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Iyengar (or Aiyangar) is the name of a community of Brahmins of South India whose members profess the Visishtadvaita philosophy codified by Ramanuja. The word Iyengar ( Anglicised from the Tamil ஐயங்கார்(Aiyaṅkār)) could be derived from the Tamil word Aiyā (used as a term of respect), which in turn derives from the word Arya. It could also mean "people entrusted with five tasks", referring to the five duties that traditional Iyengars perform (see [1]). The most common spelling is "Iyengar", but "Aiyangar" is the phonetically correct spelling.Although most Iyengars speak Tamil, there are also large numbers of Kannada speaking Iyengars in southern Karnataka (popularly known as Bangalore Iyengars), as well as smaller numbers of Telugu-speakers in southern Andhra Pradesh. Iyengars are primarily Vaishnavites, and as is the case with the majority of Brahmins, are also vegetarians. Today, Iyengars are divided into two sub-communities of Thenkalai and Vadakalai due to a 13th century schism between the followers of Pillai Lokacharya and those of Vedanta Desika respectively.
This article covers the Iyengars as an ethnic groupethnicity An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of either presumed cultural or biological similarities, or both. Like race and nation, the notion of ethnicity developed in the cont.
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Iyengar
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Ethnic groupethnicity An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of either presumed cultural or biological similarities, or both. Like race and nation, the notion of ethnicity developed in the cont/ CasteVarna (caste) Caste is derived from a Portuguese word for lineage, breed or race, casta''. The term caste when used in human culture is usually in conjunction with the social division in Hindu society, particularly in India. This term is also used in ento/ CommunityCommunity is a set of people (or agents in a more abstract sense) with some shared element. Also a community is a group of people or things that live in the same area. The substance of shared element varies widely, from a situation to interest to lives an of South India |
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20042004 is a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 2004 calendar), and has also been designated the: International Year of Rice International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition Elections are to be held in 73 co: (approx) 1,000,000 (roughly 1% of Tamilians) |
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ChennaiChennai in Tamil), formerly known in English as Madras is a sprawling port city on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. One of the major Metropolitan cities of India, it is also the capital of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It is India's fourth largest c: XXXX
Mayavaram: XXXX
Palghat: XXXX |
| Language |
Mother tongue is Tamil with unique Iyengar accent and dialect. Knowledge in Sanskrit for religious/traditional reasons. |
| Related ethnic groups |
Brahmin
Iyer
Iyengar
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