The origin of this puranic tale can be traced to the Indian epic Mahabharata, and there are some places in south India, which may have some connection with the story. Lomosa muni narrated the story of Illava and Vatapi to Yudhisthir during their conversation in exile. According to the local tradition, it is believed that Badami (earlier name was Vatapi), the capital of the Chalukya dynasty, was the territory of those two demon brothers (in Karanataka).
In Vilivakkam (Tamilnadu), there is a temple of Lord Shiva known as Agastheeswarar Temple. It is said that sage Agasthya killed two asura brothers Vilvalan and Vatapi in Vilivakkam (earlier name was Vilva aranyam) and then worshipped Lord Shiva to cleanse himself of the sin of blood spilling (Brahmmahati dosa). The event of destroying the asuras by the sage Agasthya is celebrated every year on Vaikasi Brahmmotsavam at Vilivakkam.
There is another village, Arthamuru, in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Local people believe that this was the place where Agasthya killed the Asura brothers.
In ancient Hindu religious scriptures, Agasthya muni was considered one of the most revered rishis (sages) . Once, Agasthya muni went to the devlok (swarga or heaven). On his way, he saw some men hanging upside down in a canyon. On asking, they said that they were his ancestors (pitri purushas). As Agasthya had no son, they would not get libation in the future, and hence they had a fear of falling into hell. They advised Agasthya to marry and propagate to save the ancestors and himself as well.
Hence, Agasthya went to the king of Vidarbha in search of a suitable bride. The king had a daughter, Lopamudra. She was intelligent, wise, graceful, and good-looking. Though the king was extremely respectful of the sage, he was not willing to give his daughter's hand to a poor hermit in marriage. Lopamudra expressed her own willingness to be in this union, after understanding her parents' feelings. She said that her youth was like a season and would fade away with time, but the wisdom and virtues of the sage were eternal.
Although Lopamudra was a devoted wife and took care of her husband with love and dedication, she imposed a condition on Agasthya. She told him that to have a son he had to make some wealth first.
Agasthya agreed and went to a benevolent king to ask for some wealth. But the king himself was in dire need of wealth, as his treasury was nearly empty. So Agasthya went to a second king and asked the first king to accompany him. The second king was also in the same condition. His treasury was nearly empty as well. Therefore, Agasthya and both the kings went to see a third king, only to find out that he was also financially broken, just like the other two. Now Agasthya became impatient and asked the third king if he knew anyone who had enough wealth to donate to the rishi a considerable sum. The king told him that there were two asura brothers, Vatapi and Illava, who had enormous wealth. So Agasthya decided to pay a visit to their adobe.
Vatapi and Illava were two notorious asuras proficient in maya (magic). Vatapi had the special power of transforming himself into any animal, whereas Illava knew the Mritasanjeevani mantra, which could conjure any dead being. They used to pretend to be kind and benevolent. They used to offer food and shelter to any traveller who had unknowingly entered their territory. Vatapi used to change himself to a goat, and Illava used to kill his brother to cook meat for the guests. The guests used to eat the meat without any suspicion, and then Illava would chant the Mritasanjeevani mantra and ask Vatapi to come out. Vatapi used to come out, tearing the bellies of the travellers, killing them in the process.
When Agasthya went to Illava and Vatapi, they thought to play the trick again. They agreed to pay tribute to the sage and offered him lunch. To prepare the lunch, Illava slaughtered Vatapi. The accompanying kings were astonished to see the sacrifice of Vatapi for the hungry guests. But Agasthya understood everything. He told the accompanying kings not to eat anything, and he himself ate all the meat alone (in the era of this story, Brahmins and rishis used to eat meat) and, with satisfaction, uttered "Vatapi, jeerno bhava" (Vatapi, be digested).
Hence, this time Vatapi did not come out on Illava's call. Agasthya told him that he had digested his brother completely and that he would never come back again. An angry Illava embarked on Agasthya to kill him. But with his shakti (power of meditation and austerity), Agasthya burnt down Illava to ashes.
Agasthya ended the menace created by the demons and returned back to Lopamudra along with all of their wealth. The three benevolent kings also got lots of wealth to rejuvenate their treasuries. Soon after, Agasthya and Lopamudra were blessed with the birth of their son, Dridhasyu.
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