AGAMA

(Sanskrit: acquisition of knowledge), any of a class of Hindu tantric writings of medieval India that are sacred texts of the Shaivites, the followers of Shiva. The agamas include the tantras, mantras, and yantras. These are treatises explaining the external worship of god, in idols, temples, etc. All the agamas deal with (1) jnana or knowledge, (2) yoga or concentration, (3) kriya or esoteric ritual, and (4) charya or exoteric worship. They correspond to the other tantric sectarian writings, the Vaishnava Samhitas and the Shakta Tantras. They are often in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and his wife Parvati. The Shaiva agamas probably began to emerge around the eighth century. For convenience, scholars discuss the texts according to the four Shaivite sects that follow the agama tradition. These are the Sanskrit school of Shaivasiddhanta, the Tamil -Shaivas, the Kashmir Shaivas, and the Virashaivas, also known as the Lingayats. Considered to be the manuals of worship, the agamas provide considerable amount of information on the earliest codes of temple building, image making, and religious procedure.