Karava Makara Sri Lanka 

   Karava of Sri Lanka


admin@karava.org

  • Home
    • Kshatriya Maha Sabha
  • Q & A
    • Castes
    • Karava
    • India
    • Royalty
    • Govigama
    • The Buddha
    • Other castes
    • Fishing
  • Karava kings
    • Gajabahu II
    • Jaffna Kings
    • Kandy Kings
    • Timeline of Kings
  • Royal symbols
    • Sun & Moon
    • The Lion myth
    • White umbrella
    • Weapons
    • Karava customs
  • Karava flags
    • Garuda Flags
    • Elephant flags
    • Makara Flags
  • Karava Mansions
  • Karava timeline
    • Mukkara Hatana
    • Migration from India
  • Family names
    • Surya clans
    • Marakkalage - Navy
    • Konda Karava
    • Mandadige
    • de Fonseka family
    • Panadura Rodrigo family
    • Gardiya Punchihewa Family
    • Weerasooriya family
    • Amarasuriya family
    • Warnakula Aditta Arsanilaitta Ambrosius De Rowel family of Waikkal
    • Genealogy
  • Religious
    • Buddhism
    • Surya (Sun God) worship
    • God Indra worship
    • The Pattini Cult
    • Hinduism
    • Christianity
    • Islam
    • Tree worship
    • Amarapura Nikaya
  • Marriage
    • Marriage proposals - Grooms
    • Marriage proposals - Brides
  • Other
    • Radala
    • Mudaliyars
    • Govigama
    • The Govi Supremacy myth
    • Siyam Nikaya

Fishing

Who were the traditional fishermen of Sri Lanka ?

When the inland reservoirs and tanks that irrigated the rice paddies were full, cultivators fished in them using bait and tackle and nets. When the reservoirs start to dry up during the dry seasons, cultivators caught fish using baskets made of sticks as shown in the illustration here from Robert Knox. This practice had continued for centuries and ancient inscriptions refer to the fishing tax levied on cultivators as ‘matera maji baka’.

The Govis who fished full time were known as Kevul and indeed there still are many Kevul Gam (Fisher villages) scattered throughout the interior of Sri Lanka. Many of these Kevul Gam and Kevul gederas have now become Kivul gam and Kivule Gedaras thus obscuring their fishing origins.

Traditionally was there a fishing caste in Sri Lanka

No. Until the advent of the Europeans and the inversion of the traditional social hierarchy there is no reference to a fishing caste in Sri Lankan history. Of the four fold cast groups; raja, Bamunu, Velenda, Govi, the last mentioned Govi group was responsible for producing all food including rice, vegetables, dairy products, fruits and fish.

Kshatriya Maha Sabha, Sri Lanka


admin@karava.org