{"id":103427,"date":"2022-11-05T14:17:56","date_gmt":"2022-11-05T14:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=103427"},"modified":"2022-11-05T14:18:29","modified_gmt":"2022-11-05T14:18:29","slug":"the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"bridge-talaimannar\"<\/p>\n

Source:<\/span><\/strong>Thuppahis<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/strong>India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map above, the sub-oceanic existence of the hitherto mystical \u201cAdams Bridge\u201d between Dhanushkodi in India and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka has now been conclusively shown to exist through aerial mapping. It is thus reasonable to conclude that natural movement would have occurred between India and Sri Lanka over the aeons.\u00a0While there is much documented history about Sinhalese and Tamils, there appears to be a relative dearth of public knowledge of a smaller migrant race called the Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s.<\/strong>\u00a0The writer hopes this compilation will improve the knowledge of this now vanishing group who have unobtrusively and yet so selflessly contributed so much to the history of this Island nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

First documented in Indian literature of Sangam anthology\u00a0(1)\u00a0\u00a0<\/sub><\/strong>\u00a0<\/sub>Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s originated from Paravar\u2019s or Parathar\u2019s who are an ancient aristocratic seafaring warrior caste of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.\u00a0<\/strong>Delving further into history, Edgar Thurston\u00a0(2)<\/sub><\/strong>\u00a0referring to Church records (Latin\u00a0Historica Eccliasastica)\u00a0<\/em>states that the Paravar\u2019s and the Paravaims referred to in the Bible are the same. The Paravar\u2019s derive their origins from the Indus Valley, a Bronze Age civilisation recorded together with Egypt and Mesopotamia dating from 3300 BCE(3).<\/sub><\/strong>\u00a0Moving to the south coast of India the Paravar\u2019s acquired their title from the classic Tamil denotation of PARAVAN \u2013 Man of the Sea. In 712 AD, there began the Arab Muslim invasion of the Indus Valley, locally called the Sindhus valley which lies in the north of India, at the base of the Himalayan mountain ranges. This invasion which lasted till the 1300\u2019s prompted the movement of the Paravar\u2019s to the Coromandel Coast on the South-east of the India where\u00a0they began to utilise their knowledge by combining mathematics and astronomy in plotting sea voyages<\/strong>. Boat building flourished and the first recorded catamaran with two hulls was made by Paravar\u2019s\u00a0(6)<\/sub><\/strong>. Gaining experience of the sea as fisherman, they widened their purview of the ocean by mapping areas where Oyster beds flourished. Bh\u0101ratha folklore has is that Pearl divers were always anchored by a rope to their brothers in law because if the diver drowned, the survivor would be beholden to care for the sister of the perished one!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pearl diving is where the connection of the Paravar\u2019s (now the Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s) to our Island begins.<\/strong>\u00a0Legend has it that in the 1400\u2019s, Arab Horse Traders, ensconced in Puttalam, were monopolising the very valuable Pearl trade. Incensed by an encroachment on what they considered to be their domain, the Paravar\u2019s, 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 Parakrama Bahu VI of Kotte welcomed them as his subjects. Integrating very well with the natives, they initially settled down on the coast at Mannar where many of the descendants of the original families still remain.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Paravar Pearl Divers in Mannar\u2013Wilkipedia Common source material<\/u><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In the late 1490s & 1500s began the Portuguese occupation of India and Sri Lanka with natural proselytising of the natives to Catholiscm.\u00a0A notable arrival at this time was Saint Francis Xavier who converted almost all Paravar\u2019s from Hinduism to Christianity\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 the first entire Indian community to change. In October 1542 he initially baptised over 10,000 and the total swelled to over 30,000. Their Hindu link is still retained in today\u2019s Bh\u0101ratha tradition, where the Thali or Thirumangalyam, the southern Indian symbol of marriage, tied around the bride\u2019s neck, features the Catholic image of the Holy Ghost.<\/span><\/p>\n

The most popular Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s name, Fernando, comes from the Portuguese race<\/strong>.\u00a0Others<\/strong>, too numerous to list completely, but \u00a0still retaining the Portuguese heritage are names like Almeida, Britto, Carwallio, Coonghe, Corera, Costa, Croos, Dabrera, De Rose, De Silva, Feldano, Figurado, Fernandez, Gomez, Lobo, Mascarenhas, Mirando, Moraes, Paldano, Paiva, Peeris, Pereira, Pinghe, Prasagna, Rayan, Rayer, Rodrigo, Roche, Rubeiro, \u00a0Soris, Soza, Victoria \u00a0and Vaaz(4) .<\/sub><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s soon moved away from their traditional sea-faring roots into commerce. The first prominent Colombo trader was S. Miguel Fernando, a Milliner & Draper \u201cSpecialist in Gents Outfitting\u201d and was located at 106, Main Street Colombo, (Pettah).\u00a0<\/sub><\/strong>This was soon followed by what became iconic merchant icons like M.P Gomez, J.L. Carwallio & F.X Pereira\u2019s- the first departmental store in Ceylon. Many the stories abound of Christmas shopping not being complete without a visit to buy crackers, cake ingredients and of course liquor! In their heyday they imported everything from drapery to hardware and became agents for Insurance and shipping. The Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s also left a legacy which became historical in Sri Lanka \u2013 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 \u201cRising Sun\u201d petrol and oil depots throughout the island, all of them run by Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s. \u00a0A traditional must in most Sri Lankan meals, Dry Fish was also handled by the Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s. This trading success encouraged the Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s to venture into other commercial ventures and soon they were into Coconut farming, Land ownership and Arrack licencing moving on the coast from Mannar to Panadura and inland into Kandy and Kurunegela. Establishing himself with the then burgeoning planting industry was another Bh\u0101ratha S.T Soris. Using his father\u2019s business success, he pioneered Bh\u0101ratha land ownership\u00a0(5)<\/sub><\/strong>.\u00a0This was soon followed by the de Croos family who became one of the biggest Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s philanthropists, gifting land for Maris Stella College.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is appropriate to mention here the origin of this title. Maris Stella in Latin means \u201cSTAR OF THE SEA\u201d which displays the reverence the Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s have for Mother Mary who carried them safely across the seas. Displaying their forward thinking, the de Croos also donated land to the government to commence building the Negombo Colombo railway line\u00a0(6)<\/sub><\/strong>. Their progeny have continued their dedication to Negombo and made this town, which is now a city, the stronghold of Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s. In the pioneering spirit,\u00a0they began the Negombo Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s Association which has a recorded history of over 75 years and is still remaining,<\/strong>\u00a0albeit not as active as in the past. In its heyday, it had its own newsletter called the Bh\u0101ratha Herald and even its own website which is sadly now defunct. A fair concentration of Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s also exists in and around Kotahena, mainly businessmen who have organised themselves as the All Ceylon Bh\u0101ratha Association. In the villages of Ettukal in Negombo and Vankali in Mannar 99% of the residents are Catholic Bharathas with exclusive places of worship and burial grounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2001 census showed that there were a total of only 1,688 but this was thought to be due to discrepancies, with the majority of Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s registering themselves as Sinhalese, Tamils and even Burghers!\u00a0<\/strong>They proved their success by integrating so well and yet retaining their own unique identity and culture as law-abiding and peaceful citizens of Sri Lanka. Philanthropy has always been their second nature with even the Chapel at St Bridget\u2019s Convent being donated by a Bh\u0101ratha, not to mention \u201cLin Hathara\u201d public baths in Kochikade.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bh\u0101ratha community estimates that there are over 10,000 across the island.<\/strong>\u00a0The younger generation are very fluent in Sinhala with many Doctors, Engineers, Finance professionals and sportspeople flying their flag. Their biggest contribution is to religious orders and the present Bishop of Mannar, His Lordship Emmanuel Fernando is a Bh\u0101ratha, together with Chairman\/ Directors of leading companies like Forbes & Walker & Finlays. The present chairman of the Pership\/Asha group of companies, Mr Manik Pereira is the grandson of Chevalier I X Pereira, a past chairman of F X Pereira. It is a fervent wish that Bh\u0101ratha\u2019s continue to flourish and contribute to the development of that paradise isle to which we are so fondly endeared.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not a Bh\u0101ratha himself; the writer was enthralled by their history when he was made aware of them by a Bh\u0101ratha schoolmate,<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Dhammita Soza. All information is from the sources above with special editing gratitude to Mr Chervon de Croos, present President of the Negombo Bh\u0101ratha association. \u2013 The writer takes full responsibility for all errors a<\/em>nd omissions \u2013\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jeremy De Lima =\u00a0\u00a0delima@bigpond.net.au<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

**** ****<\/span><\/p>\n

A MEMO from Fabian Schokman of Moratuwa, A Burgher who has been\u00a0 researching the census-enumeration processes in present-day Lanka, 21 March 2020:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Michael,\u00a0 Thank you for this. I believe, as with most of the \u201clesser minorities\u201d,\u00a0the community did not have its own classification until the 2001 census<\/strong>, [when they were enumerated separately] mostly on account of the Chetties and their fight to be classed as a distinct ethnicity.\u00a0Throughout census history, one can see the Chetties demanding to be classed as distinct from the Tamils.<\/strong>\u00a0The term \u201crace\u201d in SL, must always be seen as a synonym for \u201cethnicity\u201d and not with the same connotation it derives in the west.<\/span><\/div>\n
In the 19th century, [the Bharathas and Chetties\u00a0 were] commonly distinguished by dress, but beginning in the late 19th century and the standardizing in the 20th century, the distinction of dress (and according to some accounts language) faded into obscurity, and both the Chetties and the Bharathas faced assimilation like no other race in SL.<\/span><\/div>\n
The census never recorded \u201ccastes\u201d only ethnicity, but the Bharatha and Chetty communities\u2019 classification as an ethnicity has changed over the years.\u00a0The Chetties and Bharatha families speak Sinhala or Tamil interchangeably depending on the locality and the language most commonly spoken by their neighbours.<\/strong>\u00a0To specifically say that the older generation speaks Tamil and the younger generation speaks Sinhalese is to tread gently onto the line of assumption.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
From what I have been told though, unless the numbers drop to the point of obscurity, the Bharatha and Chetty communities will continue to be enumerated individually, after that they will be grouped into the infamous \u201cOther\u201d. \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 Regards,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A FURTHER NOTE from FABIAN in response to QUERY:<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThe Nugara\u2019s are a Burgher family as far as records show. That being said it doesn\u2019t mean they aren\u2019t Chetty. Like I said, the assimilation of these communities dates into antiquity. Only further research will show if they are Burgher in the context of the Ondaatje family (i.e. Assimilated Chetties). I am currently researching the genealogy of my third great grandmother Jane Eliza Nugara. If it turns up a Chetty\/Baratha connection, I will let you know.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
On a side note,\u00a0most Burgher assimilations came from the Chetties rather than the Bharatha community<\/strong>. I\u2019m uncertain of what the historical obstacles were, but I\u2019m sure there were a few. Perhaps the Bharatha community\u2019s genealogists can work on a comprehensive study of the customs, language and tradition of the community form antiquity to date.<\/strong>\u00a0It would be a valuable contribution to ethnic studies in SL.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map above, the sub-oceanic existence of the hitherto mystical \u201cAdams Bridge\u201d between Dhanushkodi in India and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka has now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":103429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,42710],"tags":[49181],"class_list":{"0":"post-103427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"category-michael-roberts","9":"tag-bharathas-of-sri-lanka","10":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-05T14:17:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-05T14:18:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"621\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"287\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-05T14:17:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-05T14:18:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/\"},\"wordCount\":1878,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Bharathas of Sri Lanka\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\",\"Michael Roberts\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/\",\"name\":\"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-05T14:17:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-05T14:18:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg\",\"width\":621,\"height\":287,\"caption\":\"bridge-talaimannar\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"description\":\"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"eLanka\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\",\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eLanka admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts","description":"India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts","og_description":"India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map","og_url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/","og_site_name":"eLanka","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","article_published_time":"2022-11-05T14:17:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-11-05T14:18:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":621,"height":287,"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"eLanka admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eLanka admin","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/"},"author":{"name":"eLanka admin","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd"},"headline":"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts","datePublished":"2022-11-05T14:17:56+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-05T14:18:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/"},"wordCount":1878,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg","keywords":["Bharathas of Sri Lanka"],"articleSection":["Articles","Michael Roberts"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/","name":"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg","datePublished":"2022-11-05T14:17:56+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-05T14:18:29+00:00","description":"India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/bridge-talaimannar.jpg","width":621,"height":287,"caption":"bridge-talaimannar"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-bharathas-of-sri-lanka-roots-and-tales-by-michael-roberts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","name":"eLanka","description":"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization","name":"eLanka","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":82,"caption":"eLanka"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd","name":"eLanka admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eLanka admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew"],"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103430,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103427\/revisions\/103430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}