The Pandyan Kingdom from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth Century c5.5

c5.5

² The 'Dravidian problem' has been much debated from various points of view in the pages of the *Tamilian Antiquary* (defunct). See also Caldwell, *Comparative Grammar*, Introduction; M. Srinivasa Aiyangar, *Tamil Studies*, Essays I-III; Slater, *Dravidian Element in Indian Culture*. Kanakasabhai, *The Tamils 1800 Years Ago*, pp. 49 ff., makes several guesses that do not appear to have received confirmation. The main questions are—were the pre-Aryans a homogeneous or composite race? Were they 'indigenous and aboriginal' (Fergusson) or were they immigrants, wholly or in part, from elsewhere? The attempt to support the Lemurian theory from references to Tamil literature, e.g. *Silappadikāram*, xi, ll. 18-20, cannot be considered satisfactory.