Mother Sri Lopamudra was a philosopher as per the ancient Indian
literature. She was the wife of the sage Agastya. Together with
her husband she is credited with spreading the fame of the
Lalita sahasranama (the thousand names of the Divine Mother).She
is also called Kaushitaki and Varaprada. A hymn in the Rigveda
is attributed to her.
In Mahabharata (Vana a: Tirtha-yatra Parva), there is a mention
that Agastya Rishi did penance at Gangadwara (Haridwar), with
the help of his wife, Lopamudra (the princess of Vidharba).
According to legend, Lopamudra was created by sage Agastya with
the most graceful parts of animals such as eyes of the deer etc.
The name Lopamudra signifies the loss (lopa) that the animals
suffered by giving their distinctive beauties (mudras).
After creating her, Agastya secretly introduced Lopamudra into
the palace of the King of Vidarbha. Agastya had made Lopamudra
with the intention of marrying her. The king brought up
Lopamudra as his daughter. When she grew up, Agastya demanded
her hand in marriage. Lopamudra agreed to marry him and left the
King's palace for his hermitage.
After some time, she grew tired of Agastya's austerity. She
wrote a two-stanza hymn, asking for his attention and love. The
hymn made Agastya realize his duties towards his wife. The
couple had a son named Dridhasyu, who became a poet.It is said
that the present day river Kaveri is Lopamudra's reincarnated
form.[citation needed].
Giridhara Ramayana has a different story on Lopamudra. Agastya
approached king of Kanyakubja who had many daughters for a girl
in marriage. The king promised the sage a girl when they come to
age and asked him to come back a few years later. By the time
the sage returned, however the king had married off all his
daughters. He was so worried about getting cursed, he dressed
his son Lopamudra as a girl and presented him to Agastya.
Miraculously, Lopamudra was transfomed and became a woman after
the wedding.