Skanda Vale, a multi-faith community and ashram, is located just north of Llanpumsaint in Wales. Founded in 1973 by Sri Lanka-born Guru Sri Subramanium, the community began when the Cwm-creigiau-fawr farm was purchased and renamed Skanda Vale.
Origins and Development
The initial property consisted of Cwm-creigiau-fawr a small, derelict period farmhouse with stone outbuildings, situated in a secluded valley with a stream, purchased for £18,000 . A black-and-white photograph from 1973 captures this humble beginning. The estate originally comprised a single farmhouse, a few outbuildings, and twenty acres of woodland and fields.
Spiritual Growth
The community's development began with the establishment of a temple dedicated to Lord Murugan in 1973, coinciding with the founding of a monastic order. Skanda Vale expanded in 1978 with the acquisition of a neighbouring farm and further evolved with the inauguration of two additional temples:
- A temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali in 1996.
- A temple honouring Lord Vishnu Sri Ranganatha in 1999.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2023, Skanda Vale consecrated a temple for Shirdi Sai Baba and a hilltop shrine to Lord Murugan's Vel.
Community and Sanctuary
The Community of the Many Names of God, as the resident group is known, consists of approximately 30 monks, nuns, and lay members. They manage over 300 acres of mixed pasture and woodland, which serves as a sanctuary for a diverse collection of rescued animals, including cows, buffalo, deer, goats, horses, ponies, and temple elephants.
Pilgrimage Destination and Aerial Documentation
As of 2024, Skanda Vale attracts over 100,000 visitors annually. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) first documented the site through aerial reconnaissance on 11 September 2007, with subsequent photographic surveys.
Charitable Work
One of the community's primary initiatives is the Skanda Vale Hospice, located in Saron, Llandysul. This facility provides free respite care and support for families affected by life-limiting illnesses. The hospice services are primarily led and delivered by volunteers, embodying the community's commitment to compassionate care and sanctity of life.
Description by Elliot Muir, Skanda Vale, on 29th November 2024, updated by Sai Giridhar. See further, the case study in RCAHMW's From Migration to Resilience: Welsh Asian Experiences (2024), pp. 20-22.
This record was created by RCAHMW’s Welsh Asian Heritage Project (2023–24), funded by the Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan.
Sources: (1) https://www.skandavale.org/about/our-history/establishing-a-multi-faith-ashram/ (2) https://www.llanpumsaintwalk.org.uk/otherskandavale.html (3) Perminder Dhillon & Radha Patel et al., O Fudo i Wydnwch: Profiadau Asiaid Cymru / From Migration to Resilience: Welsh Asian Experiences (RCAHMW: 2024), pp. 20-22.
Buddhist temple, founded in 1973 when Cwm-Creigiau-Fawr farm was purchased and renamed Skanda Vale. Monastic order established. Enlarged with the purchase of a neighbouring farm in 1978. Second Subramanium temple inaugurated in 1996 and third temple inaugurated in 1999. Currently (2007) receives some 90,000 visitors a year. Photographed during RCAHMW aerial reconnaissance for first time on 11 September 2007, and subsequently. T. Driver, 14 Sept 2007.