nakkeerar's commentary does not mention the size of the territory lost to the sea. the size is first mentioned in a 15th-century commentary on silappatikaram. the commentator adiyarkunallar mentions that the lost land extended from pahruli river in the north to the kumari river in the south. it was located to the south of kanyakumari, and covered an area of 700 "kavatam" (a unit of unknown measurement). it was divided into 49 territories ("natu"), classified in the following seven categories: