WGS84 8° 16′ 42.13″ N, 73° 2′ 46.46″ E

8.27837, 73.04624

Geo URI geo:8.27837,73.04624

UTM 43P 284806 915601

Zoom 6 Scale±

1:100000

Region IN-LD Type city

Title Minicoy (edit | report inaccuracies)

The cultural traits of Minicoy differ from those of any other islandin Lakshadweep. Manners, customs, lifestyle and food are similar tothose of the Maldives to the south of Minicoyand Malikubas (Officially referred as Mahl by the Lakshadweepadministration), a dialect of Dhivehi language is spoken on theisland.[10] Like in other Dhivehi speaking communities it is theTāna script, written from right to left which is used in writings.

Each village of Maliku has a Bodukaaka (male mayor) and Bodudhatha (femalemayor) who conduct village business at a gathering known as Baemedu. TheBodukaaka announces Baemedu by sending children of the village to each house.Male members gather in the village house to learn the purpose of the Baemedu.After the work is finished, there is a feast prepared by female members of thevillage.

A newborn child is named on its day of birth (this is different from the Maldiviantradition of being named on the seventh day). The baby normally stays in the room inwhich it is born (which is customarily the ancestral home of the mother) for the first sixdays. The mother's house name becomes the child's surname. On the seventh day afterbirth, the baby is taken to the father's ancestral home, where jewellery is presented.

There are ancient remains in an area of the island known as "Salliballu" dating back fromMinicoy's Buddhist past, about 800 years ago. The most conspicuous archaeological sitesare two mounds or large heaps of ruins belonging to a stupa and another relatedstructure. These sites were investigated by the Archaeological Survey of India in the1980s. The excavations yielded few discoveries, for the sites had been much damagedand vandalized previously. Still, a much-damaged largeBuddha head was found buried inthe area. The name "Salliballu" originated in the local name for the "Christian cross",because the locals say that an inscription with a "cross" was found there. But it is likelythat, coming from a Buddhist site, it was a cross-shaped Mandala or Visvavajra, like thoseoften found on inscriptions in archaeological remains in the Maldives.[5]

Local oral tradition has it that Kamborani and Kohoratukamana, twoprincesses from the Maldives, came to Maliku. When they arrived,the tivaru, who had been living there before, left the island for Sri Lanka.The Kamborani's descendants are the bodun (land- and shipowners) andthe descendents of Kohoratukamana are the niamin (captains). The otherstatus-groups are made up of the descendants of their crew.

The affiliation of the island to the Laccadive Islands now knownas Lakshadweep is rather recent. The term Lakshadweep, according to folk-etymology, means a hundred thousand islands. The Laccadive groupconsists of only 25 islands and it is unlikely the name refers to a numericalvalue. According to ancient Sanskrit literature the term originally appliedto all the island groups SSW of the Indian Subcontinent, that isthe Laccadive-Maldive-Chagos archipelagoes. Even then the number ofislands is only around 2000.

The Tight-fisted KingAn oral tradition of the Maldives (according to the late Magieduruge Ibrahim Didi, a Maldivian learned man from the island ofFuvahmulah) explains why Minicoy is not politically part of the Maldives anymore:Some time in the past (perhaps during the 17th century), Minicoy was devastated by a great cyclone which destroyed most houses and a great number of coconut trees. Following the catastrophe, a delegation of Minicoy islanders from the best families in the island sailed to the King in Male' asking for gold to help them through the hard times. However, the Maldive King told them that he had not enough money in his treasury and that he was not able to help them. Hence the delegation of Maliku nobles went onwards to the Malabar coast, where they found favor with the king of Cannanore (Kannur) who welcomed them and helped the Minicoy people to rebuild their island in exchange for their loyalty. Henceforth the Minicoy Islanders owed allegiance to this kingdom of the SW Indian shore..[5]

Minicoy has a tropical savanna

climate (Köppen climate

classification Aw) with warm

temperatures throughout the year.

Precipitation falls during most of the

year; only January to March are

relatively dry.

Minicoy is the second largest and the southernmost among the islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago. It is located 201 km to the SSW of Kalpeni, at the southern end of the Nine Degree Channel and 125 km to the north of Thuraakunu, Maldives, at the northern end of the Eight Degree Channel. The atoll is 10 km in length, having a maximum breadth of about 6 km. The closest geographic feature is theInvestigator Bank, a submerged shoal located 31 km to the northeast.

The atoll contains two islands. The main island is located on the eastern and southeastern side of the lagoon, along the reef fringe. It measures about 10 km from its northern end to its southernmost point and it is about 1 km wide in its southern half, while the northern half is a narrow sandspit, often less than 100 m wide. Minicoy is almost completely covered with coconut trees. One of the few landmarks of the island is a tall lighthouse. On the southern side of the main island lies the uninhabited islet of Viringili (Dhivehi: ިލިގްނިރިވ, also

called the Small Pox Island), measuring barely 200 m in length. Formerly the lepersof Minicoy were banished to this island where they lived in abject conditions.

Maliku Atoll has a lagoon with two entrances in its northern side, Saalu Magu on the northeast and Kandimma Magu on the northwest. Its western side is fringed by a narrow reef and coral rocks awash. The interior of the lagoon is sandy and of moderate depth, rarely reaching 4m. It has some coral patches.This atoll is administered under the Indian Union Territory of Lakshadweep. Nine Degree Channel separates Minicoy and Laccadive Islands. The closest island to Minicoy is Thuraakunu in the Republic of Maldives. Since 1956, the Indian Government has forbidden the direct travelling between the two islands despite their geographic proximity and ethnographic similarities.Maliku Kandu is the traditional name of the broad channel between Minicoy (Maliku) and Ihavandippulhu (Haa Alif Atoll) in the Maldives. In the Admiralty Charts it is called Eight Degree Channel. Other names for this channel are Addigiri Kandu and Māmalē Kandu. It appeared in old French maps with the name Courant de Malicut.

1. Minicoy Islanders, like the close islands of the Maldives follows Islam.

2. There are a total of eleven villages in Minicoy. In order from North to South.

3. The ancient name of Maliku (Minicoy) was Mahiladū, mahila (women) + dū (island) meaning women's island. However, now Minicoy is called Maliku in the local language. The name Maliku is thought to have been derived from the Arab trader's term for the island, Jazirat al-Maliku ('the island of the king'). Since it was the ancient capital of Lakshadweepa.

4. As of 2001 India census,[9] the island of Minicoy had a population of 9,495. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Minicoy has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 80%. In Minicoy, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The people of Minicoy are ethnically Dhivehis and make up the third subgroup of Dhivehis referred as Mahls. The people locally identify themselves as "Malikun"