Marakkalage
Encyclopedia
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.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
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
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
means Wooden Ship) used in warfare by the rulers of the Kuru Mandala coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
(the region of the Kurus
Kurus
Kuruş is a Turkish currency subunit. Since 2005, one new Turkish lira is equal to 100 kuruş. The kuruş was also the standard unit of currency in the Ottoman Empire until 1844, and from that date until the late 1970s was a subdivision of the former lira. It was subdivided into 40 para , each of...
) and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. 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.