Estd. 2025 · Pranavagiri, The Nilgiris
When Poverty Ends, Love Begins. Skanda Dia Foundation carries forward a Tamil Siddhar lineage of wisdom, building skills, livelihoods, and community wellbeing across the Nilgiris.

WHO THIS LINEAGE TURNS TOWARD
Known in Badaga tradition as Hiriyodaya, worshipped at Tandanad.

The remover of obstacles, worshipped first before any undertaking.

Skanda, with His two consorts Valli and Deivanai.

Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni, whose Thiruppadattirattu the Foundation has published.

A revered Vedic sage, honoured as father of Tamil grammar and the Siddha tradition.

The fish-eyed goddess of Madurai, a form of Parvati.

The village’s protecting mother goddess, honoured at Mari Habba.

The Badaga community’s revered goddess and founding mother-spirit.

A fierce form of the Divine Mother, widely worshipped in Tamil village temples.

God of wealth, and treasurer of the Devas.

The revered saint of Shirdi, venerated across faiths.

A celebrated Madhva saint, whose shrine at Mantralayam draws pilgrims across South India.

A name for Lord Vishnu, preserver of the universe.

Vishnu’s man-lion form, worshipped with Goddess Lakshmi as protector against evil.

Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati, one of the most visited pilgrimage deities in the world.

Goddess of wealth and prosperity.

Consort of Venkateswara, worshipped at Tiruchanur.

Krishna’s eternal consort, embodiment of divine love and devotion.

The eighth avatar of Vishnu, central to the Bhagavad Gita.

The seventh avatar of Vishnu, hero of the Ramayana.

Rama’s consort, revered for her devotion and strength.

Rama’s devoted younger brother.

Goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts.

The creator, completing the Trimurti with Vishnu and Shiva.
Known in Badaga tradition as Hiriyodaya, worshipped at Tandanad.

The remover of obstacles, worshipped first before any undertaking.

Skanda, with His two consorts Valli and Deivanai.

Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni, whose Thiruppadattirattu the Foundation has published.

A revered Vedic sage, honoured as father of Tamil grammar and the Siddha tradition.

The fish-eyed goddess of Madurai, a form of Parvati.

The village’s protecting mother goddess, honoured at Mari Habba.

The Badaga community’s revered goddess and founding mother-spirit.

A fierce form of the Divine Mother, widely worshipped in Tamil village temples.

God of wealth, and treasurer of the Devas.

The revered saint of Shirdi, venerated across faiths.

A celebrated Madhva saint, whose shrine at Mantralayam draws pilgrims across South India.

A name for Lord Vishnu, preserver of the universe.

Vishnu’s man-lion form, worshipped with Goddess Lakshmi as protector against evil.

Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati, one of the most visited pilgrimage deities in the world.

Goddess of wealth and prosperity.

Consort of Venkateswara, worshipped at Tiruchanur.

Krishna’s eternal consort, embodiment of divine love and devotion.

The eighth avatar of Vishnu, central to the Bhagavad Gita.

The seventh avatar of Vishnu, hero of the Ramayana.

Rama’s consort, revered for her devotion and strength.

Rama’s devoted younger brother.

Goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts.

The creator, completing the Trimurti with Vishnu and Shiva.
“திருப்பாடற்றிரட்டு” — the Sacred Collection of Foot-songs — moves the disciple from the first salutation to Vinayagar, through the long instruction of the soul, to the closing benediction: the whole arc of a spiritual journey, in a single book.

From a skill-building journal placed directly into schools, to a grocery brand built by and for the community, to a century-old Tamil teaching kept alive in weekly chant — every part of our work points back to the same three pillars.
2025
Founded at Pranavagiri
3
Pillars of work
11
Sections in our first edition
600+
Verses translated
WHAT WE DO
01
Skill-based learning, put in reach.
Skill-based education activities for students and young people, including a goal-setting journal we distribute directly into schools.
02
Livelihoods, not just handouts.
Helping entrepreneurs grow, and building our own community ventures — starting with Dia, a grocery brand launching in the Nilgiris.
03
Wisdom, carried forward.
Preserving the Tamil Siddhar teaching of Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni, and keeping the sung tradition of Thiruppugazh alive through weekly satsang.
Together, these three pillars carry the Foundation’s work into education, healthcare, rural upliftment, environmental conservation, and women’s empowerment across the communities we serve.
Gatherings & events
Chanting together, learning together, being present for one another — the Foundation’s work lives in rooms full of people. Come to one, or help us hold one.
Where we work
A Tamil Siddhar lineage carried forward in the hill villages of the Badaga community — through education, empowerment and enlightenment.
8/143, Yellanhalli, The Nilgiris – 643 243, Tamil Nadu, India
Everything we do sits where these three meet.
Hatti = a Badaga village. The ~400 figure is the estimate used in the proposed Sathru Samhaara Mahayatra across the four borders of the Nilgiris.

FEATURED PUBLICATION
Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni first gave voice to these verses in the Nilgiri hill country; the Sangam at Coonoor preserved them through the twentieth century. Now this eleven-section, 600-verse work is offered as a complete reader’s edition.
Read About the EditionGUIDED BY THE LINEAGE
Holds the lineage of Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni in its Nilgiri home, and reviewed and verified the Tamil source-text behind the Foundation’s publications.

Sri Guruprakash Swamigal
B Manihatty, The Nilgiris
Brought pastoral guidance and comparative scholarly insight that shaped both the doctrinal and devotional voice of the Foundation’s commentary work.

Sri Sachidananda Guru Naveen Sai
Sai Nivas Seva Trust, Coimbatore


STAY CLOSE TO THE WORK

An eleven-section, verse-by-verse commentary on the Thiruppadattirattu, now available to read.

Watch highlights from the Foundation’s flagship gathering at Pranavagiri.

See how the three pillars turn into a goal-setting journal, a grocery brand, and weekly satsang.
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY
Photos from our events, updates on the Library, and glimpses of daily life at Pranavagiri — follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
ON INSTAGRAM
Membership & volunteering
Create a free account to receive your member card and your own dashboard — orders, gifts, gatherings, collections and friends in one place. Then choose how you would like to serve.
Volunteer grades — see what each involves
Give
Every rupee given to the Foundation goes through Pranavagiri straight to a student’s planner, an entrepreneur’s first stock, or the next satsang — with no distance between your support and the person it reaches.
You’ll make a pledge on the next page, then complete it by bank transfer. Online card payment is coming soon.

READY TO TAKE PART?
Give your time to teaching, chant, or community events at Pranavagiri and beyond.
Get InvolvedHelp fund the publishing, education, and livelihood programs that carry this mission forward.
Ways to SupportExplore the first complete English commentary edition of the Thiruppadattirattu.
Start ReadingSatsang, puja, and community events held throughout the year at Pranavagiri.
See EventsQuestions, corrections, or partnership ideas — the committee would love to hear from you.
Contact Us
Whether through study, chant, service, or support, there’s a place for you in this work of preservation and transmission.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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