The Agamas (Devanagari: आगम, IAST: āgama) are a collection of Tantric literature and scriptures associated with several schools of Hinduism. The term literally means "tradition" or "that which has come down". The texts deal with cosmology, epistemology, philosophical doctrines, precepts on meditation and practices, the four kinds of yoga, mantras, temple construction, deity worship and methods said to lead to the sixfold desires. The canonical texts are composed in Sanskrit and Tamil.
The Agama corpus is traditionally divided into three main branches: Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakta. The literature is voluminous and includes 28 Shaiva Agamas, 64 Shakta Agamas (also called Tantras), and 108 Vaishnava Agamas (also known as Pancharatra Samhitas), along with numerous Upa-Agamas. The Agamic traditions are sometimes referred to as Tantrism, though the word "Tantra" is more commonly used in connection with the Shakta Agamas.
The origin and chronology of the Agamas remain unclear. Some texts are regarded as Vedic in orientation while others are considered non-Vedic. The traditions encompass concepts of Yoga and Self-Realisation, and in some cases Kundalini Yoga and asceticism, with philosophical positions ranging from Dvaita (dualism) to Advaita (monism). Scholarly opinion varies, with some viewing the Agamas as post-Vedic texts and others suggesting pre-Vedic origins. Epigraphical and archaeological evidence indicates that Agama texts were in existence by about the middle of the 1st millennium CE, during the Pallava dynasty era. Scholars also observe that some passages in the Agamas appear to question the authority of the Vedas, while others assert that the Agamas reveal the true spirit of the Vedas.
The Agama literary genre is not unique to Hinduism; it is also found within Śramaṇic traditions, including Buddhist and Jain literature. In Indonesia, the Bali Hindu tradition is officially designated as Agama Hindu Dharma.