Iyengars[note 1] (also spelt Ayyangar or Aiyengar, pronounced [ɐjːɐŋɡaːr]) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja.

Iyengars are divided into two denominations, the Vadakalai and the Tenkalai and live mostly in the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

[1][2] There are several opinions regarding the etymology of the term Iyengar, which is the anglicized form of the Dravidian word Aiyaṅgār (Tamil: ஐயங்கார், pronounced [əjəŋɡɑːɾ]).

He is traditionally believed to have collected the 4,000 works of Nammalvar and other alvars,[7] the poet-saints of Southern India who were intensely devoted to Vishnu on both an emotional and intellectual plane.

[14] Ramanuja was initially a proponent of the traditional bhakti philosophy that demanded adherents have a good command of Sanskrit texts and a ritualized approach to life and devotion.

These cultures reference the perceived prominence given by the sects to the terse style of Sanskrit traditions and the lyrical Tamil Prabhandams, respectively.

[18][c] Harold Schiffman says that the linguistic schism reflects wider underlying doctrinal differences between the populist southern school and the social conservatism of the north, with Tamil historically being a language understood by the masses.

Vedic philosophy holds that the supreme goal in life is to attain the blissful state of Brahman through moksha, being the process of liberation of the suffering soul from the cycle of reincarnation.

[23] Coward considers this to be the difference between the two schools of thought,[15] and Carman says that "... both [sects] accord primacy to divine grace, but one group feels it necessary to insist that there is no human contribution at all to the attainment of salvation.

[29] Thomas Manninezhath notes an intensification of disputes at the time of Thayumanavar in the eighteenth century[30] and on other occasions legal processes have been used in attempts to settle the control of temples.

[32] Since independence, grievances and alleged instances of discrimination by Brahmins in Tamil Nadu are believed to be the main factors which fueled the Self-Respect Movement and marginalised them.

[35] Hebbar Iyengar or Hebbari Srivaishnava is a caste of Hindu Brahmins of Tamil origin whose members follow the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja.

They consist of age-old traditions, enactments, time-bound customs, as well as practices for securing kinship affiliations for the sacred initiation of the bride into her new family.