Thread by @GastroOneIndia

#ramanujam # modi NARENDRA DAMODARDAS MODI AS A VADAKALAI IYENGAR
The Iyer and Iyengar are two different castes of Hindu Brahmins of Tamil origin.

Iyers are followers of Adi Sankara who founded the Advaita philosophy, whereas Iyengars are followers of Sri Ramanuja who propounded the philosophy of Visishtaadvaita.

Another difference is also, in the way each of the communities drape the Pallu of the 9-yard long saree.

The Iyer’s drape it in the traditional Madisar style. In addition to that, the Iyengar women drape the pallu over their left shoulder, whereas the Iyer women drape it over their right shoulder.

The Iyengars and Ayyangars, are castes of Hindu Brahmins who are of Tamil origin and live mainly in the state of Tamil Nadu. However, some also reside in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Iyengars are further subdivided into two other religious sects called the Thenkalai and Vadakai, and it is a community that follows patrilineal descent. In fact, the Iyengar community states that it originated from the times of Sri Ramanaju in Tamil Nadu.

The Iyengars also wear a mark on their forehead which is called the Srivaishnava Urdhva Pundra and it serves as a clear distinction of their caste. Modi is seen here wearing a SUP in the Vadakalai fashion.

Iyengars are mainly concentrated in Tamil Nadu, particularly in the cities of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Srirangam. Iyengars are an ethnoreligious group of Tamil speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja.

Found mostly in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, Iyengars are divided into two sects, the Vadakalai and the Thenkalai.

As with other Brahmin communities, they are also classified based on their gotra, or patrilineal descent, and the Veda they follow. Iyengars belong to the Pancha Dravida Brahmana sub-classification of Brahmins.