Marakkalage

Marakkala is the modern colloquial term for Muslims, Marakkalage is another uniquely Karava ancestral name and is also used by several traditional Karava families of Sri Lanka todate. Variant forms are : Maha Marakkalage, Arasa Marakkalage, Andra Marakkalage, Antinna Marakkalage, Kodi Marakkalage, Loku Marakkalage, Manna Marakkalage, Sandra Marakkalage and Marakkala Malimige

The name Marakkalage derives from the type of craft(Marakkalam in Tamil means Wooden Ship) used in warfare by the rulers of the Kuru Mandala coast (the region of the Kurus) and Sri Lanka. This may be an allusion to the Muslim Arabic traders who were the prominent shipmen of pre and early Colonial Sri Lanka. They were also used in their naval battles against the Portuguese in the 16th century to attack Portuguese ships. The ancestors of the families bearing these names may have been Muslim traders, or the owners or commanders of such vessals.

The Karavas claim to be the traditional martial and naval community of Sri Lanka and the preservation of that naval tradition in such mediaeval names is of interest, since no documentation of such tradition exists prior to Colonialism of Sri Lanka, when the Karavas allied themselves to the Western rulers, in some cases allegedly rewriting history to their advantage. Sri Lankan and Portuguese history mention that an Indian Kaurava Race (to whom the Karavas trave one etyomological possibility of their race-name) were Naval commanders in the armies of the Nayaks of Tanjore.

A stamp issued by India shows the Marakkar war-paroe, a boat that could carry 30-40 men and could be rowed in the sea as well as through lagoons and narrow waters. It is available as a Wikipedia image: Marakkar Stamp 2000.jpg. These crafts were also used in their naval battles against the Portuguese in the 16th century to attack Portuguese ships.

References

Queyroz Fr. The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylaö,

External links

• Karava web site - Kshatriya Maha Sabha Sri Lanka