archaeology

The lost world of ‘Kumari Kandam’ –Revisited and relived.

By h e m a n t h - September 03, 2011



Year 2065. I suddenly wake up after a sound sleep. I rise from my comfy Nexcruzer bed that makes constant motions to guide a peaceful sleep. I see that it’s already 9 in the morning, and I didn't realize that it’s so late. My Adaptive Room-Ambience-Conditioner also had to be blamed since it had continuously adjusted the room temperature and lightings over the night, based on my tiredness- calculating that I needed a long sleep. It was definitely a tough and tiring Friday, yesterday. I quickly rise up and walk to my multi-utility LED TV/Computer panel and switch it off, to see through it and peek outside of my bedroom.

Sunlight is reflected by all the steel-clad skyscrapers around my apartment in the 148th floor. Squinting my eyes, I see flocks of tourists and local people accompanied by their kids board into a Street-zoomer transit vehicle. The glass surface of all the sides of the street-zoomer displays a Flash-X video ad of something called “Trip to the legendary Kumari Kandam”. Within seconds, the whole ad is neatly repeated in Tamil. Apparently it’s a shuttle service to a lost continent called Kumari Kandam or Lemuria continent which submerged into the Indian Ocean over thousands of years ago. The whole world has been going gaga about this place since recently. Remembering that my Emerald Corporate universal benefits card already entitles me to take this trip, I get ready quickly and wait for the next street zoomer to arrive.  

As I board the 09:42 street-zoomer, I see that there are almost 400 people seated already, each of them seeming very excited about their trip to this lost land. Within seconds as I board the vehicle, my RFID zoomer-pass beeps automatically and I reach to a free seat nearby. Having no idea about what this place is, I join the bandwagon just to experience the fad with the rest of the crazy people in the world. Apparently it’s a two-hour journey, and it was just two minutes ago when I learnt that the street-zoomer would stop to a conduit which would lead to a Kumari Kandam Submarine. As I sit back with my fingers crossed about this trip, a 3D laser show (over dry ice) organized inside the street-zoomer starts up with a historical introduction of this lost continent:

“There had been many legendary cities that today’s world has lost in time. Some of those were the city of Atlantis, and the city of Dwaraka that is mentioned in Mahabharata. But out of all these, there existed one huge land mass to the south of today’s Indian peninsula extending from Kanyakumari in the north, and its sides touching as far to the west as Madagascar and as far to the east as Australia. This huge continent of the Tamil people was called Kumari Kandam or the Lemuria continent that was swallowed by the seas, and eventually lost forever.

Hundreds of thousand years ago, continents started drifting, and different continents were formed. And after a much long time, the earliest human beings were born on the earth about 400,000 years ago. During the end of the last Ice age, earth’s temperature started rising, large icy masses and glaciers started melting, and thus sea levels started rising. During this period, 12000 years ago, India's Dravidian peninsula was swallowed by the ever rising seas. Various oceanographic researches have shown that the sea level in the Indian peninsula has risen by 100 meters within the past 14,500 years. There had been three major episodes of sea level fluctuations resulting in the submergence of the Kumari continent which existed to the south of Kanya Kumari (About 14,500 years ago, Sri Lanka was connected with Peninsular India!)

The area had been ruled by the Pandya kings, and there are lots of scattered literary evidences to this lost land of the Tamils. As per Adiyarkunallar, a huge landmass extending from Kanyakumari to a distance of 700 kavatams (unknown, obsolete unit) got sunken in the sea. During this civilization, Kumari Kandam land was divided into 49 territories (nadu). It had mountain ranges, and also had two main rivers- Pahruli and Kumari. "
[The historical show continues]
"The earliest civilization that we know of today is the Sumerian civilization established in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) around 4000 BC. After this were the Egyptian civilization, and then the Indus valley civilization. But the Tamil civilization around Kumari Kandam had been much earlier than this, which would put it to the first in the time scale of civilization of mankind. What is even more interesting is that, many world-renowned researchers also claim to have deciphered the Indus script to be Tamil! 12

As per Nakkirar’s Iraiyanaar Akaporul the three Tamil Sangams (Academies of Tamil poets) functioned for 9990 odd years! 

Click to enlarge


However, very sadly, all that is extant today is the Tamil literature works from the third Sangam. Everything else is lost in the sea, and in time; the people of the civilization were swallowed by the seas. It’s a tragedy of a huge magnitude. The quality of life of the ancient Tamils in Kumari Kandam should have been extraordinarily sublime". As I got myself submerged into the poignant historical introduction of the magnificent lost continent, the 3D show suddenly went off, and the street-zoomer stopped to a sudden halt. An announcement followed: “However, fortunately, some significant parts of the Kumari Kandam have been preserved and restored, thanks to technological advancements, and most importantly because of the vision, perseverance and passion of some individuals- a trip to the magnificent world of Kumari Kandam is possible today! Please follow the signs and walk towards the front.”

It’s been exactly two hours now, and along with the rest of the crowd, I walk into the conduit that leads to the Kumari Kandam submarine, with a melancholic mood and a heavy heart. Within seconds, the huge submarine with its fully transparent walls starts moving slowly inside Indian Ocean’s dark blue waters. With a deep sigh, I lean on the glass wall of the submarine with my hands pressed on it. As I unblinkingly stare through the glass wall, I start encountering places that I couldn’t have ever imagined in my life- height of magnificence- treasure haven – quaintly exotic palaces, temples, and squares. Some portions of the submarine’s glass walls are overlaid with Augmented Reality (AR), rendering how magnificent this place could have been, lively with ancient Tamilians, in the richest of ancient Tamil tradition! As I stare breathlessly, my jaws drop, and I’m inexplicably pulled into the world of first Tamil Sangam era on the Kumari Kandam…



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52 Comments

  1. h e m a n t hSeptember 3, 2011 at 8:35 PM

    I don’t know if I’d be alive by then to experience such a trip. The history is proven, but making such a magical trip to the Kumari Kandam a reality one day, is a collective responsibility of every person of Tamil origin today. Well, not just theirs, but the whole world’s solemn responsibility to revive it. If we wait once again, for the westerners to teach us about this and make us hard-realize this responsibility, then sadly, we’ve been in a slumber. And that’s a slumber that we don’t want to wake up from!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Claire K. Bajo - Spiritual Realtor - Big Island, HawaiiSeptember 4, 2011 at 2:06 AM

    I love it! I think you are remembering where it is you came from.. thank you so much for sharing this! Many people come to Hawaii just because they keep seeing it in a dream over & over again.. they will long to come here or move here, and not know why.. children will draw dolphins, even though they may have never seen one.. some say that when they land on the Big Island, it's when they get in the ocean that they feel like they are "home".. I believe you when you speak of this place.. I want to see it too! ..so i will visualize this happening for you someday soon [& take lots of pics ok! lol].. the time is coming where all truth will be revealed.. and Lemuria will rise again.. and i think this time it will rise from within our hearts.. remembering like this.. and speaking our truth & trusting our intuition.. blessings & aloha! [my Lemuria page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lemuria-The-Continent-of-Mu/233761149998741?sk=wall ]

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  3. h e m a n t hSeptember 5, 2011 at 2:17 AM

    thanks for the beautiful comment, Claire! Yearning for this dream trip to take place soon!!!

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  4. Vidya PanickerSeptember 7, 2011 at 10:14 PM

    Beautifully written Hemanth!

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  5. h e m a n t hSeptember 7, 2011 at 10:28 PM

    thanks, Vidya! Glad that you liked it. Please follow the blog, and looking forward to your continued readership! :)

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  6. VemuriSeptember 10, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    Hemanth, awesome writing, great vision...

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  7. MathivathananSeptember 12, 2011 at 5:59 AM

    Great way of writing!

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  8. Madhuri KaushikSeptember 16, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    very interesting :) I think you will like this websitehttp://bharathgyan.com/

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    You've written it amazingly well... Hats off to your good work! -Nithya

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  10. h e m a n t hSeptember 28, 2011 at 3:29 PM

    thanks, Vemuri!
    thanks, Mathivathanan!
    thanks, Madhuri. I'll take a look.
    thank you, Nithya!! :)
    Glad that you all liked it!

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  11. h e m a n t hOctober 1, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    Dear readers,

    For further reading and critical analysis on this topic, I've listed all the references/bibliography for this article on the blog's Facebook page:

    http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=149608898403086&topic=339


    -The Enlightened Niche.

    ReplyDelete
  12. KannanOctober 12, 2011 at 2:00 PM

    Good work Hemant!! You have taken us with you to lemuria and I too dream to Visualize it.Your narration was also interesting.Keep up and explore further..

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  13. h e m a n t hOctober 12, 2011 at 2:13 PM

    Thanks, Kannan! Glad that the blog took you straight there to "see" things in real! Please 'like' the blog on Facebook, and looking forward to your continued readership and engaging discussions!

    -The Enlightened Niche.

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  14. charmilaOctober 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    Hemanth, NW my jaws r dropped, what an amazing visualizing, u rock .... Waiting to read more. Hats off to u. Great job.

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  15. h e m a n t hOctober 18, 2011 at 7:17 PM

    Mrs.Charmila: thank you so much!! I'm flattered. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Piththa_ PiraisoodiOctober 25, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    A tamil book entitled 'Ainthiram' written 15,000 years back by Mayan when Kumarikandam was in existence. It is the only remnant available this day.It was about spritual, architecture, dance, language, sculpture and culture of the then civilisation. A page in tamil is given at http://piththapiraisoodi.blogspot.com E.Vadivel

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  17. RamadossNovember 15, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    Yes. A new dimension but a reality our Tamils have not only forgotten but also refuse to revoke. Thanks Mr.Hemanth

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  18. VenkyNovember 19, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    Good Work Hemanth.. Very nice.. Great !!!!

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  19. AnonymousDecember 2, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    Keep researching more and write more.Well done and thank you.

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  20. vijayDecember 3, 2011 at 3:39 AM

    Fantastic article Hemanth. I have been reading a lot on Kumari Kandam, Lemuria, Tamil Sangams etc and quite rare to find a blog like yours which has a constructive and well analysed details. Loving it so much and reading it over and over. All your other articles were awesome as well. I will definitely follow and join your fan club man!keepup the good work!

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  21. AnonymousDecember 5, 2011 at 12:24 PM

    Nice one.. After long time now only i

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  22. preethaDecember 10, 2011 at 5:36 AM

    Gr8 writing..Wish 2 c it

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  23. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 2:32 AM

    Awesome and quite a different one!!!

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  24. amuda and only amudaDecember 29, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    Hi Hemanth,
    I really appreciate your inputs on Tamil origin.. Great writing .. Yes I also wish one day people will realize how great is our Tamil culture.. Pls keep going.. We are there to support you!!!

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  25. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2012 at 2:07 AM

    Superb...Bro... Let the world know that we are once lead the world.. and let the young know that we are the BEST.... Live as Tamils

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  26. saravanaJanuary 30, 2012 at 1:16 PM

    Great article... Superb...

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  27. AnonymousFebruary 6, 2012 at 2:40 AM

    Very nicely written. Your and our dream comes true one day. I feel very proud if it happens through our own country men instead of western ppl - Tamilselvan.

    ReplyDelete
  28. SURESHFebruary 7, 2012 at 2:10 AM

    Gr8 work dude... Really aweesome and making us to feel really proud buddy.... Thanks for ur blog.....

    ReplyDelete
  29. SURESHFebruary 7, 2012 at 2:11 AM

    Gr8 work dude... Really aweesome and making us to feel really proud buddy.... Thanks for ur blog.....

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  30. AnonymousFebruary 8, 2012 at 11:29 AM

    Gr8 work..

    expecting atleast a movie(with dis story ) in future. It also sounds like the successor of avatar.

    ReplyDelete
  31. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2012 at 2:59 AM

    gr8 article!!! but the indus scripts had not yet been deciphered....

    Coz it contains the following properties..
    The writing is from right to left.

    The Text contain suffixes. Does not contain prefixes of infixes.

    Indus script belongs to the logo-syllabic type, not to syllabic or alphabetic type.

    Some even claim that it is not a contemporary style of script at all....

    And i also do have a view contrary to urs that the kumari kandam or the lemuria is still fictitious coz geographers haven't proved its existence still today..as far as my research goes!!!

    BTW d article is still too good :)

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  32. AnonymousMarch 7, 2012 at 8:33 AM

    do you know where I can find a complete copy of the video? :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. h e m a n t hMarch 13, 2012 at 1:14 PM

    Thanks Piththa Piraisoodi, Emard, Venky, Shashi Dharan, Gokulking, Saravana, Tamilselvan, Suresh! Glad you all liked the blog! :)

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  34. h e m a n t hMarch 13, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    @Vijay: Glad that you like the blog! Thanks for the compliments!

    @Preetha: Thank you! If ALL of us wish to see it, that would be a leverage point for it to become a reality some day! But how many wish for it, and how many are still indifferent?!

    @Amuda: Thank you!! Thanks for your support! :)

    @Anonymous: Yeah, why not a movie with this plot!:) I wish at least that propel us to save and remember our history!

    @Anonymous: there is no full video. It's a small clip from an elaborate documentary on a different topic.

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  35. VeluMay 19, 2012 at 4:21 AM

    Very Nice Article Hemanth.. I Spent nearly 8 Hours researching about Kumari Kandam after reading your article..

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  36. Kumar ShanmugamMay 21, 2012 at 10:22 AM

    Well written Hemanth.Impressive.I dono to wat extent Kumari kandam is true.But if one such continent existed i am sure atleast knowing a part about it will reveal many unknown things to the world.

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  37. vijay amirthrajJuly 25, 2012 at 1:43 AM

    thanks for the insight, i am so touched and interested in know more on this topic , of kumari kandam, i just thought , why there is now tamil film on this theme. be proud to be a tamizhan.

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  38. Ravindran RamasamyAugust 19, 2012 at 6:04 AM

    Very enlightning indeed Hemanth if there are references to Kumari Kandam at various text then why the Indian government is not sending the necessary scientist and expedition to explore on this mother of all civilization. Hope something can be done.

    ReplyDelete
  39. ovinthiranAugust 29, 2012 at 9:47 PM

    This is our country...Kumari Kandam...and our history too...nice article hemanth...

    ReplyDelete
  40. ஆனந்த குமார்January 11, 2013 at 11:20 PM

    அற்புதம்....... பங்களிப்பை தொடர்ந்து அளிக்கவும்..

    ReplyDelete
  41. Achyut BabuMay 9, 2013 at 2:28 AM

    Wonderful Article. Ungal Tamil Patrukku Naan thalai vangangugiren,

    Anbudan
    Achyut

    ReplyDelete
  42. h e m a n t hMay 9, 2013 at 9:46 AM

    @Unknown: thanks! I'm glad my blog spurred you to look into, and research our history and culture!

    @Kumar Shanmugam: thanks!

    @vijay amirthraj: I wish there was a portrayal of this forgotten history through a movie, too!

    @Ravindran Ramasamy: I'm equally concerned as you are. However, it is because of the indifference of today's people that it's not in the Government's priority list. Only a fraction of the people knows about Kumari Kandam today and only a very small fraction of it is even concerned about this. That is the problem.

    @ovinthiran: thank you! Please "like" the Facebook page on the right and stay in touch!

    @ஆனந்த குமார்: Nandri anbarey!

    Nandri, @Achyut! :)

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  43. UnknownMay 22, 2013 at 4:25 AM

    Thank u sooo much fr such a great article its realy awesome !!! Hope ppl recognize our tamil culture .... Thr should be steps taken abt this ..... Precious things cannot be left such...!!!! @hemanth

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  44. AnonymousJuly 6, 2013 at 2:39 PM

    had been looking for this info for such a long time..interested induviduals can come forward and submit petitions to join the indian oceanic survey as a team explaining why your needed and we can make it hapen..!!first find it then lets make a movie out of it..!!

    hemanth...if james cameroon can...even we can..!!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Dilip MurupalaApril 23, 2014 at 6:18 AM

    Superb imagination and narration. Keep up your good work Hemath

    ReplyDelete
  46. Arunkumar P PatkiMarch 29, 2015 at 4:05 PM

    Tamil language itself is not older then 2-3000 years, how come it's civilization........?

    ReplyDelete
  47. AnonymousJune 6, 2015 at 2:40 AM

    I liked it so much. I am doing a research on Kumari Kandam and this helped me. Both the tabular column was some information i never oberved in many other websites. Keep up the good work~

    ReplyDelete
  48. Pon KulendirenApril 22, 2017 at 7:36 AM

    I am writing a science fiction story : Kadal Konda Kumarikandam". Contact me on Kulendiren2509@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. h e m a n t hApril 22, 2017 at 11:38 PM

      All the best, Pon Kulendiren! Please let us know once your story is out! :)

      Delete

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