about 2 hours, compared to a Pooja, which is over in about 30 minutes. In contrast to traditional poojas at Hindu temples, there isn't a scrum among devotees bearing trays with fruits etc for individual poojas (archanai) to be performed. That kind of pooja where the devotee attempts to connect with the divine through the offering of fruits, food and flowers, burning of incense, the waving of oil lamps etc and the chanting of sacred prayers by the Brahmin priest, doesn't take place here. Instead what you have is organised group prayers. Blessed food, prasadam, is served 3 times a day. Visitors are provided simple meals every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also some free accommodation. Don't expect 4-star rooms and facilities. There are three temples here: Murugan, Ranganathar and Sakthi. The Sakthi Temple is on top of a steep hill. Those who can't walk it up are transported by minibus to the top. If one wants to attend poojas at all three temples, one has to come prepared to spend almost the whole day there. If one wants to see the full monty, pick days when they have abishekams. In such cases it's advisable to book accommodation either at the temple or B&B close by. The priests and their assistants are mostly of European extraction. They perform all the poojas in what appears to be Tamil ànd Sanskrit. They are all dressed in brown robes during ceremonies which makes them look like monks, in which case Skanda Vale might be akin to a monastery. The whole process looks well organised and streamlined. You don't have traditional Brahmin priests, who nowadays may have a mobile phone tucked in their dhoti, and even answer a call in the middle of a pious ritual, just in case it's a business call; god can wait, I suppose. When it comes to performing poojas in Hindu temples, the Brahmins have had a monopoly for millennia. It's refreshing to see that those executing the rituals here are not Brahmins. After all, God couldn't have endowed one group--the Brahmins--with such special privileges. Hinduism is quite a chilled out religion, as such, people of all faiths would be welcome. I met an American woman who lives in France but visits the temple every year and serves there for 2 weeks. I also met an English woman from London, who said she used to visit the temple every month, but cannot anymore due to age. Many youngsters come to serve for a few weeks or months. A Newzealander said he spends a few weeks in service here, as it gives him the happiness he couldn't find elsewhere. There are humps on the road to Skanda Vale but there are some rather nasty concrete bumps once you get through the gates. Those driving cars with low suspension and low-profile tyres should be careful. The number of scratches on one of the speed bumps is testament to the damage it must have inflicted on vehicles. If you are already a religiously-inclined person, your experience would certainly be one of exultation. If you are not religious, you will still be calmed by the peaceful surroundings and come out de-stressed. Go there with an open mind, cut out all thoughts of the outside world; you'll feel refreshed. You should experience "Joie de Vivre".

Absolutely breathtaking experience. The brothers and sisters working there are so dedicated and welcoming to everyone. This place is a hidden gem within our country. I felt so honoured and grateful to be there. Next time I will come again but this time, I will stay longer! Thanks.

Although i have been here several time, each one is a new experience and better then the last one. Volunteers work tirelessly for the temple as well as the Pilgrims. The chanting is hypnotic and do calming. I always look forward to my next visit.