Tivaru (ތީވަރު ) or Dweepukar are said to be the first settlers of the Minicoy island of
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep (), also known as Laccadives (), is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian sea, located off the Malabar Coast.
The name ''Lakshadweep'' means "one lakh islands" in Sanskrit, though the Lac ...
off the Indian mainland.
History
The origin of the Tivaru is unknown. Clarence Malony suggests that they could be Dravidians from southern India. Local oral tradition says that when
Dhivehis came to these islands, the Tivaru who had really already settled in these islands migrated to
Sri Lanka, except for those who remained on
Giraavaru.
See also
*
Dravidians
The Dravidian peoples, or Dravidians, are an ethnolinguistic and cultural group living in South Asia who predominantly speak any of the Dravidian languages. There are around 250 million native speakers of Dravidian languages. Dravidian sp ...
*
Thiyyar history
The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...
Notes
History of India
Ezhava
Indians in Sri Lanka
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