In learning about Tamil culture and history, one should never ignore the existence of Citters.

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Citters are saints who have obtained some incredible powers, and achieved a "God-like" state. They possess immense knowledge and experience in fields such as Vaithiyam (Medicine), Vatham (Alchemy), Jothidam (Astrology), Manthirigam (Tantric practices), Yogam (Meditation and Yogic exercises), as well as Gnanam (Knowledge about the Almighty).

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The philosophy of the Tamil Citters, by virtue of their mystical and enigmatic nature, has not attracted the attention of many world scholars in this field of philosophy that comes from the Tamil Tradition.

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The work of CITTER Kurukulam through its programmes offered as TYOGA gives a comprehensive and faithful presentation of the philosophy and teachings by way of practices of the Ancient Citters. Drawing upon a wide range of sources, TYOGA gives a philosophical foundation, teachings, practices and retreats for the conception of the human body, the method mysticism and the twilight language of the Citters.

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There is no English equivalent which can bring out the full significance of the term ‘siddha’. A Siddha is a yogin who has attained various supernatural powers, one who has realized Siva in himself, one who has transformed himself into Siva. In the context of the Tamil tradition, a `Siddha is a revolutionary and a non-conformist in his beliefs and practices.

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It is well known that the Tamil Citter mystics of the Civa composed their hymns in the vernacular, which is a medium convenient to both the speaker/writer and listener/reader: the former who is interested in conveying the spiritual experience can do it with ease and efficacy and the latter can assimilate the message with profit and pleasure. This does not mean that the language of the mystics is easy of comprehension; the language is suggestive and sym— bolic, paradoxical and esoteric. The language of the Citters is a ‘twilight language’ in Tamil since it combines two dimensions-the common and the uncommon, the explicit and the implicit. It is also the conversation about the Void, since it is about the supreme reality, referred to as ‘Vettaveli’ (the empty space), which is void of all qualities and specifications. The essential characteristic of the Citter language is its polysemantic nature, its multivalence, its capacity to express at the same time a number of meanings both at the level of ordinary experience and at the level of transcendence.

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Citter teachings show an insight into the fact that what is in the universe, the macrocosm, is in the human body, the microcosm. It is not, therefore, surprising that the human body is assigned great importance by the Citters. Their teachings are to be understood and interpreted in the context of the value of the human body as a medium through which one has to attain the supreme goal of unity The aim of the yogin is to transcend this duality and attain oneness with Civa;  - and the medium, however valuable it may be, has its own limitations and can never be an end in itself. To a Citter, the human body is a temple.

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Though the Citters are non-conformists in their theory and practice, they are not anti-social. They never thought that the pursuit of spirituality requires withdrawal from the world. On the contrary, they maintained that, remaining in the world, one could practise spirituality and attain unity. They were concerned with the upliftment of the human beings, and so their teachings are intended for the people. The concept of "arruppadai,”highlights the social dimension of the philosophy of the Citters.