About the Foundation
A tributary of one Tamil mystical river
Skanda Dia Foundation was founded in 2025 at Pranavagiri, in the village of Yellanhalli, high in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu.
HOW THIS BEGAN
A tributary of one Tamil mystical river
Skanda Dia Foundation was founded in 2025 at Pranavagiri, in the village of Yellanhalli, high in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu — the same upland country where Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni once gave voice to the Thiruppadattirattu. That overlap of landscape isn’t incidental; it’s why this work feels less like starting something new, and more like continuing something already begun.
That work began, fittingly, with a book. Our first undertaking was a complete English commentary edition of the Thiruppadattirattu, prepared with the guidance and verification of the lineage’s living custodians — so that its teaching could reach readers who might otherwise never encounter it in the original Tamil.
When Poverty Ends, Love Begins.
2025
Founded at Pranavagiri
3
Pillars of work
11
Sections translated
3
Committee members
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Three pillars, one mission
Skanda Dia Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to empowering communities through education, sustainable development, and holistic wellbeing — rooted in compassion, innovation, and inclusivity.
Education
Skill-based education activities for students and young people, including a goal-setting journal we distribute directly into schools.
Empowerment
Helping entrepreneurs grow, and building our own community ventures — starting with Dia, a grocery brand launching in the Nilgiris.
Enlightenment
Preserving the Tamil Siddhar teaching of Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni, and keeping the sung tradition of Thiruppugazh alive through weekly satsang.
ENLIGHTENMENT, IN PRACTICE
Preserve. Study. Transmit. Serve.
Preserve
Safeguard Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni’s verses, and the doctrinal, yogic, and devotional meaning layered inside them, for the generations who come after us.
Study
Prepare commentary, verse by verse, that opens that layered meaning to any sincere reader, whatever their background.
Transmit
Keep the sung tradition alive through weekly Thiruppugazh chanting, carried both in person and online.
Serve
Turn spiritual practice outward, into practical service for the community around Pranavagiri.
THE LINEAGE
Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni
The Thiruppadattirattu is the sacred utterance of Sri Sarguru Nadha Mahamuni, received and preserved through the twentieth century by the Sri Sarguru Sarva Samarasa Sangam at Gandhi Nagar, Coonoor. Its teaching flows through Tirumūlar, Maṇikkavāsakar, Vallalār, and the wider Tamil Siddhar canon.
Sri Guruprakash Swamigal
B Manihatty, The Nilgiris
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 Sachidananda Guru Naveen Sai
Sai Nivas Seva Trust, Coimbatore
Brought pastoral guidance and comparative scholarly insight that shaped both the doctrinal and devotional voice of the Foundation’s commentary work.
OUR COMMITTEE
Stewardship
President
Mr K Yeswanth
Yellanhalli, The Nilgiris
Secretary
Mr B Karthikeyan
Treasurer
Mrs B Saraswathi
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
A word from our leadership
“When Poverty Ends, Love Begins — that belief is what this Foundation was built on. My hope is that every child who fills out our goal-setting journal, every volunteer who gives an afternoon, and every reader who opens the Thiruppadattirattu carries a little more of that belief forward.”
Yeswanth
Founder
“Real change in the Nilgiris won’t come from outside — it will come from the people who already live here, given the right tools and the right push. That’s what Empowerment means to me: livelihoods people build and keep for themselves, not handouts.”
Karthick
Co-Founder
“I’ve seen how a single act of guidance — a mentor, a teacher, a kind word at the right moment — can change the direction of a young person’s life. As a Trustee, my role is to make sure this Foundation keeps offering exactly that, responsibly and for the long term.”
Saraswathi
Trustee
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY
Stay connected
Photos from our events, updates on the Library, and glimpses of daily life at Pranavagiri — follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.