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{{Short description|Vedic sage}}
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{{Infobox religious biography
| name               = Agastya
| image              = AgasthiyarG.jpg
| alt                = Agasthya
| caption            = Agastya
| title              = [[Siddhar]]
| religion           = [[Historical Vedic religion]]
| spouse             = [[Lopamudra]]
| children           = Drdhasyu
| father             = 
| mother             = 
| parents            = [[Mitra (Hindu god)|Mitra]]-[[Varuna]] (father) and [[Urvashi]] (mother) or [[Pulastya]] (father) and Havirbhū (mother)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/agastya#purana | title=Agastya, Āgastya: 32 definitions | date=15 June 2012 }}</ref>
}}
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}
{{Hinduism }}
'''Agastya''' was a revered [[India]]n sage of [[Hinduism]].<ref name="Doniger1981p167">{{cite book |author=Wendy Doniger |title=The Rig Veda: An Anthology : One Hundred and Eight Hymns, Selected, Translated and Annotated |url= https://archive.org/details/rigvedapenguincl00anon|url-access=registration | year=1981| publisher=Penguin Books| isbn=978-0-14-044402-5| pages=[https://archive.org/details/rigvedapenguincl00anon/page/167 167]–168}}</ref> In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the [[Indian subcontinent]]. He is regarded in some traditions to be a [[Chiranjivi]]. He and his wife [[Lopamudra]] are the celebrated authors of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 in the [[Sanskrit]] text ''[[Rigveda]]'' and other [[Vedic literature]].<ref name="Doniger1981p167"/>{{sfn|Weiss|2009|pp=49–51}}{{sfn|Dalal|2010|pp=7–8}}

Agastya is considered to be the father of [[Siddha medicine]]. Agastya appears in numerous [[itihasa]]s and [[Puranas]] including the major ''[[Ramayana]]'' and ''[[Mahabharata]]''.{{sfn|Dalal|2010|pp=7–8}}{{sfn|Buck|2000|pp=138–139}} He is one of the seven most revered [[rishi]]s (the [[Saptarishi]]) in the Vedic texts,{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|2011|pp=285–286}} and is revered as one of the [[Tamils|Tamil]] [[Siddhar]] in the [[Shaivism]] tradition, who invented an early grammar of the [[Dravidian languages|Old Tamil language]], [[Agattiyam]], playing a pioneering role in the development of [[Tamraparni|Tampraparniyan]] medicine and spirituality at Saiva centres in proto-era Sri Lanka and South India. He is also revered in the [[Puranas|Puranic]] literature of [[Shaktism]] and [[Vaishnavism]].{{sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=166–167, 212–213, 233}} He is one of the Indian sages found in ancient sculpture and reliefs in Hindu temples of South Asia, and Southeast Asia such as in the early medieval era Shaiva temples on [[Java]] Indonesia. He is the principal figure and [[Guru]] in the ancient [[Javanese language]] text ''Agastyaparva'', whose 11th-century version survives.{{sfn|Gonda|1975|pp=12–14}}{{sfn|Rocher|1986|p=78}}

Agastya is traditionally attributed to be the author of many Sanskrit texts such as the ''Agastya Gita'' found in ''[[Varaha Purana]]'', ''[[Agastya Samhita]]'' found embedded in ''[[Skanda Purana]]'', and the ''Dvaidha-Nirnaya Tantra'' text.{{sfn|Dalal|2010|pp=7–8}} He is also referred to as '''Mana''', '''Kalasaja''', '''Kumbhaja''', '''Kumbhayoni''' and '''Maitravaruni''' after his mythical origins.{{sfn|Gonda|1975|pp=12–14}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Michael Witzel |author-link=Michael Witzel |editor=J. C. Heesterman |display-editors=etal |title=Ritual, State, and History in South Asia: Essays in Honour of J.C. Heesterman |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EtwtSZwyWpgC&pg=PA822 |year=1992|publisher=BRILL Academic |isbn=90-04-09467-9 |pages=822 footnote 105}}</ref>{{sfn|Dalal|2014|pp=187,376}}

==Etymology and nomenclature==
[[File:MET 1993 387 2 357588.jpg|thumb|Sage Agastya in seated posture. This sculpture is from [[Khmer Empire|Angkor period]], Cambodia, {{circa|975 CE}}.]]
Several different etymologies have been suggested for "Agastya". One theory states that the root is ''Aj'' or ''Anj'', which connotes "brighten, effulgent one" and links Agastya to "one who brightens" in darkness, and Agastya is traditionally the Indian name for [[Canopus]], the second most brilliantly shining star found in skies in the Indian sub-continent, next to Sirius.{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|2011|p=407}} 
A third theory links it to Indo-European origins, through the Iranian word ''gasta'' which means "sin, foul", and ''a-gasta'' would mean "not sin, not foul".<ref>Edwin Bryant and Laurie Patton (2005), The Indo-Aryan Controversy, Routledge, {{ISBN|0-700-71462-6}}, pages 252–253</ref> The fourth theory, based on folk etymology in verse 2.11 of the ''Ramayana'' states that Agastya is from ''aga'' (unmoving or mountain) and ''gam'' (move), and together these roots connote "one who is mover-of-mountains", or "mover-of-the-unmoving".{{sfn|Daniélou|1991|pp=322–323 with footnotes 5 and 6}} The word is also written as '''Agasti''' and '''Agathiyar'''.{{sfn|Shulman|2016|pp=17,25-30|ps=: "agasti, Tamil, akatti, "West Indian pea-tree", presumably the origin of the name of the Vedic sage Agastya"}}<ref name="Indian History">{{citation |title=Indian History |date=December 2006 |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill |page=240 |isbn=9780070635777 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CeEmpfmbxKEC&pg=SL1-PA240 }}</ref>

==Biography==
[[File:AgathiyarLopamudra.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Maharishi Agastya and [[Lopamudra|Lopāmudrā]]]]
Agastya is the named author of several hymns of the ''[[Rigveda]]''. These hymns do not provide his biography.<ref name="Doniger1981p167"/>{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=1674–1675}} The origins of Agastya - Pulastya, one of the Rig Vedic Saptarishis is his father. His miraculous rebirth follows a [[yajna]] being done by gods [[Varuna]] and [[Mitra]], where the celestial [[apsara]] [[Urvashi]] appears.{{sfn|Buitenen|1981|pp=187–188}} They are overwhelmed by her extraordinary sexuality and ejaculate. Their semen falls into a mud pitcher, which is the womb in which the fetus of Agastya grows. He is born from this jar, along with his twin sage [[Vasishtha|Vasistha]] in some mythologies.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hananya Goodman| title=Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XF_a3cfrcLQC&pg=PA218 |year=2012| publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-1-4384-0437-0 |pages=218–219}}</ref> This mythology gives him the name ''kumbhayoni'', which literally means "he whose womb was a mud pot".{{sfn|Buitenen|1981|pp=187–188}}{{sfn|Shulman|2014|p=65}}

Agastya is a [[Tamil Brahmin | Tamil Brahmin]] (Maraiyar) who leads an [[asceticism|ascetic]] life, educates himself, becoming a celebrated sage. His unknown origins have led to speculative proposals that the Vedic-era Agastya may have been a migrant whose ideas influenced the south.<ref>K. R. Rajagopalan (1957), "Agastya – his non-Aryan Origin", Tamil Culture, Volume VI, Number 4 (Oct. 1957), pages 286-293</ref><ref name="tamil"/><ref>{{cite book| author=Arvind Sharma |title=Hinduism as a Missionary Religion| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3J7qJA7L4xwC&pg=PA76| year=2011 | publisher=State University of New York Press| isbn=978-1-4384-3211-3| pages=76–77}}</ref>

According to inconsistent legends in the Puranic and the epics, the ascetic sage Agastya proposed to [[Lopamudra]], a princess born in the kingdom of [[Vidarbha]]. Her parents were unwilling to bless the engagement, concerned that she would be unable to live the austere lifestyle of Agastya in the forest. However, the legends state that Lopamudra accepted him as her husband, saying that Agastya has the wealth of ascetic living, her own youth will fade with seasons, and it is his virtue that makes him the right person. Therewith, Lopamudra becomes the wife of Agastya.<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03097.htm Lopamudra] [[Mahabharata|The Mahabharata]], translated by [[Kisari Mohan Ganguli]] (1883 -1896), Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section XCVII.</ref> In other versions, Lopamudra marries Agastya, but after the wedding, she demands that Agastya provide her with basic comforts before she will consummate the marriage, a demand that ends up forcing Agastya to return to society and earn wealth.<ref name="Dhand2009p110">{{cite book| author=Arti Dhand| title=Woman as Fire, Woman as Sage: Sexual Ideology in the Mahabharata| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kq1JvDXJ5EwC&pg=PA110 |year=2009| publisher=State University of New York Press| isbn=978-0-7914-7140-1| page=110}}</ref>

Agastya and Lopamudra have a son named Drdhasyu, sometimes called Idhmavaha. He is described in the ''Mahabharata'' as a boy who learns the Vedas by listening to his parents while he is in the womb, and is born into the world reciting the hymns.{{sfn|Patton|2014|p=34}}

===Agastya ashram===
Agastya had a hermitage (''[[ashram]]''), but the ancient and medieval era Indian texts provide inconsistent stories and location for this ''ashram''. Two legends place it in Northwest Maharashtra, on the banks of the river [[Godavari]], near [[Nashik]] in small towns named ''Agastyapuri'' and ''Akole''. Other putative sites mentioned in Northern and Eastern Indian sources are near [[Sangli]] in Ainwadi (Agastinagar) (Tal-khanapur)  village (Western ghats at Maharashtra), or near [[Kannauj]] (Uttar Pradesh), or in Agastyamuni village near [[Rudraprayag]] (Uttarakhand), or [[Satpura Range]] (Madhya Pradesh). In Southern sources and the North Indian ''[[Devi-Bhagavata Purana]]'', his ''ashram'' is based in Tamil Nadu, variously placed in [[Tirunelveli]], the [[Pothigai|Pothigai Hills]], or [[Thanjavur]].{{sfn|Dalal|2010|p=294}} Facing east, he penanced upon a rock at [[Kanyakumari]] immediately after the beginning of ''[[Kali Yuga]]''. It is also considered that his final resting place is in [[Agastya Malai|Agastyarkoodam]] in [[Thiruvananthapuram]].

==Textual sources==

===Vedas===
Agastya is mentioned in all the four Vedas of [[Hinduism]], and is a character in the [[Brahmana]]s, [[Aranyaka]]s, [[Upanishad]]s, epics, and many [[Purana]]s.{{sfn|Dalal|2014|pp=187,376}} He is the author of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 of the ''Rigveda'' (~1200 BCE).<ref name="Doniger1981p167"/>{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=1674–1675}} He ran a Vedic school (''gurukul''), as evidenced by hymn 1.179 of the ''Rigveda'' which credits its author to be his wife Lopamudra and his students.{{sfn|Dalal|2014|pp=187,376}} He was a respected sage in the Vedic era, as many other hymns of the ''Rigveda'' composed by other sages refer to Agastya. The hymns composed by Agastya are known for verbal play and similes, puzzles and puns, and striking imagery embedded within his spiritual message.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=359–360}}

{{Quote box
| quote = '''Agastya vedic verses'''
<poem>
With thee, O Indra, are most bounteous riches
that further every one who lives uprightly.
Now may these Maruts show us loving-kindness,
Gods who of old were ever prompt to help us.
    —''1.169.5'',
    ''Transl: Ralph T.H. Griffith''<ref>Ralph T.H. Griffith, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Rig_Veda/Mandala_1/Hymn_169 Rigveda], Mandala 1, Hymn 169, Wikisource; Sanskrit [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/ऋग्वेद:_सूक्तं_१.१६९ original]: त्वे राय इन्द्र तोशतमाः प्रणेतारः कस्य चिदृतायोः । ते षु णो मरुतो मृळयन्तु ये स्मा पुरा गातूयन्तीव देवाः ॥५॥</ref>

May we know refreshment,
and a community having lively waters.
    —''1.165.15'', ''1.166.15'', ''1.167.11'', etc. 
    ''Transl: Stephanie Jamison, Joel Brereton'';{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=359–360}} 
</poem>
| source = —''Rigveda''
 |bgcolor=#FFE0BB
 |align  = right
}}

His Vedic poetry is particularly notable for two themes.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=359–360}} In one set of hymns, Agastya describes a conflict between two armies led by gods Indra and Maruts, which scholars such as [[G. S. Ghurye]] have interpreted as an allegory of a conflict between Arya (Indra) and Dasa (Rudra).<ref name="tamil"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Govind Sadashiv Ghurye|title=Indian Acculturation: Agastya and Skanda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HLMtAAAAMAAJ|year=1977|publisher=Popular Prakashan|pages=19–20}}</ref> Agastya successfully reconciles their conflict, makes an offering wherein he prays for understanding and loving-kindness between the two. Twenty one out of the twenty seven hymns he composed in Mandala 1 of the ''Rigveda'' have his signature ending, wherein he appeals, "may each community know refreshment (food) and lively waters".{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=359–360}} These ideas have led him to be considered as a protector of both the Arya and the Dasa.<ref name=sharma135>{{cite book| author=Arvind Sharma| title=Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gDmUToaeMJ0C&pg=PA135 |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-564441-8| page=135}}</ref> However, some scholars interpret the same hymns to be an allegory for any two conflicting ideologies or lifestyles, because Agastya never uses the words Arya or Dasa, and only uses the phrase ''ubhau varnav'' (literally, "both colors").<ref name="tamil"/><ref>{{cite book|author=G.C. Pande|title=Foundations of Indian Culture, Volume 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VMf-isGALqQC&pg=PA184|year=1990|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0712-9|pages=184–186}}</ref>{{sfn|Zvelebil|1992|p=239}} The theme and idea of "mutual understanding" as a means for lasting reconciliation, along with Agastya's name, reappears in section 1.2.2 of the ''Aitareya Aranyaka'' of Hinduism.<ref>Max Muller, [https://archive.org/stream/upanishads01ml#page/170/mode/2up Aitareya Aranyaka], ''The Upanishads: Part I'', Oxford University Press, page 170</ref>

The second theme, famous in the literature of Hinduism, is a discussion between his wife Lopamudra and him about the human tension between the monastic solitary pursuit of spirituality, versus the responsibility of a householder's life and raising a family. Agastya argues that there are many ways to happiness and liberation, while Lopamudra presents her arguments about the nature of life, time and the possibility of both. She successfully seduces Agastya, in the simile filled Rigvedic hymn 1.179.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=359–360}}{{sfn|Patton|2014|pp=27–30}}

Agastya is mentioned in both the oldest and the youngest layers of the ''Rigveda'' ({{circa|1500}}–1200 BCE), such as in hymn 33 of mandala 7, which is older than mandala 1.{{sfn|Patton|1996|p=413}} He is also mentioned in the other three Vedas and the [[Vedanga]] literature such as in verses 5.13–14 of the ''[[Nirukta]]''.{{sfn|Dalal|2014|pp=187,376}}{{sfn|Patton|1996|p=413}} Agastya and his ideas are cited in numerous other Vedic texts, such as section 7.5.5 of ''Taittiriya Samhita'', 10.11 of ''Kathaka Samhita'', 2.1 of ''Maitrayani Samhita'', 5.16 of ''Aitareya Brahmana'', 2.7.11 of ''Taittiriya Brahmana'', and 21.14 of ''Pancavimsati Brahmana''.{{sfn|Daniélou|1991|pp=322–323 with footnotes 5 and 6}}

===Ramayana===
[[File:The Hindu Sage Agastya.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|A 12th-century statue of Agastya from [[Bihar]].]]
Sage Agastya is mentioned in the Hindu epic ''[[Ramayana]]'' in several chapters with his hermitage described to be on the banks of river [[Godavari]].<ref>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= [https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/62 62]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref>

In the ''Ramayana'', Agastya and Lopamudra are described as living in [[Dandaka]] forest, on the southern slopes of Vindhya mountains. Rama praises Agastya as the one who can do what gods find impossible. He is described by Rama as the sage who asked Vindhya mountains to lower themselves so that Sun, Moon and living beings could easily pass over it. He is also described as the sage who used his [[Dharma]] powers to kill demons Vatapi and Ilwala after they had jointly misled and destroyed 9,000 men.{{sfn|Buck|2000|pp=138–139}}

Agastya, according to the ''Ramayana'', is a unique sage, who is short and heavy in build, but by living in the south he balances the powers of [[Shiva]] and the weight of Kailasha and Mount Meru.{{sfn|Buck|2000|pp=139–140}} Agastya and his wife meet Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. He gives them a divine bow and arrow, describes the evil nature of Ravana and, according to William Buck, B. A. van Nooten and Shirley Triest, bids them goodbye with the advice, "Rama, demons do not love men, therefore men must love each other".{{sfn|Daniélou|1991|pp=322–323 with footnotes 5 and 6}}{{sfn|Buck|2000|pp=140–142}}

===Mahabharata===
The story of Agastya is mirrored in the second major Hindu epic ''[[Mahabharata]]''. However, instead of Rama, the story is told as a conversation between Yudhishthira and Lomasa starting with section 96 of Book 3, the ''[[Vana Parva]]'' (the Book of Forest).{{sfn|Buitenen|1981|pp=409–411}}

He is described in the epic as a sage with enormous powers of ingestion and digestion.{{sfn|Buitenen|1981|pp=187–188}} Agastya, once again, stops the Vindhya mountains from growing and lowers them and he kills the demons Vatapi and Ilvala much the same mythical way as in the ''Ramayana''. The ''Vana Parva'' also describes the story of Lopamudra and Agastya getting engaged and married. It also contains the mythical story of a war between Indra and Vritra, where all the demons hide in the sea, and the gods request Agastya for help; Agastya then drinks up the ocean, revealing the demons to the gods.{{sfn|Buitenen|1981|pp=409–411}}

===Puranas===
The [[Puranas|Puranic]] literature of Hinduism has numerous stories about Agastya, more elaborate, more fantastical and inconsistent than the mythologies found in Vedic and Epics literature of India.{{sfn|Dalal|2010|pp=7–8}} For example, chapter 61 of the ''[[Matsya Purana]]'', chapter 22 of ''[[Padma Purana]]'', and seven other Maha [[Puranas]] tell the entire biography of Agastya.{{sfn|Daniélou|1991|pp=322–323 with footnotes 5 and 6}}{{sfn|Patton|1996|p=413}} Some list him as one of the ''[[Saptarishi]]'' (seven great [[rishi]]), while in others he is one of the eight or twelve extraordinary sages of the Hindu traditions.{{sfn|Daniélou|1991|pp=317–323}} The names and details are not consistent across the different Puranas, nor in different manuscript versions of the same Purana. He is variously listed along with Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu, Bhargava, Bharadvaja, Visvamitra, Vasistha, Kashyapa, Gautama, Jamadagni and others.{{sfn|Patton|1996|pp=408–414}}

Agastya is reverentially mentioned in the Puranas of all major Hindu traditions: Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. Many of the Puranas include lengthy and detailed accounts of the descendants of Agastya and other ''Saptarishis''.{{sfn|Daniélou|1991|pp=322–323 with footnotes 5 and 6}}{{sfn|Patton|1996|pp=408–414}}

===Tamil texts===
[[File:Agasthiyar.jpg|thumb|Agathiyar, Tamil Nadu]]
In Tamil traditions, Agastya is considered as the ''father of the Tamil language'' and the compiler of the first [[Tamil language|Tamil]] grammar, called ''[[Agattiyam]]'' or ''Akattiyam''.{{sfn|Weiss|2009|pp=50–51, 81–82}}<ref name="klaus17">Klaus Klostermaier (2003), A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Oxford: Oneworld Publications, {{ISBN|1-85168-175-2}}, page 17</ref><ref name="tamil"/> Agastya has been a culture hero in Tamil traditions and appears in numerous Tamil texts.{{sfn|Shulman|2016|pp=30–31, 38–40}} Agastya learnt the Tamil language from god [[Murugan]] when he arrived in the southern Tamil country from north India.<ref>{{cite book|title=Tamil Traditions on Subrahmaṇya-Murugan|author=Kamil Zvelebil|publisher=Institute of Asian Studies|year=1991|page=23}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Companion studies to the history of Tamil literature|author=Kamil Zvelebil|publisher=Brill|year=1992|page=241}}</ref>

There are similarities and differences between the Northern and Southern (Tamil) traditions about Agastya. According to [[Iravatham Mahadevan]],<ref name="tamil">Iravatham Mahadevan (1986) [http://www.ulakaththamizh.org/JOTSpdf/030024037.pdf ''Agastya Legend and the Indus Civilization'' by கட்டுரையாளர் : ஐராவதம் மகாதேவன்  கட்டுரையாளர் பணி : Retired I.A.S, his studies pertaining to the Indus Civilization கட்டுரைப் பிரிவு : Indus Valley Signs - சிந்துவெளி குறியீடுகள் ஆய்விதழ் எண் : 030 - December 1986 பக்கங்கள்] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728142006/http://www.ulakaththamizh.org/JOTSpdf/030024037.pdf|date=28 July 2011}} pages 29 (see 24-37 for context), Journal of Tamil studies</ref> both traditions state that Agastya migrated from north to south. The Tamil text ''[[Purananuru]]'', dated to about the start of the common era, or possibly about 2nd century CE, in verse 201 mentions Agastya along with many people migrating south.<ref name="tamil"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Hiltebeitel|title=Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMFdosx0PokC&pg=PA464 |year=2009|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-34055-5|pages=463–464}}</ref>

In the northern legends, Agastya's role in spreading Vedic tradition and Sanskrit is emphasized,{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|2011|p=294}} while in southern traditions his role in spreading irrigation, agriculture and augmenting the Tamil language is emphasized.<ref name="tamil"/> In the north, his ancestry is unknown with mythical legends limiting themselves to saying that Agastya was born from a mud pitcher. In southern traditions, his descent from a pitcher is a common reference, but two alternate southern legends place him as the Caṅkam (''Sangam'') polity and is said to have led the migration of eighteen [[Vēlir]] tribes from [[Dvārakā]] to the south.<ref>{{cite book|title=Journal of Tamil Studies, Issues 29-32|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies|year=1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Romila Thapar|title=Ancient Indian Social History: Some Interpretations|publisher=Orient Blackswan|year=1978|page=224}}</ref>

The northern traditional stories, states Mahadevan, are "nothing more than a collection of incredible fables and myths", while the southern versions "ring much truer and appear to be a down to earth account of a historical event".<ref name="tamil"/> Others disagree. According to K.N. Sivaraja Pillai, for example, there is nothing in the early [[Sangam literature]] or any Tamil texts prior to about the mid 1st millennium CE that mentions Agastya.<ref>K.N. Sivaraja Pillai, [https://archive.org/stream/agastyaintamilla00sivarich#page/14/mode/2up Agastya in the Tamil Land], University of Madras, pages 15-16</ref>{{sfn|Shulman|2016|pp=26–27}} The earliest mention of the role of Agastya in Tamil language, according to Richard Weiss, can be traced to the ''Iraiyanar Akapporul'' by 8th-century Nakkirar. However, in medieval era stories of the Tamil tradition, Agastya pioneered the first ''sangam'' period that lasted 4,440 years, and took part in the second ''sangam'' period that lasted another 3,700 years.{{sfn|Weiss|2009|pp=81–82}}

The ''Tirumantiram'' describes Agastya as an ascetic sage, who came from the north and settled in the southern [[Pothigai]] mountains because [[Shiva]] asked him to. He is described as the one who perfected and loved both Sanskrit and Tamil languages, amassing knowledge in both, thus becoming a symbol of integration, harmony and learning, instead of being opposed to either.{{sfn|Weiss|2009|p=82}} According to the [[Skanda Purana]], the whole world visited the Himalayas when [[Shiva]] was about to wed [[Parvati]]. This caused the earth to tip to one side. Shiva then requested Agastya to go to the southern region to restore the equilibrium. Thus, Agastya migrated south at Shiva's behest.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas|author=Swami Parmeshwaranand|publisher=Sarup & Sons, 2001 - Puranas - 1432 pages|page=9}}</ref>

====Siddhar====
[[File:Agathiyar.JPG|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Reverence at the Agastya shrine atop the peak of [[Agastya Mala|Agastya mala]], with garlands of fruits and flowers.]]
Agastya, in Tamil Hindu traditions, is considered as the first and foremost [[Siddhar]] (Tamil: ''cittar'', Sanskrit: ''siddha''). A ''siddhar'' is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root ''sidh'' which means "to accomplish or succeed". As the first ''Siddhar'', Agastya is deemed as the first master, accomplished, the sage who perfected his knowledge of the natural and spiritual worlds. This Tamil concept has parallels to Tibetan ''mahasiddhas'', Sri Lankan Buddhist, and [[Nath]] Hindu yogi traditions of north India.{{sfn|Weiss|2009|pp=47–48}}
[[File:Sri Lobamudra Sameda Agasthiyar.jpg|thumb|Lobamudra sameda Agasthiyar Temple, A. Vallalapatti, Madurai]]
Agastya, along with Tirumular, is considered a ''siddhar'' in both philosophical and practical domains, unlike most other ''siddhar'' who are revered for their special domain of knowledge. Agastya is also unique for the reverence he has received in historic texts all over the Indian subcontinent.{{sfn|Weiss|2009|pp=47–48}}

According to Venkatraman, the ''Siddhar''-related literature about Agastya is late medieval to early modern era. In particular, all medicine and health-related Tamil text, that include Agastya as the ''Siddhar'', have been composed in and after the 15th century. According to Hartmut Scharfe, the oldest medicine siddhar Tamil text mentioning Agastya were composed no earlier than the 16th century.{{sfn|Weiss|2009|pp=49–51}}

His name is spelled as ''Agathiyar'' or ''Agasthiyar'' in some Tamil texts,<ref>{{cite book|author=Vē. Irā Mātavan̲|title=Siddha medical manuscripts in Tamil|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fyu4AAAAIAAJ| year=1984|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies|page=28}}</ref> and some consider the writer of the medical texts to be a different person.<ref>{{cite book|author=P Karthigayan|title=History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4HDDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT438|year=2016|publisher=Notion Press|isbn=978-93-5206-552-3|page=438}}</ref>

According to [[Kamil Zvelebil]], the sage Agastya, ''Akattiyan'' the [[Siddhar]], and Akatthiyar, the author of ''Akattiyam'', were three or possibly four different persons of different eras, who over time became fused into one single person in the Tamil tradition.{{sfn|Zvelebil|1992|pp=237-238 with note 2}}

===Buddhist texts===
Several Buddhist texts mention Agastya. Just like early Buddhist texts such as ''Kalapa'', ''Katantra'' and ''Candra-vyakarana'' adapting Panini, and Asvaghosa adopting the more ancient Sanskrit poetic methodology as he praises the [[Buddha]], Agastya appears in 1st millennium CE Buddhist texts. In Tamil texts, for example, Akattiyan is described as the sage who learnt Tamil and Sanskrit grammar and poetics from Avalokitan (another name for Buddha-to-be [[Avalokiteśvara]]).{{sfn|Monius|2001|pp=133–135}}<ref>{{cite book|author=John Clifford Holt|title=Buddha in the Crown: Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aT3AMR8g1gEC&pg=PA68| year=1991|publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-536246-6|pages=68–69}}</ref>

[[File:Agastya.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|The left Indonesian statue shows Agastya with Shiva's trident, as a divine sage of [[Shaivism]]. Agastya iconography is common in southeast Asian temples.<ref name="Klokke2003p21">{{cite book|author1=Ann R. Kinney|author2=Marijke J. Klokke|author3=Lydia Kieven|title=Worshiping Siva and Buddha: The Temple Art of East Java |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sfa2FiIERLYC&pg=PA21 |year=2003|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2779-3|pages=21–25}}</ref><ref name="Glover2008p109">{{cite book|author1=Peter Sharrock|author2=Ian C. Glover|author3=Elizabeth A. Bacus| title=Interpreting Southeast Asia's Past: Monument, Image and Text| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HiSUl9aN88MC&pg=PA109 |year=2008| publisher=National University of Singapore Press|isbn=978-9971-69-405-0|pages=109–110}}</ref>]]
According to [[Anne E. Monius]], the ''Manimekalai'' and ''Viracoliyam'' are two of many South Indian texts that co-opt Agastya and make him a student of the Buddha-to-be.{{sfn|Monius|2001|pp=133–135}}

Agastya elsewhere appears in other historic Buddhist mythologies, such as the Jataka tales. For example, the Buddhist text ''Jataka-mala'' by Aryasura, about the Buddha's previous lives, includes Agastya as the seventh chapter.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Āryaśūra|translator=Peter Khoroche|title=Once the Buddha Was a Monkey: Arya Sura's "Jatakamala"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5TxenuXB6NEC|year=2006|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-78215-7|pages=39–46}}</ref> The ''Agastya-Jataka'' story is carved as a relief in the [[Borobudur]], the world's largest early medieval era [[Mahayana]] Buddhist temple.<ref>{{cite book|author= Helena A. van Bemmel|title=Dvarapalas in Indonesia: Temple Guardians and Acculturation|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kNlt08SXW48C |year=1994| publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-90-5410-155-0|page=35}}</ref>

===Javanese and Indian texts===
Agastya is one of the most important figures in several medieval-era Southeast Asian inscriptions, temple reliefs and arts. He was particularly popular in Java due to his teaching of

Saiva Siddhanta was easily accepted into the Javanese society. He introduced the Vedic science and the Pallavan Grantha script, but his popularity declined when Islam started to spread throughout the islands of Indonesia. He is also found in Cambodia, Vietnam and other regions. The earliest mentions of Agastya are traceable to about the mid 1st millennium CE, but the 11th-century Javanese language text ''Agastya-parva'' is a remarkable combination of philosophy, mythology and genealogy attributed to sage Agastya.{{sfn|Gonda|1975|pp=12–14}}{{sfn|Monius|2001|pp=113–114, 207–208}}

The ''Agastya-parva'' includes Sanskrit verse (''shlokas'') embedded within the Javanese language. The text is structured as a conversation between a ''Guru'' (teacher, Agastya) and a ''Sisya'' (student, Agastya's son Drdhasyu).{{sfn|Gonda|1975|p=14}} The style is a mixture of didactic, philosophical and theological treatise, covering diverse range of topics much like Hindu Puranas. The chapters of the Javanese text include the Indian theory of cyclic existence, rebirth and [[samsara]], creation of the world by the churning of the ocean (''samudra manthan''), theories of the [[Samkhya]] and the [[Vedanta]] school of [[Hindu philosophy]], major sections on god [[Shiva]] and [[Shaivism]], some discussion of [[Tantra]], a manual-like summary of ceremonies associated with the rites of passage and others.{{sfn|Gonda|1975|p=14}}

While the similarities between the ''Agastya-parva'' text and classical Indian ideas are obvious, according to [[Jan Gonda]], the Indian counterpart of this text in Sanskrit or Tamil languages have not been found in Indonesia or in India.{{sfn|Gonda|1975|p=15}} Similarly other Agastya-related Indonesian texts, dated to be from the 10th to 12th centuries, discuss ideas from multiple sub-schools of Shaivism such as theistic Shaivasiddhanta and monistic Agamic Pashupata, and these texts declare these theologies to be of equal merit and value.{{sfn|Gonda|1975|p=15}}

[[File:Agastya statue in southern niche of Sambisari temple.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Agastya on south side of the 9th-century Javanese [[Sambisari]] temple unearthed from volcanic mud.]]
Agastya is common in medieval-era Shiva temples of Southeast Asia, such as the stone temples in Java ([[Candi of Indonesia|candi]]). Along with the iconography of Shiva, Uma, Nandi and Ganesha who face particular cardinal directions, these temples include a sculpture, image or relief of Agastya carved into the southern face.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Peter Sharrock|author2=Ian C. Glover|author3=Elizabeth A. Bacus|title=Interpreting Southeast Asia's Past: Monument, Image and Text|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HiSUl9aN88MC&pg=PA104|year=2008|publisher=National University of Singapore Press|isbn=978-9971-69-405-0|pages=104–109}}</ref> The Shiva shrine in the largest Hindu temple complex in southeast Asia, [[Prambanan]], features four cellae in its interior. This central shrine within Prambanan group of temples dedicates its southern cella to Agastya.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ooi |first=Keat Gin |author-link=Keat Gin Ooi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&pg=PA1101 |title=Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-57607-770-2 |pages=1101–1102}}</ref>

The Dinoyo inscription, dated to 760 CE, is primarily dedicated to Agastya. The inscription states that his older wooden image was remade in stone, thereby suggesting that the reverence for Agastya iconography in southeast Asia was prevalent in an older period.<ref>{{cite book|author=Nicholas Tarling|title=The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia: Volume 1, From Early Times to c. 1800|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rOw8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA313|year=1992|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-35505-6|page=313}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Veronique Degroot|author2=Marijke J. Klokke|title=Materializing Southeast Asia's Past: Selected Papers from the 12th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5rGBgAAQBAJ |year=2013|publisher=National University of Singapore Press|isbn=978-9971-69-655-9|pages=116 note 1}}</ref> In [[Cambodia]], the 9th-century king Indravarman, who is remembered for sponsoring the building of a large number of historic temples and related artworks, is declared in the texts of this period to be a descendant of sage Agastya.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jean Ph. Vogel|title=India antiqua|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GckUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA45|year=1947|publisher=Brill Archive|pages=45–46}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Lesya Poerbatjaraka|title=Agastya in den archipel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2LITAQAAIAAJ|year=1926|publisher=Universiteit te Leiden (Republished by BRILL)|pages=1–5 |oclc= 5841432}}</ref>

===Agastya Samhita===
{{Main|Agastya Samhita}}

''Agastya Saṁhitā'' (literally: "Agastya's Compendium") is the title of several works in Sanskrit, attributed to Agastya.

One of those works is the ''Agastya Samhita'', sometimes called the ''Sankara Samhita'', a section embedded in the ''[[Skanda Purana]]''.{{sfn|Dalal|2010|pp=7–8}} It was probably composed in late medieval era, but before the 12th-century.<ref name="banerji121">{{cite book|author=Sures Chandra Banerji|title=A Companion to Sanskrit Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JkOAEdIsdUsC&pg=PA121|year=1989|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0063-2|page=121}}</ref> It exists in many versions, and is structured as a dialogue between [[Kartikeya|Skanda]] and Agastya. Scholars such as [[Moriz Winternitz]] state that the authenticity of the surviving version of this document is doubtful because Shaiva celebrities such as Skanda and Agastya teach [[Vaishnavism]] ideas and the bhakti (devotional worship) of [[Rama]], mixed in with a tourist guide about Shiva temples in [[Varanasi]] and other parts of India.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Moriz Winternitz|author2=V. Srinivasa Sarma|title=A History of Indian Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JRfuJFRV_O8C |year=1996|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0264-3|pages=545–546}}</ref>{{sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=234–237, 228–229}}

===Agastimata===
Agastya is attributed to be the author of ''Agastimata'', a pre–10th-century treatise about gems and diamonds, with chapters on the origins, qualities, testing and making jewellery from them.<ref name=banerji121/><ref>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Gems and Gemology|year=2009|page=10|author=Mohsen Manutchehr-Danai| publisher=Berlin: Springer| isbn= 978-3-540-72795-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Louis Finot|title=Les lapidaires indiens|url=https://archive.org/details/leslapidairesin00finogoog |year=1896|publisher=Champion|language=sa, fr|pages=[https://archive.org/details/leslapidairesin00finogoog/page/n148 77]–139}}</ref> Several other Sanskrit texts on gems and [[lapidary]] are also credited to Agastya in the Indian traditions.<ref>{{cite book|author=Louis Finot|title=Les lapidaires indiens|url=https://archive.org/details/leslapidairesin00finogoog |year=1896|publisher=Champion|language=sa, fr|pages=xiv–xv with footnotes}}</ref>

===Others===
Other mentions of Agastya include:
*''[[Bṛhaddevatā]]'' in section 5.134.{{sfn|Daniélou|1991|pp=322–323 with footnotes 5 and 6}}
*The [[Lalita sahasranama]] of [[Shaktism]] tradition of Hinduism, which describes the 1000 names of the goddess [[Tripura Sundari|Lalita]] is a part of the ''[[Brahmanda Purana]]''. It is presented as a teaching from Hayagriya (an avatar of [[Vishnu|Viṣṇu]]) to Agastya.{{sfn|Dalal|2010|p=221}}
*Agastya is credited as the creator of the [[Aditya Hridayam|Āditya Hṛdayam]] (literally, "heart of the sun"), a hymn to [[Surya|Sūrya]] he told Rama to recite, so that he may win against Ravana. Scholars such as John Muir questioned this hymn since the need for a such a hymn by Rama implies doubts about his divine nature.<ref>{{cite book|author=John Muir|title=Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India|url=https://archive.org/details/originalsanskri02muirgoog|year=1873|publisher=Trübner|page=[https://archive.org/details/originalsanskri02muirgoog/page/n493 473]}}</ref>
*''Lakshmi Stotram'' and ''Saraswati Stotram''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Theodor Aufrecht|title=Florentine Sanskrit Manuscripts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mc27AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA152|year=1892|publisher=G. Kreysing|page=152}}</ref>
*The Tamil text ''Pattuppattu'' states Agastya to be master of ''icai'' (music, song).{{sfn|Zvelebil|1992|p=245}}
* [[Kalidasa]], in his ''[[Raghuvaṃśa]]'' (6.61) states that Agastya officiated the [[Ashvamedha|horse sacrifice]] of a [[Pandya kingdom|Pandya]] king of [[Madurai]].{{sfn|Shulman|2016|p=26}}
*One of the authors of [[Nadi astrology|Nadi Shastra / Nadi astrology]]

==Legacy==

===Temples===
Temples for Agastya are found in Tamil Nadu. In [[Thirunelveli District]],

* A temple for Agastyar on top of [[Agastya Mala]]
* Agastheeswarar temple in [[Ambasamudram]] 
* Agastheeswarar temple in [[Kallidaikurichi]]
* Sri Agasthiyar Temple at [[Agasthiyar Falls]] (Kalyana Theertham) in [[Papanasam]]

In [[Madurai District]],

* Sri Lobamudra Samedha Agasthiyar Temple in the Arulmigu Chidambara Vinayagar Thirukoil at [[Vellalapatti]] (7&nbsp;km from [[Alagarkovil]]).

Agastya statues or reliefs feature in numerous early medieval temples of north India, south India and Southeast Asia. One famous Agastya temple is also located in Uttarakhand in the town of Agastyamuni. The town derived its name from the name of Sage Agastya. The ''Dasavatara temple'' in [[Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh|Deogarh]] (Uttar Pradesh, near Madhya Pradesh border) features a 6th-century [[Gupta Empire]] era Agastya carving.<ref name="Bemmel1994p35">{{cite book|author=Helena A. van Bemmel|title=Dvarapalas in Indonesia: Temple Guardians and Acculturation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kNlt08SXW48C&pg=PA35|year=1994|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-90-5410-155-0|pages=35–37, 41–44, 60}}</ref> In [[Karnataka]] similarly, he is reverentially shown in several 7th-century temples such as the Mallikarjuna temple in Mahakuta and the Parvati temple in Sandur. He is a part of many Chalukya era Shaivism temples in the Indian subcontinent peninsula.<ref name="Bemmel1994p35"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Douglas E. Barrett|title=The dancing Siva in early south Indian art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rw83AQAAIAAJ|year=1976|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0856721328|page=15}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=James C. Harle|title=Temple Gateways in South India: The Architecture and Iconography of the Cidambaram Gopuras|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iZ5NAAAAYAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal|isbn=978-81-215-0666-3|page=135}}</ref>

The artistic iconography of South Asian and Southeast Asian temples show common themes such as he holding a pitcher, but also differences. For example, Agastya is featured inside or outside of the temple walls and sometimes as a guardian at the entrance (''dvarapala''), with or without a potbelly, with or without a receding hairline, with or without a dagger and sword.<ref name="Bemmel1994p35"/> Rock cut temples and caves, such as the 8th-century Pandya rock temples group, show Agastya.<ref name="Bemmel1994p35"/>

===Literature===
The shrine to Agastya at the Pothigai hill source of the river is mentioned in both [[Ilango Adigal]]'s ''[[Silappatikaram]]'' and [[Chithalai Chathanar]]'s ''[[Manimekhalai]]'' epics.<ref>Ameresh Datta. Sahitya Akademi, 1987 - Indic literature. Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo. pp 115</ref>

Similarly, the Sanskrit plays ''[[Anargharāghava]]'' and [[Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet)|Rajasekhara]]'s ''Bālarāmāyaṇa'' of the 9th century refer to a shrine of Agastya on or near [[Adam's Peak]] (Sri Pada), the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka (ancient [[Tamraparni]]), from whence the river Gona Nadi/Kala Oya flows into the Gulf of Mannar's [[Puttalam Lagoon]].<ref name="Mendis 20062">{{cite book|last=Mendis|first=G.C.|title=Early History of Ceylon|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=2006|isbn=81-206-0209-9|edition=Reprint|page=386|chapter=The ancient period}}<!--|access-date=2009-11-06--></ref>

===Martial arts===
Maharishi Agastya is regarded as the founder of [[Silambam]], an [[Indian martial arts|Indian martial art]] from [[Tamil Nadu]], and ''[[Varma kalai|varmam]],'' an ancient science of healing using varmam points for varied diseases which is also utilized by practitioners of the southern form of [[Kalaripayattu]], an Indian martial art from [[Kerala]].<ref name="Zarilli1998">{{cite book |last=Zarrilli |first=Phillip B. |title=When the Body Becomes All Eyes: Paradigms, Discourses and Practices of Power in Kalarippayattu, a South Indian Martial Art |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford}}</ref> [[Murugan]], the son of [[Shiva]], is said to have taught ''varmam'' to Agastya, who then wrote treatises on it and passed it on to other [[siddhar]].<ref>Luijendijk, D.H. (2005) ''Kalarippayat: India's Ancient Martial Art'', Paladin Press</ref><ref name="Zarilli 92">Zarrilli 1992</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|India|Hinduism}}
* [[Siddhar]]s
* [[Tirumular]]
* [[Tamil Thai]]

== References ==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book| first=Alf|last=Hiltebeitel| title=Reading the Fifth Veda: Studies on the Mahābhārata - Essays by Alf Hiltebeitel |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lLfHSOWKB-sC |year=2011 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-18566-1 }}
* {{cite book |first=Alain|last= Daniélou |author-link=Alain Daniélou |title=The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1HMXN9h6WX0C&pg=PA322 |year=1991 |publisher=Inner Traditions |isbn=978-0-89281-354-4 }}
* {{cite book |first=Anne E.|last= Monius |author-link=Anne E. Monius|title=Imagining a Place for Buddhism: Literary Culture and Religious Community in Tamil-Speaking South India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CvetN2VyrKcC&pg=PA134 |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-803206-9 }}
* {{cite book |first=David|last=Shulman |author-link=David Dean Shulman |title=Tamil Temple Myths: Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=d97_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA65|year=2014 |publisher=Princeton University Press| isbn=978-1-4008-5692-3}}
* {{cite book |first=David|last=Shulman |title=Tamil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_KkzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |year=2016 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-05992-4 |page=25 }}
* {{cite book| first=J. A. B.|last=van Buitenen |title=The Mahabharata, Volume 2: Book 2: The Book of Assembly; Book 3: The Book of the Forest| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=2QG_ZgsM13IC |year=1981 |publisher=University of Chicago Press| isbn=978-0-226-84664-4|ref={{sfnref|Buitenen1981}}}}
* {{cite book |first=Jan|last= Gonda |title=Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 3 Southeast Asia, Religions, Religionen |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=X7YfAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA13 |year=1975 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=90-04-04330-6 }}
* {{cite book |first=Kamil|last= Zvelebil |title=Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qAPtq49DZfoC&pg=PA239 |year=1992 |publisher=BRILL Academic |isbn=90-04-09365-6 }}
* {{cite book |first=Laurie|last= Patton |editor=Julia Leslie |title=Myth and Mythmaking: Continuous Evolution in Indian Tradition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7LKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA27 |year=2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-136-77888-9 }}
* {{cite book |first=Laurie|last= Patton |title=Myth as Argument: The Br̥haddevatā as Canonical Commentary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=10a0lfJypoYC&pg=PA413 |year=1996 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-013805-4 }}
* {{cite book |first=Ludo|last= Rocher |title=The Purāṇas |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=n0-4RJh5FgoC |year=1986 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-02522-5}}
* {{cite book| first=Richard S |last=Weiss |title=Recipes for Immortality: Healing, Religion, and Community in South India| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ges6XgLkffEC | year=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-971500-8 }}
* {{cite book|first=Roshen|last= Dalal |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC |year=2010 |publisher =Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-341421-6 }}
* {{cite book |first=Roshen|last= Dalal |title=The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism's Sacred Texts |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UCEoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT376 |year=2014 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-81-8475-763-7 }}
* {{cite book |first1=Stephanie W.|last1= Jamison |author-link=Stephanie W. Jamison |first2=Joel P.|last2=Brereton |title=The Rigveda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-PRAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1674 |year=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-937018-4 }}
* {{cite book |first=William|last= Buck |title=Ramayana |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wzg6wFJ5xwC&pg=PA138 |year=2000 |publisher=University of California Press| isbn=978-0-520-22703-3}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* T. Burrow (1958). "Sanskrit and Pre-Aryan Tribes and Languages,"The Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (Reprinted in collected papers on Dravidian Linguistics, Annamalai University,1968.)
*''[[Murray Barnson Emeneau]]. 1954''Linguistic Prehistory of India," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society vol.98 P.282(Reprinted in Collected Papers, Annamalai University,1967.)
*''[[Murray Barnson Emeneau]]'' 1956"India As aLinguistic Area," Language, Vol.32, P. 3(Reprinted in Collected Papers,1967).
* G. S. Ghurye (1977). [http://www.sociologyguide.com/indian-thinkers/g-s-ghurye.php Indian Acculturation : Agastya and Skanda], Popular Prakashan, Bombay.
* A. B. Keith and A. A. MacDonnell (1912). "A Vedic Index of Names and Subjects" (2 Vols., Reprint 1967)
* F. E. Pargiter (1922). Ancient India Historical Tradition(Reprint 1962)
*[[R. Raghava Iyengar|Raghava Iyengar]], M.1913 Velir Varalaru (in Tamil),3rd ed. 1964.
*[[R. Raghava Iyengar]], R.1941 Tamil Varalaru (in Tamil), Annamalai, University (Reprint 1978 )
*''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'' ({{ISBN|0-500-51088-1}}) by Anna Dhallapiccola
*''Sanskrit-English Dictionary'' ({{ISBN|0-19-864308-X}}) by [[Sir Monier Monier-Williams]]
*''The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahabharata'' A new verse translation by W.J. Johnson
*''The Epic Tale of Mahabharatam''
*''Dharma Bharathi'', 2007, Karnataka, India&nbsp;– Carried a series of articles on Agastya Samhita and its contents.
*Agastya, Amar Chitra Katha

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/dec252005/2174.pdf Folklore and Astronomy: Agastya a sage and a star]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140903112940/http://agastiashram.org/  Agasti Ashram Akole, Maharashtra website]

{{Hindudharma}}
{{Rishis of Hindu mythology}}
{{Ramayana}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rishis]]
[[Category:Tamil mythical figures]]
[[Category:Ancient Tamil grammarians]]
[[Category:Siddha medicine]]
[[Category:Sangam poets]]
[[Category:Missionary linguists]]
[[Category:Sages in the Ramayana]]
[[Category:Tamil poets]]
[[Category:Tamil Hindu saints]]
[[Category:Saptarishi]]