Tamil scholars slam Tenkasi-to-Kashi 'Agasthya expedition'; 'no evidence sage even existed'

Researchers have criticised the Union education ministry, which is co-organising this event with the UP government, for failing to verify details on a "mythological character" before planning the trip. Moreover, mythology says Sage Agasthya travelled from the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhya range and then to Tamil Nadu in the south.

No evidence

The Federal spoke to S Saravanan, HoD of the Saiva Siddhantha department at the University of Madras, to gain clarity on references related to Agasthya and his travels.

Also read: Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 wraps up after 10 days of events to boost ancient ties

At the outset, professor Saravanan made it clear that no literary or manuscript evidence supports the existence of Sage Agasthya. In his opinion, the sage is only part of mythological narratives.

“Moreover, we cannot prove with any evidence that Agasthya ever travelled from Tenkasi to Varanasi. It is only in mythological stories we find claims that he was sent to the south from the Himalayas. The story goes that during the celestial wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvati, all the devas were present in the Himalayas and, because of their combined weight, the northern part of the land sank. Shiva sent Agasthya to the south to balance the land. This idea is being pushed to manufacture a narrative that Agasthya came from the north, but such references are absent in our texts,” he said.

Prof Saravanan also mentioned that the origins of Agasthya as an ancestral cultural figure has grown in Tamil Nadu over the years.

“In later periods, Brahminical interpretations have tried to appropriate him and recast his origins. We are not sure whether Agasthya was just one person or whether many individuals were given the same title because sage Agasthya is known for his contributions in Siddha medicine, Saiva Siddhantha, astrology and tantric practice. There is no conclusive proof of his existence or his travels," he said.

And wryly pointed out, "But what we are seeing now is not history, but an attempt to create it."

Hero of Tamil tradition

During the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 event, which included lectures related to Agasthya, organisers claimed that the programme was planned to “focus on the contributions of Rishi Agasthya, the founder of the Siddha system of Indian medicine and the first Tamil grammarian." And, they also claimed that Agasthya was the guru to many Tamil kings, including the Chola and Pandya dynasties.

Critics said that efforts to build an imagined narrative portraying Agasthya as the father of Tamil grammar and the central hero of Tamil tradition are continuing through events staged by KTS events.

Also read: Kashi Tamil Sangamam: Jaishankar, 45 envoys meet Tamil delegates at BHU

Moreover, in the aftermath of the Sangamam 3.0 event held in February this year, four books aimed at busting myths related to Sage Agasthya were published, and literary clubs in Tamil Nadu organised lectures on the subject.

First Tamil grammarian claim

Indologist R Balakrishnan, who recently presented a lecture on Agasthya, said he had examined close to 400 books related to claims about Agasthya and concluded that there is no proof of the existence of a person named Agasthya.

Speaking to The Federal, Balakrishnan said that frankly, the only Agasthya familiar to many Tamilians today is the one portrayed by yesteryear actor Seerkazhi Govindarajan in the 1972 mythological film Agathiyar.

“There is no evidence to prove the existence of Sage Agasthya. There are claims that he was the first to frame grammar for the Tamil language, which is absurd. It is even more problematic that some claim Tholkapiyar, revered as the Tamil grammarian, was the student of Agasthya,” Balakrishnan said.

Agastya in Sangam literature?

Further, he explained that Agasthya’s name does not appear even once directly in Sangam literature.

“It is merely an assumption that Agasthya is mentioned indirectly in the Sangam text Madurai Kanchi. This interpretation originates from a commentary written by Nachinarkkiniyar in the 14th century. In his commentary on Madurai Kanchi, he claims that the phrase thoṉ mudu kadavul refers to Agasthya. But in the Tamil cultural landscape, the term thoṉ mudu kadavul has always referred to either Lord Muruga or Shiva. Relying on this misinterpretation, and that too from a commentary written in the 14th century, there is no justification for claiming that Agasthya authored Tamil grammar," he said, dismissing the claim.

'Belittling Tamil'

Further, he added that this must be understood as "cultural politics". While claiming to celebrate the Tamil language, what is actually being done is the belittling of Tamil by circulating fabricated stories using the character Agasthya, asserted Balakrishanan.

Also read: Kashi Tamil Sangamam's 3rd edition set for February 15-24: Dharmendra Pradhan

Acclaimed writer KN Sivaraja Pillai, who is the author of the book Agastya in Tamil Land in 1932, had argued in his book that the character Agasthya has been improvised over the years.

“It is very likely that the first Agasthya was a historical character, but the subsequent Agasthyas were all the result of popular imagination catching hold of an ancient hero and spinning various stories around him. In a situation, where a solitary hypothesis is insufficient to account for all the facts, is it not a violation of legitimate scientific procedure to go on creating Agasthyas ad libitum to suit the multiplicity of historical circumstances that are turning up?" he had asked.

"If anywhere, here is where the necessary pruning, insisted upon by the old logician, should be effected,” wrote Sivaraja Pillai in the book.

KTS organisers fail to respond

Meanwhile, when The Federal contacted the organisers of KTS at IIT Madras and questioned them on the purpose of the Sage Agasthya expedition. The reply was succinct without any elaboration: “The ‘Agasthya Expedition’ of KTS 4.0 plans to visit places associated with Sage Agasthya.”

However, when asked about the evidence to establish the existence of Sage Agasthya, they did not respond to the email. There was also no response to questions sent to the KTS organisers about criticism from literary groups and experts who argued that KTS is organising a trip based on a figure whose existence has not been proven.

Several phone calls made to reach the organisers also went unanswered. The Federal will publish the responses from the KTS organisers once they are made available.

A Press Information Bureau release on the event, however, said the trip is part of the month-long cultural programme intended to promote intellectual confluence and to celebrate the "timeless bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi".