Somaskanda Ashram
Püschenweg 3, 7235 Fideris, Switzerland
Our roots
Skanda Vale follows the principle of Sanatana Dharma – the ‘Timeless Conciousness of God’ as described in the ancient vedic scriptures. We believe that God is One, though His forms are many. We celebrate Divinity in every religion, and aspire to discover that same unified Divine Consciousness as the innermost reality of everything.
Our history
The story began in 1990, when Guru Sri Subramanium came to Switzerland to lead a spiritual seminar with friends of the Skanda Vale community. The seminar was a great success, and Guruji soon found himself travelling to Switzerland on a regular basis. As the number of attendees steadily increased, the idea of buying a property in which to host the seminars began to evolve.
In 1995, the Swiss Association of Skanda Vale bought a picturesque mountain chalet near the alpine village of Fideris, as a place to hold spiritual seminars (retreats) and with the long-term goal of establishing a temple. The chalet was chosen partly because of its stunning location; at nearly 2000 metres above sea level, the chalet is far from the noise and hubbub of daily life. The crisp mountain air and profound sense of silence have a positively rejuvenating effect on all who visit.
For many years, the chalet was only used for retreats. After the installation of a beautiful granite murthi of Lord Ganesh in 2010, the building work took off. Thanks to the patient and detail-rich work done by many volunteers, the top floor was slowly but steadily converted into a temple. In autumn 2016, we celebrated the temple’s inauguration and the Ashram is now open throughout the whole year. People from near and far make a pilgrimage for joining a puja or for a personal retreat.
Funding
Everything at the Ashram is offered free of charge. All expenses for the running and the maintenance of the Ashram are covered by voluntary anonymous donations. Whenever possible, the maintenance and building work is done by volunteers.
