AGAMA

Sanskrit Agama (acquisition of knowledge), any of a class of Hindu tantric writings of medieval India that are sacred texts of the Saivites, or followers of Siva. They correspond to the other tantric sectarian writings, the Vaisnava samhitas and the Sakta tantras. They are often in the form of a dialogue between Siva and his wife Parvati. The Saiva agamas probably began to emerge about the 8th century. For convenience, scholars discuss the texts according to the four Saivite sects that follow the agamic tradition. These are the Sanskrit school of Saivasiddhanta, the Tamil Saivas, the Kashmir Saivas, and the Virasaivas, who are also known as the Lingayats. The agamas provide a considerable amount of information on the earliest codes of temple building, image making, and religious procedure. (genus Agama), any of about 60 species of lizards belonging to the family Agamidae (suborder Sauria). They are rather unspecialized lizards about 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 inches) long exhibiting little development of crests or dewlaps. They inhabit rocky desert areas throughout Africa, southeastern Europe, and central India. Although they are usually brown or gray, males undergo a conspicuous colour change during mating season, turning bright red, blue, and shades of yellow; in some species females are known to court males. Agamas, which lay from 2 to 20 eggs per clutch, may hatch several clutches in one year. Agama agama, a common gray lizard with a red or yellow head, is well adapted to gardens and to the bush and grasslands. The hardun, A. stellio, which is common in northern Egypt, has a tail ringed with spiked scales, giving it a ferocious appearance.