Lanka, whose history is told in the
Ramayana, was the actual archetype of Plato's Atlantis, as well
as Homer's Troy. Lanka was built upon a lofty mountain (Mt. Trikuta = Mt.
Atlas or Meru), and was said "to fly in the air, scratching the belly of
heaven". Hindu myths also tell how Lanka, with "its towers and walls of
stone clad with metal" was pulled out of the summit of the Holy Mountain
(Meru) by the North Wind (Vayu) and thrown into the seas, where it drowned
with all its vast population. Interestingly enough, the same myth, with
Atlas (i. e., Atlantis) substituting for Lanka, is also encountered in Greece. Atlas, often
identified with Hesperus, the Evening Star, was thrown into the ocean by
Boreas, the North Wind who is the Greek counterpart of Vayu. There Atlas
drowned, and was to be found no more, just as happened with Lanka and, indeed, with Atlantis.
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Other Hindu legends tell of Agartha (or Shambhalla),
the subterranean realm of the King of the World. According to this tradition,
it is from Shambhalla that is to surge Kalkin, ("the White Knight") for the final battle of the end of times. Kalkin, the White Knight, is to lead
his hosts, the Sons of Light, to victory against the Sons of Darkness.
The myth of Shambhalla is the archetype from which were copied the similar
ones of the Essenes and of the Christians. Again, as with the Celestial
Jerusalem of St. John's
Revelation, the myth of Kalkin prefigures
the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Many experts have correlated the traditions
of Agartha and Shambhalla with those of Atlantis and the Celestial Jerusalem.
In fact, Atlantis too will resurge in the end of times (now?) in precisely
the same manner prescribed for the Celestial Jerusalem of the
Book of
Revelation. Then, will the Golden Age be restored to the world, for
Atlantis is truly the Paradise Lost we all have been expecting for so long.
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Celtic traditions often speak of an "Island
of the Lions". This mysterious island appears in Hindu traditions as
Saka-dvipa
or
Simhala-dvipa ("Island of the Lions", in Sanskrit). This "Island
of the Lions" also figures in many other different traditions. In Celtic
traditions, the Island of the Lions also called Avalon. The name of Avalon
has been interpreted both as "Land of the Apple Trees" and as "Island of
the Lions" (Ava-lon). This paradisial island is also called Lyonesse
(Lyon-ys or "Island of the Lions") or
Llyn Llion ("Lake Lion"),
the lake which reputedly overwhelmed the whole world with its waters when
it overflowed, causing the Flood.
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The "Island of the Lions" just mentioned (see
above item) is no other than the
Simhala-dvipa (or
Serendip)
of the Hindus. Serendip is indeed the "Island of the Seres" (Seren-dip),
which is the same as Taprobane (Sumatra). The Seres are "the people of
the silk" (serica =
"silk", in Latin). They are described as a blond,
blue-eyed, tall people by Pliny, Solinus and others. As we just said, Serendip
is the same as Taprobane or Sumatra, and should not be confused with Shri
Lanka (Ceylon), its Indian counterpart. The word "lion", in India, is synonymous
with "hero" (gandha or
simha in Skt.,
singa in Dravida,
etc.), so that the name of Simhala-dvipa indeed means "Island of the Heroes".
And these "Heroes" of old are no other than those of Atlantis, destroyed
in the Flood, as mentioned in the
Book of Genesis (ch. 6).
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Several ancient authors also identify Serendip
with the Hevilat of the Bible, one of the four regions of Eden. The region
of Hevilat (or Havila) was famous for its gold and for being encircled
by the river Phison. Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, identifies
the Phison with the Ganges river, in a way that leaves no doubt about its
Indian location. The bdellium and the gemstones produced in Hevilat - and
which are Indian exclusivities in antiquity - are also telltale of its
true location in the Indies. The geography of the region of Paradise is
also identical to that of the Indian region under discussion, and which
is that of South India and neighboring Burma. Hence, it seems safe to conclude
that Eden was indeed located in the Indies.
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As a matter of fact, "Eden" and "India" are
synonymous and derive from a Sanskrit radix
ind (or endh
and,
hence, edhen), meaning "fire".
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