Agastya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Agastya |
|
|---|---|
Agastya depicted in a statue as a Hindu sage
|
|
| Information | |
| Title | Vedic Rishi (sage), Siddha, Avatar of Brahma |
| Spouse(s) | Lopamudra |
| Children | Drdhasyu |
Agastya was a worshipped Vedic sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. 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.
According to Hindu mythology, Agastya was the name of a famous sage (rishi). The Hindu tradition states that he brought the Vedic culture to the southern part of India. He also helped in development of Tamil language. According to traditional belief, he still lives in the mountain Agasyta Malai in Tamilnadu, India.
Agastya leads an ascetic life, educates himself, becoming a celebrated sage. Scholars believe that Agastya wrote many hymns of Rigveda. He he also mentioned many times in the Vedic mythology.
There are many stories about Agastya. In the famous Hindu epic, the Ramayana, Rama (an avatar of god Vishnu) meets Agastya. Agastya gives Rama advice and his support. There are other stories about Agastya, one story tells that he forced the Vindhya mountains to bow down and another is that he drank all the waters of the ocean.
Agastya is one of the most important figures in a number of medieval era Southeast Asian inscriptions, temple reliefs and arts. He was particularly popular in Java Indonesia, till Islam started to spread throughout the islands of Indonesia.
He is also found in Cambodia, Vietnam and other regions. The earliest mention of Agastya is traceable to about the mid 1st millennium CE. Several Buddhist texts also mention Agastya.
Images for kids
-
Sage Agastya in seated posture. This sculpture is from Angkor period, Cambodia, c. 975 CE.
-
Maharishi Agastya and Lopāmudrā
-
A 12th-century statue of Agastya from Bihar.
-
Maharishi Agastya drinking the whole sea
-
Indra argues Agastya about theft of kamala flower
-
Agathiyar, Tamil Nadu
-
Reverence at the Agastya shrine atop the peak of Agastya mala, with garlands of fruits and flowers.
-
Lobamudra sameda Agasthiyar Temple, A. Vallalapatti, Madurai
-
The left Indonesian statue shows Agastya with Shiva's trident, as a divine sage of Shaivism. Agastya iconography is common in southeast Asian temples.
-
Agastya on south side of the 9th-century Javanese Sambisari temple unearthed from volcanic mud.
-
Singing Sage or Sage Agastya with a veena. Located in the Sesharaya mandapa (Sesharayar Hall) of the Ranganathaswamy Temple, in Srirangam, India, ca. 16th-18th century C.E.
See also
In Spanish: Agastia para niños
