Ajay Kumar at 16:55, 23 July 2023

2023-07-23T16:55:38Z

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{{Short description|A Sinhala caste traditionally involved in toddy tapping found in Sri Lanka}}
'''Durave''' or '''Durava''' or '''Durawa''' are a southern coastal [[Caste system in Sri Lanka|Sinhalese caste]] in [[Sri Lanka]]. Their traditional occupation is [[Toddy palm|toddy]] tapping. They are descended from post 15th century migrants from [[South India]].<ref>Da Silva, KM. (2015). A History of Sri Lanka. p264</ref>

==Current status==
Many were converted to [[Catholicism]] soon after the arrival of [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] colonials in 1505 CE. They along with other southern Sinhalese castes such as [[Karave]] and [[Salagama]] have played an important role in the historically left political and right parties. They are mostly [[Theravada]] Buddhists today and were instrumental in the revival of Buddhism during the British colonial period. The un-Buddhistic practice of caste discrimination introduced into the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]] by the [[Siyam Nikaya]] in the late 18th century has been overcome by patronising the [[Amarapura Nikaya]] and the [[Ramanna Nikaya]]s. Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti (Durawa) was the last nongovigama monk to receive upasampada before the 1764 [[List of conspiracies (political)|conspiracy]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Buddhism in Sinhalese Society, 1750-1900: A Study of Religious Revival and Change |first=Kitsiri |last=Malalgoda |page=91 |isbn=978-0-52002-873-9 |publisher=University of California Press |url=http://www.ucpress.edu/op.php?isbn=9780520028739 |year=1976 |access-date=2015-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055307/http://www.ucpress.edu/op.php?isbn=9780520028739 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Bryce Ryan, ''Caste in Modern Ceylon'', Rutgers University Press, 1953.

[[Category:Sinhalese castes]]
[[Category:Brewing and distilling castes]]

Durava - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 16:55, 23 July 2023