Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, in addition to other regions of India, as well as Sri Lanka. They can be broadly divided into two denominations: Iyengars, who are adherents of Sri Vaishnavism, and Iyers, who follow the Srauta and Smarta traditions. Denominations Tamil Brahmins are divided into two major denominations: Iyers, who follow the Smartha tradition, and Iyengars, who adhere to the tradition of Sri Vaishnavism. Iyer Iyers are Srauta-Smartha Brahmins, whose members follow the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara. They are concentrated mainly along the Cauvery Delta districts of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Tiruchirapalli where they form almost 10% of the total population. However the largest population reside in Nagercoil, making up to 13% of the city's population. They are also found in significant numbers in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Thiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Palakkad, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Kannur, and Thiruvananthapuram. Iyengar The Iyengars subscribe to the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. They are divided into two denominations: Vadakalai (Northern art) and Tenkalai (Southern art), each with minor differences in religious rites and traditions. They adhere to the tradition of Sri Vaishnavism. Adi Saivas/Gurukkal Brahmins who serve as priests in temples following the Vaishnavite and Shaivite tradition and perform pujas are sometimes offered a distinct category within the community. These priests are called "Bhattar" in the Vaishnavite tradition and in the Pandya regions of Tamil Nadu, and "Gurukkal" in the shaivite tradition and in northern ones. In Kongu Nadu, they are called Adi Saivas or the Sivacharyas. They follow the Agamas and the Vedas. Notable people Sage Agastya, revered Indian sage of Hinduism, Tamil Siddhar in the Shaivism tradition, and author of Agattiyam, an early grammar of the Tamil language Viswanathan Anand, Indian Chess Grandmaster Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian classical Bharatanatyam dancer, theosophist, choreographer and an activist for animal welfare Ravichandran Ashwin, Indian cricketer K. Balachander, Indian filmmaker and playwright Maadhu Balaji, Indian actor S. Jaishankar, Indian diplomat and politician serving as the Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India since 30 May 2019 Subramania Bharati, Indian independence activist and poet Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Nobel Prize-winning Indian astrophysicist Seetha Doraiswamy, Indian carnatic multi-instrumentalist Gemini Ganesan, Indian actor Shyamala Gopalan, American-Indian biomedical scientist, Mother of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris Kamal Haasan, Indian actor Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, Indian lawyer and member