At the time when Agastya Muni entered the region of Tamilham (Tamil + Kerala), worship of the sun was already being practiced, but most importantly, the ‘Linga Pujan’ performed here was the worship of Bhagwan’ Shiva’. Bhagwan Shiva was revered as the supreme tutelary deity, and rituals such as performing abhishek (anointing), offering flowers, offering naivedya (offering of sacred food) and singing Aarti were an essential part of Shiva pujan. The description and stories of Bhagwan Shiva were strikingly similar to that of Bhagwan’ Rudra’ in the Vedas; in fact, they were one and the same. Agastya Muni himself first learnt Tamil and with the help of elders in the region, who had some residual knowledge of Sanskrit, taught Sanskrit to the southern brethren and thus reunited the society that had been separated by the Vindhya Mountains.
Read More – The Grand History – 15
