A little history of MalivesFirst archaeological study of the
remains of early cultures on the Maldives began with the work of
H.C.P. Bell, a British commissioner of the Ceylon Civil Service.
Bell was shipwrecked on the islands in 1879, and returned
several times to investigate ancient Buddhist ruins. He studied
the ancient mounds, called havitta or ustubu (these names are
derived from chaitiya or stupa) Although Bell asserted that the
ancient Maldivians followed Theravada Buddhism, many local
Buddhist archaeological remains now in the Malé Museum display
in fact Mahayana and Vajrayana iconography. In the early 11th
century the Minicoy and Thiladhunmathi also possibaly other
northern Atolls was conquered by the medieval Chola Tamil
emperor Raja Raja Chola I, becoming a part of the Chola empire.
According to a legend from the Maldivian Folklore, in the early
12th century AD a medieval prince named Koimala nobleman of the
Lion Race from Ceylon, sailed to Rasgetheemu island (literally
King's Town) in North Maalho