They are commonly known in English as Sri Lankan Gypsies, in Sinhala as Ahikuntaka.

They are the only nomadic group of people living in Sri Lanka.

They live in small palmyra huts for approximately one week in one place.

[1] Their traditional occupations are fortune telling, snake charming and training monkeys and dogs for performances, though modernisation has forced many into wage labour.

The traditional faith is a form of Shaivism, though a large number of them had converted to Buddhism and some to Christianity.