Because Islam is devoid of castes it is not possible to identify the Karavas among the Muslims of Sri Lanka or India. However The Karavas have often been living side by side with Muslims both on the Coromandel Coast as well as in Sri Lankan port cities such as Hambantota, Ambalantota, Weligama, Matara, Galle, Beruwala etc. Often it is hard to distinguish southern Muslims from southern Karavas merely by physical appearance.

The compound of the present Nallur Kandasamy (Murugan) Temple had included a Muslim holy tomb and the Kataragama Murugan temple complex still has a popular Muslim holy site within it.

Chikkarangegowda Talakkadu (1999 Sharadambeya Punarpratishtapanacharya Tippu Sultan India) says that Tippu Sultan converted scores of Koravas of Coorg to Islam. And according to to other scholars the number so converted was as much as 70,000.