Maliku and Maldives; the age-old, fading bond

By: Aminath Saany Naseer

An aerial photograph shows the island of Maliku (Minicoy).

The island of Maliku (Minicoy) is the only inhabited island in the Maliku Atoll and is a part of current day Lakshwadweep. Under the territory of India, Maliku is accounted for the smallest union territory under Indian control. The local culture of this island and their ways of life confirm close analogy to Maldivian descendants. From their language to their lifestyle, Maldivian culture and tradition is also extremely apparent. Not surprisingly, the islands of Maliku atoll can be dated back to have been under Maldivian control. There is various evidence, both documentary and archeological, which suggests these circumstances.

Legends speak of the Indian ruler Raja dada (Rajaraja) who had captured the two northern most atolls, Maliku atholhu (present day Minicoy) and Thiladhunmathi. The Indian ruler conquered these lands during the early years of Soma Vansa Dynasty in Maldives, possibly during the 11th century AD. (Inscriptions from Chola emperor Rajaraja 985- 1014 AD). However, the Soma Vansa King (Mahabarana Aadheetiya) defeated the Indians and titled himself ‘the ruler of fourteen atolls and two thousand islands’. His kingdom was named ‘Dheeva Mahal’ and this territory was between Malikaddu (Maliku atoll) and Addu atoll. This legend was famous even when Maldives converted to Islam during 1153 AD during which the King’s Nephew was ruling.

Afterwards, during the great patriotic war against the Portuguese occupation of Maldives (1558 to 1573), Maliku was seen as an integral part of Muhammad Thakurufaan’s successful war strategy. The Maldivian guerillas used hit and run tactics and disrupted trade using Maliku as a base.

Even as late as 1696 AD, a grant issued under the Seal of the King Siri Kula Ran Mani of the Maldives referred to him as "Malikaddu Midhemedhu ekanuonna mi korhu anikaneh nethee korhu" which translates "Sole Sovereign with no other over what lies between Maliku and Addu". The seal was on a grant that issued a building of a mosque in the Island of Finey at Thiladhunmathi atoll. However disappointingly, the mosque was recently demolished. This was some of the most important archaeological evidence that suggested the relationship between Maldives and Minicoy, and is a serious matter of national heritage preservation not taken into significant perspective.

Another important event in history, which shows interaction with Maliku and Maldives, was during the reign of the famous Sultan Iskandhar. A conflict started when the king stopped paying tributes to Goa, which was a tradition by the past sultans. This infuriated the Malabars, who used this as an excuse to launch an attack on the Maldivian islands. The King was able to defeat them and drive them away, though continuous organized trouble was instigated by them. To solve this disturbance, the king counterattacked by sending troops to the Dheevandhuroa islands (near Maliku) in the Laccadives. It is also said that after driving the Malabars away the chief and the Lords of Minicoy who collaborated with the Malabars were brought to Male. After this, Minicoy came under Maldivian control and remained so. However after this date, how Maliku went under foreign occupation is unknown. Maliku might have been lost because of the political troubles that persisted after the 17th century, during which time the realms were not able to attend the islands as its location was too far north at a time of poorly developed transport. However, domestic affairs carried on between other islands of Maldives and Minicoy until it was annexed by India in the 50’s.

Moreover, the anthropologist Ellen Kattner claims that oral tradition suggests that the first interaction with Maldives and Minicoy was through two princesses, Kamboranin and Kohoratukamana who came to Minicoy. After their arrival, the ‘tivaru’ (people who had really already settled in these islands) migrated to Sri Lanka. This might be the reason Marco Polo later referred to Minicoy as the "female island" which explains why the society was matriarchal. The descendants of the aristocracy made the high-class inhabitants of the islands and the lower class by descendants of the crew.

The name Lakshwadeep, (Lakudi Dheebu in Dhivehi) which is the name conferred to the Laccadive Islands can also be affiliated with the Maldives. Folk- etymology suggests that this means a hundred thousand islands. However, it is unlikely to have been referred to the numerical value. In Ancient Sanskrit literature, the term is applied to the Laccadive-Maldive-Chagos archipelagos on the south- southwest of India. (Maldives)

In addition, correlation can be drawn between Maliku and the Maldives when we examine the culture, traditional language and lifestyle of the island, compared to other union territory islands of India. For instance, the language spoken in Maliku is a dialect of Maldivian Dhivehi as Ellen Kattner writes: “During his stay on Maliku, a British officer asked somebody for the name of the language. The islander answered: 'Mahaldibu bas’ (lit. language of the Maldives.) and the officer noted down 'mahl'.”

Even though on first November 1956, India formally annexed Minicoy and incorporated it into the union territory of Laccadive Minicoy and Amindivi Islands, there would always be a strong bond between Minicoy and Maldives, due to the significance of our mutual history. It is important to draw into attention that Maliku is a vital section of Maldivian culture which is getting secluded day by day.

Today Maldivians are not allowed to visit Maliku without special permissions from the Indian government and those who do get to visit are not allowed to stay for more than 14 days. Such barriers are widening the already existent gap, and have become an aspect from history that people should be more sentient about.