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My dear murugappan,
You have understood the controversies about the origin of the agamas. Their subsequent evolution is also not without confusions. However I try to give the picture to you as you could take it.

AGAMA AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT EVOLUTION:
The agama tradition in Saiva-Hindu philosophy is an independent school. It is possible it has its own origin in Mesopotamia and Indus valley.  Early agama texts were orally transmitted. They may have been in a proto Dravidian form. Its arrival to tamilagam and subsequent growth into proto-Tamil agamas is still shrouded in mystery.

There are references to such existence of agamas in the early Tamil texts like sangam poetries. The early Tamil agamas had four sections namely Aram (ethics), porul (logic), inbam (aesthetics) and veedu (metaphysics). (அறம்,பொருள், இன்பம்,வீடு).

The early agamas were later sanskritised. The Sanskrit phase saw the growth of agamas from a single book to about nine books by 5th century AD. The sadasiva agama of thirumoolar is the Tamil version of the nine Siva agamas.

The Siva agamas then grew into 28 and there were 250 odd upa-agamas(sub-books). There were vaisnava agamas and saktha agamas too. The jains also had agamas. The agamas do not acknowledge the Vedas as primary. They hold to the thanthra tradition while Vedas to manthra tradition.

Vedas are cosmocentric and the agamas ontocentric.  That is Vedas hold to Brahman while the agamas to the jeevan.  The Vedas revere the “parama” the agamas revere the “citha”. The citha in Tamil is siddha.  The knowledge became siddhantham (SIDDHA-ANDHAM).(சித்த- அந்தம்) .
The Vedas, Jain agamas and the proto-Dravidian Siva-agamas are a triad of mutually benefiting system of thoughts often opposed to each other . Violent clashes between Jainism and sidhantham  were seen in the south in 4-5th CE. Agamas were lost in north india due to lack of patronage from kings and later due to foreign invasions from 8th century.

The agama tradition now by and large confined to the tamilagam in India. The agama texts are now available in olai-suvadees (palm leave manuscripts) and are kept as secrets. A few books have come out and a website devoted to the Siva agamas the www. himalayanacademy.com also have come.
The agama tradition which gave rise to the siddhantha tradition needs more exploration and their true originality has to be brought out.


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