Miscellaneous - 1
Tomb of Agasthya It is plausible that "Akathiyan" (known as Agasthya in Sanskrit) does not refer to a single individual. The word "Akam" means the inner quarters (inside the citadel) of the Indus Valley cities, where the priestly elite governed. "Akathiyan" is derived from "Akam" (inside) and "An" (a male honorific suffix), indicating the chief figure or ruler within the fortified complex (or Mathilakam, as shown in figure 1). Agasthya is also believed to have been born from a jar (Kumbhayoni), and according to Mahadevan, the jar symbol in Indus scripts served as a male honorific suffix (figure 2). Even today, the term "Akaththan" in Malayalam refers to the primary male figure (husband) within a household or, in the case of a palace, the king. After the decline of the Indus Valley civilization, it is believed that the Velir clans migrated south and settled on the Malabar Coast, led by their leader, or Akathiyan. There are var...
