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''Marakkala'' is the modern colloquial term for Muslims, ''Marakkalage'' is another uniquely Karava ancestral name and is also used by several traditional ''Karava'' families of Sri Lanka todate. Variant forms are : ''Maha Marakkalage, Arasa Marakkalage, Andra Marakkalage, Antinna Marakkalage, Kodi Marakkalage, Loku Marakkalage, Manna Marakkalage, Sandra Marakkalage'' and Marakkala Malimige The name Marakkalage derives from the type of craft Marakkar (Marakkalam in Tamil means Wooden Ship) used in trade and warfare by the rulers of the Kuru Mandala coast (the region of the Kurus) and Sri Lanka. This may be an allusion to the Muslim Arabic traders who were the prominent shipmen of pre and early Colonial Sri Lanka. They were also used in their naval battles against the Portuguese, Dutch, British and other Europeans in the 16th, 17th and 18th century. The ancestors of the families bearing these names may have been Muslim traders, or the owners or commanders of such vessals. Malimage, deriving from Malimar/Malimam meaning ship's captain was also bestowed as an honour usually on Hindus. 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, since no documentation of such tradition exists prior to Colonialism of Sri Lanka, when the Karavas allied themselves to the Western rulers, in some cases allegedly rewriting history to their advantage. Sri Lankan and Portuguese history mention that an Indian Kaurava Race (to whom the Karavas trave one etyomological possibility of their race-name) were Naval commanders in the armies of the Nayaks of Tanjore. A stamp issued by India shows the Marakkar war-paroe, a boat that could carry 30-40 men and could be rowed in the sea as well as through lagoons and narrow waters. It is available as a Wikipedia image: Marakkar Stamp 2000.jpg. These crafts were also used in their naval battles against the Portuguese in the 16th century to attack Portuguese ships. ==References== Queyroz Fr. The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylaö, 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Marakkalage」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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