Mysuru: Senior Advocate O. Sham Bhat said that Maharshi Agastya, a revered sage of Hinduism, has contributed a lot to different fields such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Science, Siddha Medicine, Languages, Grammar, etc.

Sham Bhat was delivering a special lecture on the topic  ‘Indian traditional knowledge and Maharshi Agastya,’ at a programme organised jointly by the Government Ayurveda Medical College and Hospital, Centre of Excellence for Classical Kannada Studies (CECKS) and  Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), as part of Kashi Tamil Sangam at Government Ayurveda Medical College and Hospital premises on Sayyaji Rao Road here recently.

Pointing out that Maharshi Agastya is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian sub-continent, Sham Bhat said that Agastya is also considered as the Father of Siddha Medicine.

‘Agastya appears in numerous history and Puranas including Ramayana and Mahabharata. He is one of the 7 most revered Rishis (Saptarshis) in the Vedic texts. He is also revered in the puranic literature of Shaktism and Vaishnavism,’ he said, adding that the footprint of the great Maharshi can be seen in almost every field.

Dr. Anjaneya Murthy spoke on the topic ‘The contributions of Agastya Muni in Siddha Medicine.’

CIIL Director Prof. Shylendra Mohan, Mysuru Government Ayurveda College Principal (In-Charge) Dr. Srivatsa, CECKS Planning Director Prof. N.M. Talwar, Dr. Vasudev Chate, Dr. Sannapapaiah and others                                  were present.