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There were five Eswarams (temples for Lord Shiva) in Sri Lanka But today only four Easwarams (Thirukeswaram, Munneswaram, Koneswaram, Naguleswaram) are seen but the fifth Easwaram known as Thondeeswaram in the South Sri Lanka was submerged in sea. Moreover, Sri Lanka is known as ‘Siva Poomi’ in Tamil i.e. The lost continent of Lemuria stretches from Eastern Africa to Indonesia within which Sri Lanka could be a part of it. It also said that a huge land mass known as the lost continent of Lemuria or Kumari Kanda or ‘Kadal Konda Thennadu’ could have submerged in sea, probably at the same period. During this period, the land mass in place of the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska as well as that of the strait between Talaimannar and Rameswaram (Thanuskodi) which with the passage of time would have submerged in sea because of a deluge.
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This was the situation about 9,000 years back. This should compared with the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska, the distance of which is about 18 miles and the depth is about 180 feet. Accordingly, the strait between Rameshwaram in South India and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka is a distance of about 21 miles and the depth is about 200 feet. This was an incident about 7,000 to 9,000 years ago during which period there were land masses in place of some straits throughout the world. However, the most ancient Hindu scripture Rig Veda mentions of Rudra instead of Shiva. In fact, Kashmir was a Hindu kingdom when India was referred to Bharatham.
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During that period Shaivaism was in existence in the Kashmir region and in Gujarat where Lord Shive was worshipped. Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. When the name Ravana is mentioned it goes to the period when the great epic Ramayana was composed by sage Valmiki during the period of the Indus Valley Civilization. There are similarities between the people of Orissa and the Sinhala people of Sri Lanka in respect of dress, food, customs, etc. Queen Kuveni is alleged to be from the Yakka clan. There are other views that the Sinhala race originated with the arrival of Prince Vijaya and his 700 men, when his boat was drifted from Orissa to a place called Mantai in the upper North-west of Sri Lanka where he and his men met the queen of Sri Lanka (Queen Kuveni) and eventually married her. Ramayana epic points out that though Ravana was a mythical king and a Shiva devotee, his mother had a thorough knowledge of the culture of activities involving demons. As such it is difficult to ascertain their religion. The Nagas were worshippers of serpents while the Yakkas were worshippers of demons. There was no caste system but their divisions attributed to their profession. Prior to this period there were some clans namely the Nagas, the Yakkas, the Rakshas and probably Devas (rulers) who have inhabited Sri Lanka. Buddhism saw its introduction in Sri Lanka about 2,500 years back. However, the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka began with the arrival of Mahinda when he met King Devampiyatissa preaching non-violence. Though Ravana was a Hindu, there is a general impression among the Sinhala people that they were from Ravana’s descendants. The facts presented here are for readers to ascertain to clear the doubts about Ravana’s language and his social status.