| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Greater than 1,500 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| 1,688 (2012) (0.008% oftotal)[1] | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil,Sinhala | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Paravar,Negombo Tamils,Sri Lankan Chetty |
Bharatha People (Sinhala:භාරත,romanized: Bhārata,Tamil:பரதர்,romanized: Paratar) also known asBharatakula andParavar, is an ethnicity in the island ofSri Lanka.[2] Earlier considered a caste of theSri Lankan Tamils, they were classified as separate ethnic group in the 2001 census.[3] They are descendant ofTamil speakingParavar ofSouthern India who migrated to Sri Lanka underPortuguese rule.[4] They live mainly on the western coast of Sri Lanka and mainly found in the cities ofMannar,Negombo andColombo.[5][6]
Scholars deriveBharatha, also pronounced asParathar, from theTamil root wordpara meaning "expanse" or "sea".[7] The word has been documented in ancientSangam literature, describing them as maritime people of theNeithalSangam landscape.[8][9] Colonial archives refer them asParuwa, a corrupted form of "Paravar".[10]
According to other scholars[who?] isBharatha a name the community took from theHindu epicMahabharata, the clan ofBhāratas, who were the ancestor of the heroes in the epic, following their origin myth fromAyodhya.[11][12]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,200 | — |
| 2011 | 1,688 | −23.3% |
| Source:Department of Census & Statistics[13] Data is based on Sri Lankan Government Census. | ||
They were traditionally occupied in seatrade,pearl diving and fishing. They included the chiefs of the coastal regions, who ruled there as subordinates of thePandyan kings.[14] The Muslims ofKayalpatnam obtained a lease on pearl fishery byMarthanda Varma. The Bharatas aligned with thePortuguese and overthrew the overlordship by the Muslims and for return were over 20,000 Bharathas converted toRoman Catholicism in 1535.[15]
Several hundreds of Christian converted Bharathas were brought from Indian mainland to the western shores of Sri Lanka by thePortuguese to wrest control on the pearl trade.Cankili I, king ofJaffna Kingdom, ordered the death of 600 Christian Bharathas who were settled in theMannar District.[16][17]
Paravar are to be found all over Sri Lanka. AmongstSri Lankan Tamils Paravar are still a fishing and trading caste although commonly confused with theKaraiyar. The Bharatas or Bharatakula identity is maintained by a relatively prosperous merchant group from India that settled amongst the Sinhalese in the Negombo area.[18]
Along withColombo Chetty and other relatively recent merchant groups from South India, there is rapidSinhalisation or assimilation with the Sinhalese majority. But unlike the Colombo Chettys many still speak Tamil at home and even have marital relationships in India.
According to recent Sri Lankan census categories in July 2001, Bharatakula has been moved out ofSri Lankan Tamil category to simply as a separate ethnic groupBharatha.[1]
They are primarily found in capitalColombo and in towns north of it, namelyNegombo in the Western Province.
Common last names or family names of Bharatakulas include De Croos, Croos, Machado, Perez, Coonghe, Cruz, de Cruz, Pereira, Mascarenhas, Fernando, Ferdinandes, Fernandez, Paiva, Miranda, Motha, Corera, Costa, Rayan or Rayen, Rodrigo, Leon, Vaz, Gomez, Victoria, Kagoo, Carvalho, Almeida and Rubeiro. Fernando is one of the most common last names.
