Karava of Sri Lanka

The Makara

The Makara, is a composite dragon with a curious mythical structure. It symbolizes the house of Capricorn in the Zodiac to which it has given its name Makara in the Hindu calendar. It has the head of a crocodile, horns of a goat, the body of an antelope and a snake, the tail of a fish and feet of a panther. Makara is half animal half fish and it is sometimes described as having the head of an elephant and the body of a fish. It is generally large and regarded as living in the ocean rather than in lakes or streams.

Only Varuna, the lord of the sky and the sea, the spiritual ruler of the world has power over the Makara. The Makara is Varuna’s vehicle in Hindu mythology. As most Karavas in southern Sri Lanka belong to the Karava Varunakulasuriya (Warunakulasuriya) clan, the symbolism is extremely interesting. In mythology Varuna is the chief of the Adithyas. Remnants of the name Adithya from the medieval period can still be found in Karava family names and the Nagadipa inscription of King Parakramabahu I mentions Chandraditya (Chandra + Adithya, Moon & Sun - quoted in Sakala Sinhala Chakrawarthi page 25). As Adithya is a synonym for Suriya (ie. the Sun). the Karava clan Varunakulasuriya too signifies Varuna-Adithya.

The Raghuvansa of Kalidasa records how fish/makara flags fluttered above royal palaces as:

 Mattsya Dvajan vayu vashavidirnei

Irmukho pravudha dvajani rajasin

bhabun pibanthan paramartha mathsyan

parya jalaniva navodakani

The Kav Silumina says:

Muvara dada dum nidi -kalasa kusuma kala yahan

Velep malao labadun- kalabith visit sittam

And the Kokila Sandesha poem from the Kotte period refers to the Makara flag of victory as follows:
Punsanda surindu sanda salakuna adina vara
Ban sonda telitudew tele tudeni mana hara
Min dada jaya virudu nada karana piya kara
An koda mediya tura topa sarivana pavara

Mudaliyar Rasanayagam says that ancient Tamil jewelry had Makara head ornamentation called Makarakkulai (Ancient Jaffna pg. 170)

Examples of the Makara image from the 1st century BC Sanchi stupa, Madya Pradesh, India. 

  
Makara as used on door handles (kaipudi) of ancient Sri Lankan palaces and temples.

A Centuries old Makara flag of the Karava community. The Makara symbol is used in ancient Sri Lankan royal architecture - at entrance to royal buildings and on royal arches.

 

A 19th century representation of the Karava Makara Flag. The image of the mythical creature Makara is extensively used in ancient Sri Lankan royal architecture. This flag is one of the main flags still used by the Karavas at their ceremonies. The Mukkara Hatana, an ola leaf manuscript now in the British Museum states that King Parakramabahu IV granted it to the Karavas

The Makara flag as shown with other ancestral royal insignia of the Karava community in a 19th century illustration.

 Makara designs on stone pillars in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa

An example of a  Makara balustrade as widely used in ancient Sri Lankan kingdoms. This one is from the royal audience hall in ancient city of Polonnaruwa

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A stone Water spout with a Makara head

As the Karavas were the traditional martial race of  Sri Lanka it is not surprising to find one of their symbols, the Makara, used as ornamentation on traditional swords. Such swords are unique to Sri Lanka and not found either in India or the Malay peninsular. Compare the similarity of the Makara on the above water spot with the decorative hilts on the left.

A Battle Axe and a Gun powder flask with Makara designs.