Finding Out About Iyers and Iyengars

you heard about Tamil Iyers and Iyengars? Who areorigin of everything but cannot be defined or attributed
they? If you are not a Tamil belonging to one of thewith qualities. It is because of human ignorance that
other, you may not even realize that they have beenBrahman has been attributed with qualities in the
an important part of Indian history and culture.material world. The Iyengars who followed Ramanuja
The first step to discovering them is to find out aboutbelieve differently. They believe that the manifestations
the Tamils first. Tamils are Dravidian-speaking peoplethat we perceive in the material world are true.
mostly from the southern part of India. Most TamilsEverything however is connected to and controlled by
inhabit the state of Tamil Nadu. There are however,Brahman. Every individual soul is therefore only a part
many Tamil communities in other areas of India andof the absolute Brahman. Like other Brahmins, the Iyers
even in Sri Lanka. At one point, the Tamils of southernand Iyengars once occupied traditional roles. As
India sought political independence from India.Brahmins, they became the scholars, priests and
Some groups still continue to do so. A couple of othersteachers of the sacred scriptures. Again, like other
however are at ease with the level of independenceBrahmins, both the Iyers and Iyengars have taken in
that the Tamils enjoy.The Iyers and Iyengars arenew roles in society. Although some have still chosen
intimately connected to the history of the Tamil people.to become priests, many are now professionals in the
The Iyers and Iyengars are actually Hindu Brahminsfields of academic teaching, medicine, technology, arts,
who are said to have had the same origins. Manylaw, media and engineering. This is especially true
Iyers and Iyengars are Tamils or speak the Tamilamong those who are in other countries. The Iyers and
language. There are however some Iyers who speakIyengars have truly diversified.
Telugu and who come from Kerala, Karnataka,Aside from philosophical beliefs, Iyers and Iyengars also
Pradesh or Andrha. Some Iyengars also speak Teluguhave their own cultural rituals. It has been suggested
or Kannada and are also found in places other thanthat since they share similar origins, they also have
Tamil Nadu. Any academic source about Tamil Iyersvery similar cultural practices. It is not clear among
and Iyengars will tell you that both the Iyers andthose who are non-Brahmin however how far the
Iyengars subscribe to various major tenets ofsimilarities run. It is common knowledge though that the
Hinduism. There are however some philosophicalBrahmin class in general can be divided into many
differences between the two Brahmin groups. Thedifferent subclasses with their minor differences in
Iyers subscribe to the philosophy of Adi Shankararituals.It is reasonably safe to say though that both
which is known as Advaita. Iyengars on the other handIyers and Iyengars are strict vegetarians. Like other
believe in the philosophy supported at a later time byBrahmins they also have precise rituals on bodily
Ramanuja known as Visishtadvaita. In some sources,purification. Every Brahmin ritually cleanses himself
Iyengars are stated to have broken away from thethrough daily baths. This is especially important before
Iyers which accounts for their establishment at a laterpraying and cooking or eating.
period.There is a lot more to know about Tamil Iyers and
In the Advaita belief of the Iyers, Brahman isIyengars. Their histories, cultures and philosophies are
considered reality. All others are not real. Brahman istruly complex and rich.
furthermore considered to be everywhere and is the