the tamil writers also came up with several other names for the lost continent. in 1912, somasundara bharati first used the word "tamilakam" (a name for the ancient tamil country) to cover the concept of lemuria, presenting it as the cradle of civilization, in his "tamil classics and tamilakam". another name used was "pandiya nadu", after the pandyas, regarded as the oldest of the tamil dynasties. some writers used "navalan tivu" (or navalam island), the tamil name of jambudvipa, to describe the submerged land.