________________
- (கபாடபுரம்) by the poet and the commentator on IrayAsar Agapporul mentions the same place as the seat of the Secogd Sangam oc Kazhagam. It is also stated by the latter that Tolkappiam was one of the authoritative work of that age. The reason why Kapadapuram or Alaivai ( ru) as it is called by modern Tamil scholars, was chosen as the capital is explained by the occurence of the first deluge before whicit Ten Madurai (@gr ay) in the submerged land had been the seat of the Pandians. It is also remarkable that the Tolkappiam does not find a place in the standard works of the first Sangam. This adds strength to the fact that it could have been written only in the age of the Ramayana of Valmiki. Researches show that at that time there was in the south a fragment of the hilly range of Kumari where the river of that name took its rise and flowed as a southern limit of the Tamil country: portions of the Pandian Kingdom between the river Kumari aod the Tampravarni and a gulf between the same and Ceylon. While he refers to Chera, Chola and Pandian Kingdoms in the south, Valmiki locates the Andhra Country north of the Chola kingdom which then extended up to Tirupathi of to-day. This confirms the view that at that time the northern boundary of Tamilakam was Venkadam. in the Mahabharatha of Saint Vyasa, Manavur (Le ) is mentioned as the seat of the Pandian kings and this is located according to the Tiruvilaiyadalpuranam near the seacoast to the east of the prenseat city of Madura. In Purananuru there is a stanza in honour of a Chera king called ,Uthiyan Cheralathan who is extolled as having made an inexhaustible supply of rice to Pandavas as one of their allies. In the same stanza che northern and southern limits of India are indicated respectively as the Himalaya mountains and the Pothia hills. There is no reference to the river Kumar if this age. Hence we may infer that prior to the days of the Mahabharatha, and at a time before the Capital City of the Pandians was removed to Manavur, Saint Tolkappiar had brought his book to the light of day; at least the main portion of his work must have come into being in the age of Valmiki and the a time bere prior to the Kumarisha hills. stively as the to Manffore the capite days of the case. Hencere is no
