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How Far is Lankaa From the Southern Tip of India?
[Branched from   V-Raamaayan, 4/26/64]

V-Raamayan, 4/26/64 says that Hanumaan had to cross 100 Yojan wide sea to reach to Lankaa.

[Taken from  Valmiki Ramayan, 5/1,  Shlok 76]
"Yojan" is a measure of length in ancient India like the modern mile. However its value does not seem to be a standard even within India. Some consider it as six miles, some as eight miles and some as two and half miles. Hence it is difficult to have an accurate conversion from Yojan to miles.

[Taken from  Valmiki Ramayan, 5/2,  Shlok 3]
This verse, and others too, clearly mention that Hanumaan crossed an ocean of 100 Yojan distance. At the present time, the shore to shore distance between southern tip of India and Northern tip of Sri Lanka is around 60 miles. Even with a measure of 2.5 miles per Yojan, 100 Yojan distance translates to 250 miles.

To explain this anomaly, we need to consider that around the time of Raamaayan, the distance was lot more than the current sixty miles. This is in sync with the current theories by geologists that the ocean between India and the current Sri Lanka had been replaced by land mass over a period of time. Most of the land to the south of current Raghunaath Pur had been covered by landmass in antiquity.

Also according to Raamaayan, the mountains Trikoot, Lamb and Suvail were to the north of Lankaa, but currently these mountains are found in the southern part of Lankaa. This suggests that the Northern parts of current Lankaa were submerged in water during the Raamaayan period.

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