THE FOREFATHERS OF THE MAYANS SET SAIL FOR MESO-AMERICA.
[Right: A beach in the Konkan.] The time is about 1,500 BC. A fleet of Tamil ships in some harbor of the Konkan or Kankon, a beautiful white sand coastline stretching from today’s Maharasthra to the southern tip of Western India, raises anchor and sails south to what is now the large island nation of Ceylon (today’s Sri Lanka). Their goal is to sail to Patala or what is now Mexico and Meso-America, leaving emigrant settlers there. During their stay in Ceylon, they recruit skilled stone workers, skilled craftsmen, and temple builders in the province of Maya, to build a new Tamil civilization over or alongside an Akkad-type (Sumerian) civilization that was already in Meso-America: that of the Olmecs or Olman.
The ancient Tamils were international traders and colonizers. Wherever they went in the world, they left an unmistakable imprint of their presence, such as place names, foods, games, and temple buildings. Their temple buildings were usually zikharis (tiered or pyramidical temple platforms). Often, small entrances or temples were located on each tier, but not always. On the top tier, there was always a temple. On top if it often stood an ornate rectangular steeple. However, circular domes or single spires often stood on top of the temple as well. Zikharis usually varied in appearance, according to the Dravidian or Tamil-derived cultures of the host nations. But one thing never changed: the unmistakable presence of Tamil influence. [Above Kanchipuram Temple]
