Malabars (Malayalam:[mɐlɐbaːr]) is a term used forIndians originating from theMalabar region. The region includes the northern part of present state of Kerala in India, i.e. thesouthwestern coast of the country.[1]
Captain João Ribeiro in hisHistory of Ceylon presented to the King ofPortugal in 1685 mentions that Jaffnapatam (present-dayJaffna inSri Lanka) is inhabited by Malabars.[2] This designation stemmed from the presence of Tamils in Jaffna, whose customs and religion closely resembled those of the Hindus on the Malabar Coast of India.[3]
Additionally, to European traders and scholars, Tamil was commonly known as the Malabar language. In the 18th century,J. P. Fabricius described his Tamil-English Dictionary as the "Dictionary of Malabar and English," wherein he explained words and phrases of the Tamil language, commonly referred to by Europeans as the Malabar language, in English.[4]