{{pp|small=yes}} '''Marakkala''' is the modern colloquial term for Muslims, although '''Marakkalage''' is another uniquely Karava ancestral name and is also used by several traditional Karava families of Sri Lanka to date. Variant forms are: {{Lang|ta-Latn|Maha Marakkalage}}'', ''{{Lang|ta-Latn|Arasa Marakkalage}}'', ''{{Lang|ta-Latn|Andra Marakkalage}}'', ''{{Lang|ta-Latn|Antinna Marakkalage}}'','' {{Lang|ta-Latn|Kodi Marakkalage}}'', ''{{Lang|ta-Latn|Loku Marakkalage}}'', ''{{Lang|ta-Latn|Manna Marakkalage}}'','' {{Lang|ta-Latn|Chandra Marakkalage}} and {{Lang|ta-Latn|Marakkala Malimige}}.
The name {{Lang|ta-Latn|Marakkalage}} derives from the type of craft ''Marakkar'' (referring to wooden ships in Tamil) used in trade and warfare by the rulers of the Kuru Mandala coast, the region of the Kurus, and Sri Lanka.<ref name="king1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=xc8oW6pedrwC&q=badagas+karaiyars&pg=PA137 ''Nayake of Tanjore sends an army of Vadugas with the king of the Karaiyars''] Sri Lanka and the Maldive Islands, By Chandra Richard De Silva, p.111 & 137</ref> This may be an allusion to the Muslim Arab traders who were the prominent seamen of pre- and early colonial Sri Lanka. They were also used in naval battles against the Portuguese, Dutch, British and other Europeans in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.<ref name="king1" /> The ancestors of the families bearing these names may have been Muslim traders or the owners or commanders of such vessels.
{{Lang|ta-Latn|Gallappathige}} and {{Lang|ta-Latn|Manavige}} ({{Lang|ta-Latn|Maha Navi}}), {{Lang|ta-Latn|Malimage}} (deriving from {{Lang|ta-Latn|Malimar}}/{{Lang|ta-Latn|Malimam}}) meaning ship's captain, was also bestowed as an honor.
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.<ref>[http://www.defonseka.com/k16.htm The ancient 'Kaurava Pavilion' at Anuradhapura] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220250/http://www.defonseka.com/k16.htm |date=2016-03-03 }}. defonseka.com. Retrieved 2012-08-01</ref><ref>[http://www.royalasiaticsociety.lk/inscriptions/?q=node/237 "Plate No.94 | Inscriptions of Sri Lanka"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040511/http://www.royalasiaticsociety.lk/inscriptions/?q=node%2F237 |date=2016-03-04 }}. Royalasiaticsociety.lk. Retrieved 2012-08-01</ref>
A stamp issued by India shows the Marakkar {{Lang|ta-Latn|war-paroe}}, a boat that could carry 30-40 men and be sailed or rowed in the sea as well as through lagoons and narrow waters.<ref>[http://karava.org/family_names/marakkalage_-_navy MARAKKALAGE (KARAVA NAVY)]. karava.org. Retrieved 2012-08-01</ref> These crafts and the more ancient {{Lang|ta-Latn|maha oru}} were also used in naval battles against the Portuguese in the 16th century.<ref name="king1"/> The last of the traditional Sinhala sailing ships were known as {{Lang|ta-Latn|maha oru}} and {{Lang|ta-Latn|yatra oru}}.<ref>[http://www.tacking-outrigger.com/yatra_dhoni.html Yatra Dhoni] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209163406/http://www.tacking-outrigger.com/yatra_dhoni.html |date=2015-12-09 }}. tacking-outrigger.com. Retrieved 2012-08-01</ref>
== See also == * Timeline of the Karavas * Karaiyar * Karava heraldry
==References== {{reflist}} Queyroz Fr. The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylaö,
==External links== *[http://www.karava.org Karava web site - Kshatriya Maha Sabha Sri Lanka]
Category:Sinhalese castes