My Culture

India is a land of culture, values and ethics. Ranging from the Himalayas till the extreme south of Kanyakumari India is filled with different languages, traditions and festivals. Out of such a diverse ethnicity I belong to South India. My grandparents belong to Hassan district in Karnataka but later on shifted to Bangalore. Hassan district was the seat of the Hoysala Empire which ruled large parts of south India from Belur Halebidu as its capital during the period 1000 - 1334 CE. Today Hassan is primarily known worldwide for its Hoysala architecture and is a true treasure of about fifty sculptural marvels tucked away in several villages and towns of the district. Hassan is also well known nationally for modern technology.

Our mother tongue is Mysore Iyengar Tamil different from that spoken in Chennai. We are basically Hebbar Iyengars belonging to Bangalore. The traditional dress for young girls is half saree which is worn with a long skirt-blouse and a dupatta. For boys it’s a dhoti which is white in color. Ladies wear Madisar which is worn by the Brahmin community especially Iyers and Iyengars. Madisars are available in silk and cotton. The main God we follow is Lord Vishnu and Lord Srinivasa. A community of Hebbar Iyengars an ancient Brahmin community settled in this area for more than a thousand years. An inscription in Shantigrama indicates that the founder was a Brahmin from Kashi. Hassan Iyengars, a different Brahmin community are well known all over south Karnataka for their tasty condiment preparations like cakes, puffs, biscuits and breads etc. Iyengar bakeries are a common feature in most towns and cities of Karnataka. Its cuisine is a mix of Mysore, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts resulting in tasty specialities like midigayi pickle (small raw mango), sandige, avalakki (beaten rice), and talipittu (akki rotti made of rice flour.)

Our Guru is Guru Ramanujacharya (Alvars). We also worship Andal (Goda Devi). During the month of December Tiruppavai (a set of 30 Shlokas) are sung at home and in temples till Makkar Sankranti. Ugadi marks the beginning of our new year across Karnataka. Gokulashtami is the main festival in our community.