Lineage & Parampara
The spiritual and musical lines of transmission
In the Indian tradition, knowledge is transmitted through parampara— an unbroken chain of guru and disciple. Thiruvaiyaru S R Krishnan stands at the intersection of two such chains: a spiritual lineage rooted in the Sankeertana tradition, and a musical lineage now spanning four generations.
Spiritual Lineage
Swami Gnanananda Giri
Spiritual Master
Revered sage of Thapovanam near Thiruvannamalai. Root guru of the lineage.
Swami Haridoss Giri
Guruji
Thennangur, Tamil Nadu
Chief disciple of Gnanananda Giri. Spread Dakshina Sampradaya Namasankeertanam across India and the world. Built the Panduranga Temple at Thennangur. Took Jalasamadhi in 1994.
Thiruvaiyaru S R Krishnan
Sangita Acharya
Performing Nama Sankeertanam and Hari-Katha since 1959 under Guruji's guidance. Carries the tradition across four continents.
Musical Lineage
Gana-Bhushanam Brahmasri Kumaramangalam Srinivasa-Raghavan
Vakgeyakara · Mudra: 'RagaSri'
20th-century composer and musician. Father and first guru of Krishnan. The YouTube channel 'Ragasri' is named in tribute to his compositional mudra.
Thiruvaiyaru S R Krishnan
Sangita Acharya
Performing since 1955. Also trained under Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Madurai Mani Iyer, and GN Balasubramaniam.
The Krishnan Sisters
Priya · Harini · Subhapriya
Touring internationally since 1979. Known as the 'California Sisters' in India. Acclaimed Carnatic vocalists settled in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Fourth Generation
Kaanchana · Shankara · Janani · Abhaya · Raama · Keshavan · Hari
The children of all three Krishnan Sisters: Priya's children Kaanchana and Shankara; Harini's daughters Janani Krishnan-Jha and Abhaya Krishnan-Jha; and Subhapriya's sons Raama Srivatsan, Keshavan Srivatsan, and Hari Srivatsan — trained in Carnatic music and carrying the tradition into its fourth generation.