According to “ The Dravidian Tribes of Northern India”

The word Parava means “bird”. They constituted the tribes of “birds.” According to the inscriptions of the Indus Valley, they were a section of the Minas (Fishes), but their country was at time also called PARAVANAD on account of their riches. Their main city seems to have been Paravirpaili, “the city of the Paravas”. Their king always received the title of Minavan, “the fisherman” and his banner had two fishes painted upon it. There were two sub divisions of the Paravas; Pagal Paravas and Nila Parava, “the Paravas of the Sun” and “the Paravas of the Moon.” The latter seem to have been the more important of the two. The Paravas of the Coast of Coromandel and of Ceylon – sometimes wrongly called Bharatar styled themselves Paravas of the Moon. And claim mythical descent from that celestial body. Where are the Paravas of the Sun?

Perhaps we may trace them in the Rgveda. They are not called Paravas, but Paravatas, a change which may easily be explained considering that this word passed from the Dravidian to Sanskrit language. The Rgvedic rsis in the beginning did not know what was the meaning of that word. The Paravatas lived in the territory of the modern Punjab, along the Parusni river, and are described as clothed in woollen robes. They seem to have been slain by Saraswathi, because they scorned her. In one of the Vedic sacrifices, the rites of which are described in the Satapatha Bramana, the tribe of the Birds is mentioned by the adhvaryu, as being the subjects of King Tarksya Vaipasyata.

According to the Markendeya Purana, the Birds took part in the battle of Kuruksetra. In fact, this purana seems to have been the heirloom of the tribe, for its whole narrative practically is put in the mouth of four rsi Birds, named Pingaksa, Vibodha, Supatra and Sumukha. ‘the sons of Drona, the noblest of Birds, versed in the principles of philosophy and meditators on the Sastras”. Their mind is said to be ‘unclouded in the meaning of the Veda and Sastras”. They are described as dwelling ‘in a cave of the Vindhya mountains’.

-  Rev. Fr. Henry Heras S.J