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38 THE JAINS IN THE TAMIL LAND.
Kumari and Pahruli. The traditions, however, give us an exaggerated idea of the extent of the land that was thus destroyed. Both Adiyarkunallar and Nachchinar-kiniyar, the famous commentators of Sangam works, evidently believed in the traditions and have stated that forty-nine countries, to the extent of nearly 1,400 miles, were lost in this swelling of the sea. This seems, however, to be an exaggeration. A more sober reference to this incident is to be found in the commentary of Silappadikālam. The information here supplied is that the river Pahruli was quite close to Kumari.1 From this it is evident that the tract of land lost as a result of this tidal wave was but a strip comprising perhaps, forty-nine plots of ground. We are further told that the Pandyan king, in order to recoup the loss, took forcible possession of two small districts, Kundur and Muttur, belonging to the Chola and Chera kings.and that, for this reason, he was known as Nilantaru Tiruvir Pandyan. When did this tidal wave pass over the country? If we are able to fix its date, we may fix also the age of Tolkäppiyar; for it was during the days of the second Academy, of which Tolkappiyar was a member, this incident happened.
The probable age of
In Tennent's History of Ceylon, mention is Tolkappiyar. made of three such disasters that effected con
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1" பஃறுளியாறு - குமரிப்பக்கத்தோர் யாறு.'
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