Origins
The Karaiyar, along with Parvatharajakulam, Paravar and Mukkuvar, are one of the oldest groups of the coastal region of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. They are predominantly found in the area known as Coromandel Coast. These three seafaring related social groups are regionally distributed, with each group dominating a certain coastal belt. Seafaring activities include trading, coastal fishing, and naval activities. They are mentioned by Ptolemy as Kareoi – the tribe inhabiting the eastern coast that once extended south of Cape Comari in ancient Tamilakam. In Tamil, Karaiyar means "coast men".
Karaiyar culture in Ceylon has historically extolled Corsican virtues of refined far-sighted justice along with martial courage and defiance against foreign impositions. Karaiyar are also found north of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu and well into the Andhra Pradesh coastal areas. Moreover, there has been significant intermarriage among the Karaiyar,Paravar and Marawar castes, other warrior castes of Tamil Nadu. The ancient coinage and flags of the Pandyan dynasties had as their most significant symbol that of the Carp, in reference to their maritime origins and whose seafaring led to trade with the Greeks and the Romans. They had an expansive and powerful empire, holding sway and dominating South India and Ceylon, and at one point in time, one of the Pandyan dynasties was in power continuously for six centuries. Some of their descendants, reside in the Karaiyar Caste, quite unaware of their bloodline, history, and descent, unfortunately through the ravages of time and internecine wars, but evident through its not so infrequent atavisms.
A significant part of this community came to consist of the traditional warrior and naval community of Sri Lanka, which were disempowered after the fall of the northern and southern kingdoms to Europeans. For more information about the corresponding martial caste of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, see Karava.
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