The Lost Continent Of 'Kumari' and 'Sangkam' In Sumerian Literature

Kumari and SaGkam in Sumerian Literature.

This essay articulates the strongest evidence I can provide to show a continuity of culture between Sumerians and ancient Tamil Nadu where flourished the SaGkam culture. Unfortunately this idea and the evidences have not caught on with the Indologists including the Tamil scholars.

Reposting with some revisions so that the essay is read carefully by the scholars and the evidences appreciated.

I have reproduced the lines from Sumerian Incantations where there are references to both Sangkam( Su. sam-gam mah) and Kumari also called Kuâar that Dr A. Jacob has also noted in his book.

The sign A-HA is read as both Kuâar and Kumari and which makes the references to Kumari( Kauri) quite incontestable. These incantation texts may be very ancient and perhaps around 2300 BC or even earlier.

Now let me propose some ideas for further research.

Three Kumnari Nadu-s

1.The first is that I want to distinguish between THREE different Kumari Nadu-s, the first pre-deluge and hence before around 4000 -5000 BC. The Second is the Sumerian Kumari as referred in these incantation texts and which interestingly enough comes with the mention of Sam-gam mah, i.e. the SaGkam Mah which appears to be the First SanGkam of Tamil legends. Now the Third Kumari is the one South of India and where also was located the Tamil SanGkam in Madurai, also called Kuudal.

2. Now both Kumari and Kauri mean a young maiden and we have Kanya Kumari in the Deep South right at the southern tip. The Kumari Nadu(as opposed to Kumari KaNdam) was probably a country that was known by the deity Kumari Amman. This may be because it was ruled by WOMEN and possibly a matriarchal society and where matriarchy was dominant in Pandi Nad and till recently in KeraLa.

3. The location of the second Kumari in the South of Sumer and the Thiird Kumari in South of India suggests that the First Kumari was probably in the Arabian Sea linking the Indian subcontinent with Africa. In connection with this it is quite remarkable that the Ethiopians look like the Black Tamils. Some tribes there can easily pass for Tamils. The islands in the Arabian Sea may be remnants of this First Kumari that perhaps submerged because of the Deluge recorded also in Sumerian literature as much as in Tamil.

4. The Kumari mentioned in a very confused way but as the land where the First Academy flourished should actually be the Second Kumari of the Sumerians. There may be some historical confusion here. But what connects the two is the presence of very sophisticated Academic Culture and where it was only in Sumer the cuneiform script was perfected to the level where written literature was made possible and there were schools academies and so forth to cultivate the art of writing and reading on clay tablets.

5.We are suggesting the migrations of Sumerians into the South of India after 2000 BC and along the SEA route which already existed in the Third Millennium itself between Sumer and South East Asian countries. But this remains only a suggestion but once we find some archeological materials like clay tablets in cuneiform script, this suggestion will turn out to be a historical fact. Of course this does not mean many other Dravidian tribes could not have come from the land routes, from the North West of India and so forth.

The Sumerian CanGkam ?

Below some very historically interesting lines where both Kumari and CanGkam are mentioned. Here I venture to give some of my own interpretations as well.

215. ga-e gudu sag-gam-mah ju me-en ( I am the anointing (gudu)-priest , the knowledgeable sangamah)
216. ga-e lu asilal (ki) me-en ( I am the man of Asilal?)
217. ga-e ka-pirig [A-HA](ki) he-sikil-la he-ga-dadag-ga me-en ( I am the incantation priest of Ku'ar , who indeed cleansed , and also purified)
218. . gudu susbu (d)en-ki-ga me-en ( I am the anointing priest, the purification priest of Enki)

*Ta. Gaayee koodu cangkam maa: cuu maan ( I am ritual dancer ( koodu) who knows the rules established by the Great caGkam)
*Ta. Gaayee aacu-ilal maan ( I am the man from Asillal ( the place where there are no impurities)
*Ta. Gaayee kaapiri Kumari (Kauri) ey sukilla, eyka taGtaGku maan ( I am the incantation priest of Kumari (Kauri), attained purity and also attained living long)
*Ta. koodu coobu ENkiizkka maan ( I am the brilliant dancer of ENkiiz)

gudu Ta. koodu, kuudu , kudam? kuuttu

The Su. gudu which is given the meaning 'priest" may actually be a ritualhis might have originated Ta. kuudal, the coming together , assembling as an congregation and which brings us to the Kuudal, an ancient and alternative name for Mathurai, the location of the Third CaGkam or Academy which is also a meaning of Kuudal. This may have evolved from this way : kuudu-il> kuudil> kuudal. There is also a word 'kudil" which is retained in Sk in the name Kaudil-ya, the Gotra of the famous author of Artta Sastra which is said to have been written in Tamil Nadu. This Kaudil-ya has also become KauNdiya, the gotra of ThirunjaanaSambantar and so forth.

The word 'kudam" meaning 'pot' is ruled out as it appears to be a description of a professional person here though elsewhere it does occur in this sense in some Sumerian texts.
sag-gam-mah : maa caGkam : the Great Assembly?

The identity of Su. mah with Ta/Sk maa, maha in both morphology and meaning is quite obvious. The word "sag-gam" cannot be 'priest" ( sangu?sanga) as 'gudu' that precedes it, already means that. Hence it should be linked with 'sa-ga =sag-a" , to conjoin, be together , be in love etc. as in the following line:

Sir.

55. mi-be dam-a-ni-ta sa-ga na- an-da-ab-be (its woman no longer speaks of love with her husband)
*Ta. mibee tam anitta saG-a naa aanida abaiyee ( " )

The sag-a here can also be (sexually) uniting, the caGkamam. Many words such as 'caki' 'cakan' meaning loved ones may be related to this.
Thus it appears to be that 'sag-gam-mah" is the Great CaGkam , here however an Assembly of priests or ritual dancers in which many issues were discussed and perhaps also refined and standardized. The author of the incantation mentions that he KNOWS ( ju, Ta. cuu, cuuz) which also reinforces the notion that sag-gam was in fact an Academy of a kind. Perhaps the Buddhist ' caGkam" as in "CaGkam caraNam kaccaami" was an evolute of this kind of assembly and which in later times became an academic institution of scholars , the Pulavar.
Ku'ar , Kumari.

This interpretation of 'sag-gam' is further reinforced by the mention of "Kumari" ( Ku'ar) which lends support to the historical notion that the First CaGkam was established in Kumari.
Geller gives evidences to read the sign [A-HA] as " Kumari" ( Ku'ar) on page 13 of the book mentioned above. I give below the whole of the relevant passage .

" The above hypothesis contradicts a theory by van Dijk, that since Ku'ar was a city known as "non-Sumerian speaking" as well as the city of Asalluhi, "Grossexorcist von Eridu', it is tempting to identify Ku'ar as the home of the non-canonical incantation in Subarian-Elamite languages.

Van Dijk's arguments, however, are partially based upon a miscopied sign in CT 16 6:239-240 ( collated) which reads :

eridu (ki) ku'ar ( A.HA)(ki)-se mu-un-na-ri he-me-e-n
Ak. sa ina eri-du u ku-ma-ri re-hu-u ana-ku

The reading ku-ma-ri ( Kuwari? Ku'ar) is supported by ku-mar ( CT 51 105:21- 22).... "

It is interesting here that in Tamil, Kumari is also called Kauri, a parallel in meaning and morphology that is quite striking and thus pointing out also a historical continuity despite a shift in the geographical location

Dr K.Loganathan, @ Ullaganar ( revised 12-7-10 )