Skandashram

History

After some seventeen years in Virupaksha Cave, Ramana Maharshi moved a little higher up the slope to Skandashram in 1916, according to Wikipedia’s biographical summary. His mother, Alagammal, lived with him here. After her death on 19 May 1922 he moved down to her samadhi at the foot of the hill, around which Sri Ramanasramam grew; he left Skandashram at the end of 1922.

It was during the Virupaksha and Skandashram years that he wrote the devotional hymns known as the Five Hymns to Arunachala. See Ramana Maharshi’s Five Hymns to Arunachala.

The walk up

A stone-paved footpath starts beside Sri Ramanasramam on Chengam Road. It climbs through dry forest past a painted mural of Ramana Maharshi, reaching Skandashram in 20–30 minutes at an easy pace. Virupaksha Cave is a short way along the slope, so most visitors see both in one outing.

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What to expect

Skandashram is a small, quiet hermitage with a terrace looking out over the temple’s gopurams and the town. Visitors sit for a while in silence. Keep your voice low, your phone off, and your footwear where you are asked to leave it.

Tips

• Go early. Mornings are cooler and quieter, and the view of the temple is clearest.
• Timings are set locally and posted at the path. We have not found an official published timetable.
• Carry water, stay on the path, and leave nothing behind. The hill is protected forest.
• Don’t climb beyond the permitted paths. Climbing to the summit is regulated; see Arunachala Hill.