Sri Lankan culture has been greatly influenced by India, owing to the geographical proximity of the two countries. The narrowest distance between the two is a strip of 50 kms between Dhanushkodi in India and Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka, which was believed once to be connected by a stone bridge that the great Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ claims was built by monkeys. Arial mapping has confirmed the existence of the Rama’s Bridge or Rama Setu. The close connection led to many exchanges between the two countries – people arriving on each shores over the years, and the merging of cultures.

A small community of predominantly Catholic people of Indian origin occupy the western coastal belt from Mannar to Chilaw and Negombo to Colombo. They are believed to be descendants of Tamil-speaking Paravar people of Southern India who had once been Hindus. An estimated 1288 Bharathas are currently living in Sri Lanka, although they are a slowly vanishing group, who were only recognized as a unique ethnic group in 2001.

Pearl diving is where the connection of the Bharathas to the Island begins. Legend has it that in the 1415, they came from Mohenhadaro led by Aryan warriors and 16 lieutenants to drive away the ‘Mukkuwas’ or Arab horse traders, ensconced in Puttalam, who were monopolizing the very valuable pearl trade. Incensed by an encroachment on what they considered to be their domain, the Bharathas, using their sea-faring skills, sailed across the Indian Ocean to make regular forays into this monopoly. Over time, they completely displaced the Arabs, and as a reward, the King of Sri Lanka at that time, King Parakramabahu VI of Kotte welcomed them as his subjects. Integrating very well with the local communities, they initially settled down on the coast at Mannar where many of the descendants of the original families still remain.

The last group of Paravar from south India came and settled in the British times. During the cotton boom in 1850-60 more Paravar migration came from South India mainly from Paravaroor (towns) Alanthalai, Manapad, Punniyakayal, Tutucorin, Vembar, Vepar and Veerapandiapatnam from South India settled in Sri Lanka. They had the Portuguese connection so it made them comfortable to settle in Sri Lanka. Many, centuries later, how and when they came seem irrelevant, for they have well and truly integrated themselves into Sri Lankan society.

Fernando is the most common Bharaha surname. The Fernandos hailing from the parish of Vembar in South East India, were the converts of the Jesuits in the 16th century whose faith was enkindled by St. Francis Xavier. Through thick and thin, they cherished their faith even as they spread their wings to distant shores, to reach Mannar, Negombo, and Colombo and beyond.

Coonghe, Pinghe, Moraes, Croos, Dabrera, Sosa, Fernandos, Rodrigos, Paldano, also Feldano, Figurado, Mirando, Paiva, Victoria and Raj Chandra – all these names that may sound familiar to Sri Lankans are rooted in the Bharatha community. Their names also link them immediately to the Portuguese and Catholicism. Though their ancestors were Hindus, they were compelled to convert to Catholicism when Portuguese colonial missionaries came to Ceylon, and were bestowed Portuguese names. Vestiges of Hindu culture still remain, for families still tie the thali round the bride’s neck during the marriage ceremony. The older generations speak mostly Tamil. There are four family names of non-Christian origin still in common use, these being Kalingarayan, Villavarayan, Poobalarayan and Rayan. These names are thought possibly to have their origin in arayan, which was used by Tamil fishing groups.

In Negombo, I meet an elderly gentleman who has a different story to relate. Alensis Brendan Sosa claims “the Bharatas or Bharatakula as a relatively prosperous merchant group from India that settled amongst the Sinhalese in the Negombo area”. They came from Tuticorin, a port city in Tamil Nadu presently known as Thoothukudi.

According to Sosa, his ancestor Gabriel de Croos arrived in Negombo and set up a business in 1800s. His son, John Leo de Croos, married Barbara Coonghe and they had two daughters Rosa Isabelle de Croos and Mary Christina de Croos. Soon after giving birth to Mary, Barbara died and Clara, Sosa’s grandmother cared for her. The two sisters were boarded at the Kandy convent where they received an education. John Leo was a land owner, a very wealthy man. Apart from setting aside inheritance for his two daughters, he left a large portion of his wealth to the poor. One story relates, a thousand acres of coconut land was entrusted in the care of the parish priest of St Mary’s church to be given as dowries to poor women and land to widows. Sosa said that we should visit the St Mary’s church and see the beautiful marble altar made in the memory of John Leo de Croos and his wife in 1922.

Located on Grand Street in the center of Negombo is the St. Mary’s Church – one of the largest cathedrals in Sri Lanka. This impressive church was built in neoclassicism style with columns and plain walls around 1874. Its ceilings are painted with alabaster images of many saints. A wedding ceremony had just ended, and still a few visitors decked in shiny dresses and smart suits were lingering along the aisles with their children trailing behind. The church was decorated beautifully with flower arrangements, but elaborate carvings, statues and paintings outshone all of this. At the nave of the Cathedral was a marble slab which had been donated in memory of the late John Leo de Croos by his family. The priest said the marble cost a lot of money even back then, and that it was shipped from Italy as requested by John de Croos in his last will.

The Bharathas consider St. Joseph as their patron saint and celebrate the feast with pomp and pageantry at St. Mary’s Church.

Maria Stella College, Negombo – 1924

The two daughters of John de Croos who were devout Catholics dedicated their lives to serving the community. They donated a 10 acre land at the Copra junction (the place where copra was collected to be transported to Colombo) in Negombo to the Marista brothers to build a secondary school for boys. The school that began in 1921 as part of St Mary’s college was renamed Maris Stella College in 1924.

To match the school’s new name Maris Stella which means “the star of the sea” the college crest was designed to depict a sailing ship with a star at the top, with a motto “Ite Para Tutum” meaning “show us the way”. The two letters “A” and “M” stands for Ave Maria the first two words in Latin of the Catholic prayer- Hail Mary. Today, Maris Stella is a leading boys schools in the Western Province.

Community service has always been their second nature, with even the Chapel at St Bridget’s Convent being donated by a Bharatha family, as well as the “Lin Hathara” public baths in Kochikade.

Sosa recollects the generosity of his ancestors. He said “Bharathas in Negombo built a cemetery and an elder’s home using their own wealth. Next to the elder’s home is the community hall where people of our community meet regularly”.

The Baharatha cemetery is a place of tranquility and reverence with a small chapel located at the center. Neat rows of graves line the pathway. Elaborate grave stones in marble indicated familiar Bharatha surnames like Croos, Coonghe Moraes and Dabrera. This land has been a donation by John Leo de Croos as mentioned at the chapel entrance.

According to Sosa, the Bharathas later moved away from their traditional sea-faring roots into commerce. The first prominent Colombo trader was S. Miguel Fernando, a Milliner and Draper who specialized in gents outfitting. His business was located at 106, Main Street in Pettah, now the commercial and trade hub of the city This was soon followed by what became iconic merchant icons like M.P Gomez, J.L. Carwallio and F.X Pereira’s- the first departmental store in Ceylon, which stood at 144 Main Street, Pettah. Many are the stories abound of Christmas shopping not being complete without a visit to buy crackers, cake ingredients and of course, liquor. The Bharathas also left a legacy which became historical in Sri Lanka – the kerosene bullock cart. Starting from importing onions from India, they acquired the agency to distribute petroleum products and even exported kerosene to India. There were over 50 “Rising Sun” petrol and oil depots throughout the island, all of them run by Bharatha business owners. A barrel mounted on a bullock cart was widely used in kerosene delivery in the 1950s and 1960s. A bell informed approaching of kerosene cart. Mr P V Anthonis father of well-known surgeon Dr P R Anthonis initially sold Kerosene in a Bullock cart. Eventually when he became more prosperous he had a standalone establishment selling kerosene. This trading success encouraged the Bharathas to venture into other commercial ventures and soon they were into Coconut farming, Land ownership and Arrack licensing moving on the coast from Mannar to Panadura and inland into Kandy and Kurunegela.

Bharatha families get together to celebrate occasions such as Christmas. Even those who are living overseas come back to Sri Lanka to be reunited with their families. Sosa’s daughter Diordre says “The black pork curry Bharathas make is unique, we cook black pork curry with lots of pepper – a must for any festive occasion”. The black pork curry is so called because of the spices and curry power used for the marinade. Tamarind is used to add distinct sour notes to curry, and even a hint of sweet and fruity taste. Explaining the recipes handed down from her grandmother, she says they also have a special ‘moju’ rice-puller (a pickle) made of prawns or dried fish. “Unlike other communities we use equal quantities of onion and maldive fish in our seeni sambol to make it really crunchy,” she adds.

Crab curry is another specialty at Bharatha family get-togethers, especially on Sundays. This dish goes all the way back to their roots in fishing, where the mud crabs abundant in lagoons were brought home live with their pinchers tied up with strings, to be boiled and cooked. After boiling the crab for 10 minutes, the crabs are cut into 2 or 4 pieces depending on their size.

The curry is spiced with roasted coconut paste, turmeric, curry powder and red chilies, green chilies, onions, ginger, cloves, curry leaves and pandan leaves. Curry powder is an all-in-one powder -it includes dried red chilies as well as all the other spices like Coriander seeds, Fennel, Mustard, Cumin, and Fenugreek in different proportions.

The crab curry originated in the northern regions of Sri Lanka but became popular around the country, mostly in the seaboard areas where fish and other seafood

are staple foods. The dish is served with rice or pittu. The addition of Moringa leaves, an important ingredient to the crab curry, comes from Jaffna. Moringa or “drumstick” leaves are used with crab to alleviate the acidity of the crab. “My grandmother used to add a handful of Moringa leaves to prevent indigestion” added Diordre.

For the second ingredient, grated coconut is roasted in a pan until golden brown and smelling sweet and nutty. Mustard and Cumin is added and the coconut is ground into a thick paste using the pestle and mortar. The tempered and simmered curry is completed by adding the roasted coconut paste and a cup of coconut milk minutes before taking it off the stove. The crab curry is always served with fragrant yellow rice, green salad and lentil curry as it was done in the past.

Sosa recollected some of the sweetmeats his mother used to make for occasions. Chatti dosi was his favourite. “It’s made with rulang, ghee, sugar, cadju and raisins. Another was profegi -a sweet fried in oil, like a cutlet and Bharata women make all those Portuguese sweetmeats like bibikkan and kavun,” he added. Three days before a marriage, all the relatives would get together and cook kavun, but not take a single bite until the wedding was over. Another custom was to join three athiraha together to ensure a blissful life for the couple.

The two main Bharatha communities in Negombo and Colombo have established their own Associations to preserve the unique culture. The Negombo Bharatha Association was started in 1937. Nicholas Emmanuel De Croos the only son of John de Croos became the first president. The following year the Baharathas in Kotahena also established their own Association through which they organized various social and religious programs during the year to keep the community united and also to keep the present generation aware of the history and traditions of Bharathas.

There is a Basilica dedicated to “Our Lady of Snows” in Tuticorin, India built in 1582 A.D. by the Portuguese. A replica of the Saint’s statue was brought by the Bharathas to Negombo. They set it up in front of the Periyamulla church, under the cover of a tiny attic to be honoured by the public. The Bharathas in Colombo consider the “Our Lady of Snows” their Patron Saint. A grand feast is celebrated annually at St Philip Neri’s Church in Pettah. Bharathas are staunch Catholics who have done a lot for the community. Because they venerate “Our Lady of Snow” Mr. A P Gomez made replicas of the statue in Tuticorin and installed at all the churches patronized by Bharathas in Colombo.

Bharathas never forgot their Indian roots. The connection between India has been strong for many centuries. Mr I. X. Pereira built a Rest Home in Tuticorin for the benefit of Bharathas who came from Ceylon or the outlying villages. It is known today as the Bharatha Home. The first Bharatha Conference was held in Tuticorin in December 1915. The 9th Bharatha Conference was held in Colombo, under the presidency of Mr A.L.J. Croos Dabrera in January 1938.

Retired Air Force Officer, Brendon Sosa

Sosa himself, a retired Air Force office of high rank is proud to have served the country during the civil war for 30 years. He said “The good thing about belonging to a small community is that everybody is known to each other. We have always been living harmoniously with everyone.” He recollects of a family heirloom that his cousin Adrian Coonghe gifted to him in 1996. It was a kastane Adrian had inherited from his grandfather Marcus Coonghe. The kastane is a short sword with a decorative hilt that was once worn as part of the attire of a native headmen. Since Sosa intends to pass on the Bharatha heritage to his grandson, Josua Moraes, he recently gifted the kastane to him. He also encouraged his grandson to join the Negombo Bharatha Association where as a member of the younger generation he can be involved in the community.

The Bharathas proved their success by both integrating into the local communities they settled in, and yet retaining their own unique identity and culture.