A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c9.14

c9.14

'It is very clear,' observes a modern student of the Agastya legends, 'that the stories of Agastya were based on historical memories. Agastya is typical of the early fighters among the Aryans in the South of India. In the Deccan, he is even now one of the most famous of holy men and is considered the oldest teacher of ancient times. A later age has transformed this first apostle of Aryan culture into a *tapasvin* and a holy man. But he must have been a brave and doughty man, a hard fighter and a keen hunter, who triumphed in the midst of barbarous enemies. And the same Agastya, the famous hunter and archer, whom, like Hercules, none could approach in eating and drinking and whose inner essence is yet traceable behind the distortions of old sagas, was a holy man somewhat of the brand of Friar Tuck in *Ivanhoe*.