Minicoy

Minicoy is known as Maliku in the local language, Dhivehi, which is also the national and official language of the Republic of Maldives. The language is a descendant of Elu Prakrit and is closely related to the Sinhala language, but not mutually intelligible with it. However, the Lakhshadweep Administration refers to Dhivehi as Mahl. This is due to a misunderstanding on the part of a British civil servant who came to Minicoy in the 1900s during the British Raj. The official asked a local what his language was and he replied "Dhivehi-bas". The official looked confused as he had never heard of this language. Noticing this, the islander said "Mahaldeebu" as he knew that locals on the subcontinent referred to the kingdom to the south (the Maldives) by that name. The civil servant then official recorded the language of Minicoy as Mahl. The ancient name of Maliku was Mahiladū meaning women's island. Mahiladū derives from Elu Prakrit term Mahila du, which literally means woman-island. However, 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'). Minicoy islanders have long settled in the Nicobar Islands across the Bay of Bengal. These settlers regularly travelled back to Minicoy. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands had a reputation in the Maldives and Minicoy of being inhabited by cannibals, and so collectively the Andaman and Nicobar groups were called "Minikaa-raajje" ("cannibal kingdom") by Minicoy and Maldive islanders. A British official once asked a Minicoy islander what the name of his island was. The islander told the official that he was from Maliku but usually lived in "Minikaa-raajje" (Nicobar). The official thought Maliku and Minikaa were the same place and recorded the name of this islander's home as "Minikaa". This later became anglicised as Minicoy. ==Geography==

were formerly banished. Minicoy is the second largest and the southernmost among the islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago. It is located 201 km to the south-southwest 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 the Investigator Bank, a submerged shoal located 31 km to the northeast. It is located 400 km west off the coast of Trivandrum. 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 the Minicoy Island Lighthouse, which was built in 1885 during the British regime. On the southern side of the main island lies the uninhabited islet of Viringili (; , also called the Small Pox Island), measuring barely 200 m in length. Formerly the lepers of 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 4 m. It has some coral patches. This atoll is administered under the Indian Union Territory of Lakshadweep. Nine Degree Channel separates Minicoy and the Laccadive Islands. The closest island to Minicoy is Thuraakunu in the Republic of the 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. Villages There are total of eleven villages () on Minicoy Island. From north to south, they are: • Kendiparty • Pallessery • Kudehi • Funhilol • Aloodi • Sadivalu • New Boduathiri • Rammedu • Boduathiri • Aoumagu • Bada ==Climate==

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. {{cite web ==History==

Pre-colonial era The ancestors of the modern Divēhi-speaking inhabitants probably arrived in Minicoy around the early centuries CE. There are remains in an area of the island known as "Salliballu" dating back from Minicoy's Buddhist past, about 800 years ago. The most conspicuous archaeological sites are two mounds or large heaps of ruins belonging to a stupa and another related structure. These sites were investigated by the Archaeological Survey of India in the 1980s. The excavations yielded few discoveries, for the sites had been much damaged and vandalized previously. Still, a much-damaged large Buddha head was found buried in the 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 likely that, coming from a Buddhist site, it was a cross-shaped mandala or visvavajra, like those often found on inscriptions in archaeological remains in the Maldives. Local oral tradition has it that Kamborani and Kohoratukamana, two princesses 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) and the descendants of Kohoratukamana are the niamin (captains). The other status groups are made up of the descendants of their crew. Islam spread to Minicoy around the 12th century and Minicoy remained culturally and politically part of the Maldives until the 16th century. India and Maldives officially and amicably decided their maritime boundary in 1976, in 1982 when the brother of the President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Abdulla Hameed declared that the neighbouring Minicoy Island that belonged to India were a part of Maldives; Maldives quickly and officially denied that it was laying claim to the island. India and Maldives continue to enjoy friendly relations and a strategic partnership in economic and military fields. ==Demographics==

India census, the island of Minicoy had a population of 10,447. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Minicoy has an average literacy rate of 83.93%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 85.82%, and female literacy is 81.93%. In Minicoy, 9.6% of the population is under 6 years of age. The majority of the population are Sunni Muslims of the S̲h̲āfiʿī school. ==Transportation==

Sea Nine passenger ships connect Lakshadweep with Kerala, taking 14 to 20 hours. Air Agatti Airport is the only civilian airport in Lakshadweep. Helicopter transfer is available from Agatti to Minicoy throughout the year. The flight from Cochin to Agatti takes approximately one hour thirty minutes. Flights operate six days a week. On 18 July 2024, the Government of India had cleared the proposal to develop an airport at Minicoy Island as a tri-service military base with a civilian air enclave. The airbase will be capable of operating fighter jets, long-range UAVs and military transport aircraft along with commercial flights. The airbase will be located near the recently commissioned naval base, INS Jatayu. The project is led by the Indian Air Force and will be used by all the branches of the Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard. ==Notable people==

• Ali Manikfan, born 1938 == See also ==

File:ISS002-E-7260.PNG|Satellite picture of Minicoy File:Map of Lakshadweep-en.svg|Map ==References==