Karava () 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.
Etymology
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.
History
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.
The Mukkara Hatana describes that they won a three month siege against the Mukkuvars, under the sponsorship of Kotte king Parakramabahu VI in the 14th century AD. The Kotte King Bhuvanaikabahu VI was the son of a Karava chief who was adopted by Parakramabahu VI after the death of his father in the war mentioned in Mukkara Hatana. The Rajavaliya mentions that in the 16th century, the heirs to the throne - Bhuvanaikabahu and Pararajasinghe were under the care of the minister Karunadhipati, the Patabenda of Yapa-Patuna.
The Karava chieftains resisted the colonial Portuguese rule in 16th century. The Karava Prince of Uva, Kuruvita Rala (also known as Antonio Barreto), who had his strongholds in Batticaloa, Wellawaya, Negombo and parts of Sabaragamuwa and Matara region, led his and the troops of Sitawaka Kingdom and revolted against the Portuguese. Kuruvita Rala also raided the Kandy Kingdom and drove king Senarat of Kandy out of his capital.
They were under Portuguese rule, along with the Karaiyar and Nair recruited as Lascarins and were converted to Catholicism. Large Catholic Karava communities exists ever since, who were mostly Hindus prior to conversion. The Catholic Karava chieftains sided with the Kingdom of Kandy and the kingdom's Dutch allies against the Portuguese empire, and the King bestowed honors and titles to the Karava chieftains.
The Karavas amassed wealth through commercial ventures such as in coastal navigation, fishing, carpentry, transportation, arrack, coconut, rubber, graphite and other industries. The Karavas formed the elites between 16th century and early 20th century. Numerous organization were formed by them such as Ceylon National Association, one of the predecessors of the Ceylon National Congress. James Peiris, a Karava lawyer and national leader, was an essential character in the Sri Lankan independence movement. Rohana Wijeweera and other Karava leaders formed in the 1960s the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a communist party and political movement, who were involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987.