Karava

Karava (කරාවා) is a Sinhalese speaking ethnic group of Sri Lanka, whose ancestors migrated throughout history from the Coromandel coast, claiming lineage to the Kaurava royalty of the old Kingdom of Kuru in Northern India. The Tamil equivalent is Karaiyar. Both groups are also known as the Kurukula (Kuru clan). The last mass migration to Sri Lanka happened in the 15th century from Tamil Nadu to fight against the Mukkuvar confederation as mentioned in the Mukkara Hatana. They have also given great importance to trade and commerce. The elite families are involved in entrepreneurial activities including the development of plantation agriculture such as coconut, tea and rubber. The origins of the term Karava are still debated. The name might be a modified version of the Tamil Karaiyar, where "Karava" has the same root word kara or karai meaning "coast" or "shore" in Tamil. The earliest recorded instance could be the Prakrit inscription at the Abhayagiri Vihāra dating from the 1st century BC denoting a Dameda karava navika which means Tamil Karava mariner. The name "Karava" has also been proposed to be a corruption of the Sanskrit name Kaurava, following their origin story. Other historical counts refer to them and also the Karaiyars as Careas and Kaurawar. Timeline of the Kurukulam Many Kurukula communities throughout Sri Lanka and south India claim an origin from the Kuru kingdom and the Kauravas of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. For instance, Kurukulattaraiyan was the name ascribed to 'the prince who wore a golden anklet' that commanded the army of Vijayabahu I (11th century AD) to end Chola rule in Sri Lanka. Historical manuscripts such as the Mukkara Hatana indicate that there were migrations from the Kurumandalam coast of Tamil Nadu, South India, and that they were originally Tamil speakers. The Karavas north of Negombo are predomanantly Catholic and bilingual in Tamil and Sinhalese, whereas the Karavas south of Colombo are Buddhist. It is evident that they had also patronised Mahayana Buddhism before its extinction in the Island.