Beyond the Beaches: Tracing the Ancient Buddhist Roots of Maldivian Culture

Most visitors come to the Maldives for the water villas and the sandbanks. But on the island of Gan in Laamu Atoll, the ground itself holds a different story. Buried under the soil and coral rubble are the remains of Buddhist stupas, temple ruins, and carved statues — remnants of a civilisation that dominated these islands for over a thousand years before Islam arrived in 1153 AD. According to the Maldivian government, the archipelago was first inhabited around 1500 BC, with Aryan immigrants settling alongside later migrations from Southern India and Sri Lanka. Buddhism became the dominant religion here from roughly the Third Century BC, introduced around the same time as in Sri Lanka by the Indian Emperor Asoka.

This article traces the physical and cultural evidence of that Buddhist era — the buried stupas, the copper plate inscriptions, the Sanskritic titles of Muslim sultans, and the language you’ll hear spoken today. It’s a side of the Maldives that rarely makes it onto a resort itinerary, but one that reframes everything you think you know about this country.

Where the Buddhist Ruins Are Hiding

The Buddhist footprint in the Maldives is scattered across dozens of islands, but a few places concentrate the most visible evidence.

The largest monuments from the Buddhist era sit along the eastern edge of Haddhunmathi Atoll, better known as Laamu Atoll. The Thoddoo Buddhist Temple and the Kuruhinna Tharaagandu monastery, dating to the 6th and 7th Centuries, are the most significant. On the island of Gan, colonial-era archaeologist H.C.P. Bell documented stupas, finials, carved stones, and a vatadage — a circular relic house typical of early Buddhist architecture in Sri Lanka. On Fua Mulaku, similar finds included beads, jars, and images that point to a deeply rooted monastic culture.

On Kudahuvadhoo, the capital of Dhaalu Atoll, a remarkable gateway survives from what was once a magnificent Buddhist temple. Much of the structure was lost during the transition to Islam, but the gateway stands as a visible marker of what existed before. The island also holds mysterious mounds known locally as hawittas — unexcavated Buddhist temple ruins that have never been opened.

Nilandhoo itself holds a particular significance. It was the last stronghold of Buddhism in the Maldives, and its residents resisted the spread of Islam after the royal conversion. When Thoddoo islanders learned of the decree, they removed the Buddha statue from its elevated position, placed it upright on sand, surrounded it with stone slabs, and buried the entire temple under rocks and soil — effectively hiding it from destruction. That mound is still there.

Reading the Evidence: Inscriptions, Scripts, and Copper Plates

The written record of Maldivian Buddhism survives in stone, copper, and a script that bridges two language families.

At the Maabadhige archaeological site, a coral block was found with inscriptions on all four sides, written in a version of the southern Brahmi script from the Tamil Pallava period (275 AD to 897 AD). Historians consider this the oldest surviving script found in the Maldives. One of the inscriptions is a mantra of Vajrayana Buddhism — a form of Buddhism that existed in the islands in ancient times. The letters show resemblance to the later Evela Akuru script, suggesting this early writing system may have influenced the formation of the first known Dhivehi alphabet.

Many ancient Maldivian historical texts survive only in Loamaafaanu form — copper plates inscribed with records of royal decrees, land grants, and religious endowments. The oldest plates date from the 12th Century AD. The first were discovered in 1922 during an expedition supervised by British archaeologist H.C.P. Bell. These plates are among the few primary sources for understanding pre-Islamic Maldivian society.

German linguist Sonja Fritz, in her 2002 grammar of Maldivian, notes that Dhivehi represents the southernmost Indo-Aryan language alongside Sinhalese. “Without considering Sinhalese, a well-founded investigation of Dhivehi is practically impossible,” she writes. Place names such as Lankafuri (Lankapura, or City of Lanka) and Viha Mana Furi (Vihara Mana Pura, or Delightful City of Buddhist Monasteries) are immediately recognisable to Sinhala speakers. For a deeper dive into the language, the traveller’s guide to Dhivehi on this site covers pronunciation and useful phrases.

When Buddhism Gave Way to Islam

The conversion of the Maldives to Islam in 1153 was a royal decree, not a popular movement — and the transition took decades to complete.

King Siri Bavanditta Maha Radun, better known as King Dhovemi, converted to Islam in 1153 AD and took the name Sultan Muhammad al-Adil. But the cultural shift was gradual. In Kudahuvadhoo, inscriptions indicate that the local population embraced Islam 88 years after the country officially adopted the faith. Even after conversion, Maldivian sultans continued to use Sanskritic titles like Sri (Siri), Keerthi, and Loka, and all carried the title Maha Radun (Maha Raja). The last king of the Maldives, Sir Muhammad Fareed Didi, held the title Keerithi Maha Radun. Some dynasties identified as belonging to the Aditta (Solar) or Soma (Lunar) clans in the Indian Kshatriya tradition.

The iconoclastic phase that followed conversion destroyed many Buddhist temples. But the buried stupas survived because they were hidden. The mound on Thoddoo, the unexcavated hawittas on Kudahuvadhoo, and the temple ruins on Gan all remained underground, protected by the very act of destruction. Today, they face a different threat: the erosive equatorial climate, which slowly breaks down coral stone and buried structures.

Preservation efforts face social and political hurdles. Until the mid-1990s, it was socially unacceptable for Maldivians to study other religions. The 2012 museum vandalism showed how fragile the remaining artefacts are. Yet there are signs of change: cultural festivals, heritage conservation projects, and museum exhibits at the National Museum in Malé now present the Buddhist past as part of the national story. The challenge is balancing a 100% Muslim present with a pre-Islamic heritage that spans over a thousand years.

Visitor Questions About the Maldives’ Buddhist Heritage

Can you visit Buddhist ruins in the Maldives?

Yes, but most are unexcavated mounds rather than standing temples. The most accessible sites are on Kudahuvadhoo (Dhaalu Atoll), Nilandhoo (Faafu Atoll), and Gan (Laamu Atoll). The Foah’mati site on Nilandhoo was excavated in the 1980s and is the most visibly identifiable. You’ll need to arrange local transport — these islands are not on the resort circuit.

Why are there Buddhist ruins in a Muslim country?

Buddhism was the dominant religion in the Maldives for over 1,000 years before the conversion to Islam in 1153 AD. The ruins are remnants of that era. Many temples were destroyed during the iconoclastic phase after conversion, but others were buried and survived. The country is now 100% Muslim, but the archaeological record of its Buddhist past remains in the ground.

What happened to the Buddhist statues in the National Museum?

In 2012, a group vandalised the museum and destroyed close to 30 Buddhist statues, some dating to the sixth century. The attackers believed the statues were idols and therefore illegal under Islamic and national laws. Many were damaged beyond repair. The museum has since reopened with a smaller collection and increased security.

Is Dhivehi related to Sinhalese?

Yes. Dhivehi and Sinhalese are the southernmost Indo-Aryan languages, and they share a common ancestor. German linguist Sonja Fritz notes that many Dhivehi words would sound familiar to Sinhala speakers. The early Dhivehi script, Evela Akuru, is related to the medieval Sinhalese script, both classified as subtypes of southern Brahmi. For a practical overview, the Dhivehi language guide explains the connections.

How many Buddhist sites are there in the Maldives?

Historian Hassan Ahmed Maniku counted 59 islands with Buddhist archaeological sites in 1990. The broader estimate, including unconfirmed mounds, exceeds 500 buried temple ruins across the archipelago. Most have never been excavated, and many are threatened by the equatorial climate and coastal erosion.

Sources and further reading

Beyond the Beaches: Discovering the Maldives’ Deep Cultural Roots. GuideMe Maldives.

Maldives’ Buddhist Past Deserves Greater Study. MENAFN.

Maldives’ Buddhist Past Calls for Greater Exploration and Preservation. Counterpoint.