Another etymology that is popular for Havyaka is argued to have derived from the Sanskrit word havya, which means "sacred oblation".
Sanskrit scholar Mahamahopadhyaya Nadahalli Ranganatha Sharma rejects the Havya + kavya derivation as grammatically incorrect.
Havyakas are descended from Brahmins brought from Ahichchatra by King Mayurasharman who founded the Kadamba dynasty in Kuntala.
They were brought in order to perform Vedic rituals especially the Ashwamedha and were originally housed in Talagunda Agrahara near Soraba and Shiralakoppa towns where the inscription attesting to this fact is found.
From there, they spread out in the nearby regions primarily following areas which were suitable for areca nut plantations, which they have historically been involved in Thimmappa Kalasi, Vidwan (2012).
Some claims suggest that the Havyakas originated from the Banavasi region and migrated to Ahichachtra (present-day Uttar Pradesh) in response to the threat posed by non-Vedic sects.
Centuries ago, Kadambara Mayuravarman, the founder of Karnataka's first royal family, struggled to carry out his religious rituals due to the lack of Brahmins in those days.
Therefore, he invited Havyaka families from Ahichachtra to perform Ashwamedha, provided shelter to some villages, and facilitated their settlement.
The key ritual during Upanayana is that of putting a sacred thread called yajnopavitha or janivaara consisting of three cotton strands across the left shoulder to the right waist of the boy.
In old Vedas, it is mentioned that after Upanayana, the boy enters the stage of Brahmacharya ashrama, leading a celibate and austere life of a student in his teacher's home and eating from handouts given by the neighbours.