S. Indian name of the Hindu god K a /Vi u. The name derives from a Tamil adjective meaning ‘a person of black complexion’; synonyms are: M yan, M yavan, M l, M lavan, and Tirum l. Some sporadic references in the Tamil ca kam literature (1st cent. BCE to 3rd cent. CE?) indicate a knowledge and veneration of the N. Indian god K a also in the extreme South. During the next centuries, more extensive sources allow us to catch glimpses of a developed temple culture which envisages M