Discovering the Maldives’ Pre-Islamic Past: Myths and Archaeological Wonders

The Maldives that most visitors encounter — overwater villas, coral sands, and a deeply Muslim society — obscures a longer, stranger history. Before the 12th-century conversion to Islam, the archipelago hosted Buddhist monasteries, Hindu shrines, and a dynasty that claimed descent from the sun and moon. Archaeological surveys over the past decade have begun to document what remains, but the picture is still fragmentary. This article traces what is known about the Maldives’ pre-Islamic past, where the evidence is contested, and why it matters for anyone trying to understand these islands beyond the resort brochure.

The earliest known inhabitants of the Maldives were Indo-Aryan peoples related to those who colonized Sri Lanka. Oral traditions describe the Dheyvis, or Dheevis, as the first settlers, arriving in Haddhunmathi atoll before expanding south to Huvadhoo. Other waves came from Tamil regions, Maharashtra, and possibly Sindh. The Giraavaru, a fishing community on an island later submerged by Malé’s urban expansion, are considered one of the oldest communities in the northern atolls. These early populations organized into small island kingdoms, the oldest remembered in tradition as the Kingdom of Dheeva Maari.

Before the Sultanate: The Solar Dynasty and the First Kingdoms

The Adeetta Vansa, or Solar Dynasty, was founded according to tradition by Prince Sri Soorudasaruna Adeettiya, exiled from Kalinga on India’s eastern coast. The lineage was later succeeded by the Soma Vansa, the Lunar Dynasty — a sun-and-moon pattern found in other South Asian cultures. These stories describe internal conquests: northern atolls occupied by a figure called Raja Dada, then reconquered by Sri Mahaabarana Adeettiya, who proclaimed himself ruler of 14 atolls and 2,000 islands. The dynastic imagination linking royalty to celestial bodies persisted long after Islam arrived; Muslim sovereigns into the 20th century still called themselves “descendants of the Sun and the Moon.”

Chroniclers and anthropological analyses suggest a strong matriarchal component in early Maldivian societies. Queens wielded real political power, arbitrated conflicts, and women’s status appeared high compared to many regional societies of the same period. Land was often granted as estates through maternal lines. This social structure would shift significantly after Islamization, though some traces remain visible in contemporary inheritance practices on certain atolls.

The Buddhist Millennium: Stupas, Monasteries, and Maritime Exchange

Buddhism likely arrived in the Maldives around the 3rd century BCE, following Emperor Ashoka’s religious missions from northern India to Ceylon. For roughly 1,400 years, the archipelago lived under the Buddhist dharma, and most visible ancient ruins date from this period. Early European scholars assumed Maldivian Buddhism was Theravāda, imported from Sri Lanka, but later research complicates that picture. A reliquary from Maalhos in Ari Atoll bears a Vishvavajra motif and an inscription in proto-Bengali identical to that used at the great monastic universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila. Fragments of porites stupas show Mahāyāna iconography, while coral blocks display Vajrayāna motifs. The Maldives was not a passive recipient of a single tradition but a meeting point for multiple Buddhist currents.

The Maldives Heritage Survey, conducted between 2018 and 2020, documented 292 sites across 152 islands and six atolls, recording 1,171 structures and 5,761 small objects. The project, a collaboration between the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the Earth Observatory of Singapore, and the National Center for Cultural Heritage in the Maldives, also digitized 410 manuscripts in Dhivehi and Arabic. Among the findings were a large Buddhist sanctuary on Fuvahmulah and a historic cemetery on Hulhumeedhoo with 1,192 carved coral gravestones and five mosques. The survey was motivated by existential threats: climate change, vandalism, and deliberate destruction of pre-Islamic sites.

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For travelers interested in seeing these sites, several operators offer guided visits to Buddhist ruins on islands like Thoddoo and Fuvahmulah. The archaeology-focused tours typically combine boat transfers with walking visits to excavated mound complexes, though the experience is closer to a research visit than a polished attraction.

The Conversion: One Legend, Multiple Histories

In the 12th century, the last Buddhist king, Dhovemi, converted to Islam, taking the name Sultan Muhammad al-Adil. Dates cited for this event include 1153 CE and roughly forty years later. In Maldivian memory, this marked the end of the Jahiliyyah — the pre-Islamic era of ignorance. Chronicles called the Loamaafaanu, copper plates inscribed in Dhivehi Akuru script, describe the suppression of Buddhism in certain atolls, including the beheading of monks who refused to convert and the dismantling or desecration of stupas. These plates, dated to the late 12th century, attest that by that period some atolls had already converted while others were still finishing the destruction of Buddhist sanctuaries.

The best-known conversion legend centers on Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari, a Sunni Muslim scholar who ended a terrifying cult. Each month, a sea demon called Ranna Maari demanded a human sacrifice. The holy man substituted himself, recited the Quran all night, and the demon did not reappear. The ruler embraced Islam, followed by his court and gradually all islands. The epithet “al-Barbari” is ambiguous — it may indicate Berber origin from North Africa, origin from Berbera in Somalia, or Persian origin from Tabriz (“al-Tabrizi”), terms often confused in ancient Arabic writings. A southern tradition attributes the first Islamization of some southern islands to a figure named Yoosuf Gadir, predating the Malé preacher by nearly thirty years. The tomb of Abu al-Barakat at Medhu Ziyaaraiy, opposite the Grand Friday Mosque in Malé, remains a place of pilgrimage.

Islamization spread over decades, even centuries. Six major Muslim dynasties succeeded one another, totaling about 84 sultans and sultanas until the early 20th century. The full title of sovereigns emphasized ambition: “Sultan of Land and Sea, Lord of the Twelve Thousand Islands and Sultan of the Maldives.” Arabic became the primary language of administration and diplomacy, and the Maliki school of law was initially dominant before other Sunni traditions gradually supplanted it from the 17th century. Yet pre-Islamic lineage claims persisted — rulers continued to assert descent from the Sun and the Moon until the monarchy ended in 1968.

The conversion narrative is still debated, particularly the origin of Abu al-Barakat. But the broader pattern is clear: the Maldives entered the Islamic world while retaining threads of its pre-Islamic past in royal titles, inheritance practices, and the physical landscape.

Context & Comparison: Conversion Narratives

Questions Readers Ask

Was the Maldives always Muslim?

No. The Maldives was predominantly Buddhist for roughly 1,400 years before converting to Islam in the 12th century CE. Earlier layers of sun worship and Hindu-influenced cults are attested by archaeological finds like the coral linga from Ariadhoo.

The conversion is dated to either 1153 CE or approximately forty years later, depending on which chronicle you follow. The Maldives Heritage Survey has documented the physical remains of this transition.

Are there any Buddhist ruins I can visit in the Maldives?

Yes, but access is limited. Islands like Thoddoo, Fuvahmulah, and Gan in Laamu Atoll contain Buddhist mound complexes and stupa foundations. These are not developed tourist sites — you need permission from island councils and a local guide. The heritage-focused tours that include these sites are rare and typically arranged through Malé-based operators.

Most Buddhist structures are unmarked and overgrown. The Maldives Heritage Survey’s open-access database provides GPS coordinates and descriptions for researchers and serious visitors.

How do Maldivians today view their pre-Islamic past?

Attitudes are mixed. The pre-Islamic era is sometimes referred to as the Jahiliyyah, a term carrying negative connotations. However, there is growing interest in archaeology and heritage preservation, particularly among younger Maldivians and diaspora communities. The National Museum in Malé displays pre-Islamic artifacts, and the cultural tours of Malé increasingly include these collections.

Some local communities take pride in the Buddhist stupas on their islands, while others prefer not to emphasize them. This variation reflects broader debates about national identity in a country where Islam is constitutionally entrenched.

What happened to the Buddhist monks after the conversion?

The Loamaafaanu copper plates record that monks who refused to convert were beheaded. Others likely fled to Sri Lanka or India. The stupas and monasteries were dismantled, and the coral blocks were sometimes reused in mosque construction. The destruction was systematic but not total — the Maldives Heritage Survey found that many Buddhist structures survive as buried mounds, their contents largely intact.

Did the Maldives have a written language before Islam?

Yes. Two scripts predate the modern Thaana alphabet. Eveyla Akuru, influenced by ancient Brahmi writing systems, was used during the Buddhist period. Dhivehi Akuru, a later development, appears on the Loamaafaanu copper plates from the 12th century. Both scripts are related to the Indic Brahmi family and reflect the archipelago’s early connections to South Asian literate traditions. The evolution of Dhivehi script is documented in a separate guide on this site.

What the Pre-Islamic Past Reveals About the Maldives Today

The pre-Islamic Maldives was not a forgotten era that Islam erased — it was a layered world of solar dynasties, Buddhist universities, and Indian Ocean trade routes that shaped the archipelago’s character long before the first resort was built. The cowrie shells that Maldivians exported for centuries became currency across Asia and East Africa. The coir rope they made held together dhows sailing between the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia. The Buddhist stupas they built on 59 islands were part of a network stretching from Nalanda to Sri Lanka. These facts don’t diminish the Islamic identity of modern Maldives — they deepen it, showing that the islands have always been a place where distant cultures meet, adapt, and leave traces. For the curious traveler, that layered history is worth seeking out, even if it means stepping away from the water’s edge.

For more on how Maldivians are working to protect what remains of this heritage, see Protecting Paradise: How Maldivians Are Preserving Their Cultural Heritage.

Sources and further reading

Maldives Heritage Survey. “The Maldives Heritage Survey: Documenting Cultural Heritage at Risk.” Antiquity, 2020. 🔗

Jarnias, Cyril. “History of the Maldives: From Buddhist Kingdoms to a Modern Republic.” 2023. 🔗

Callaina Maldives. “The History and Culture of the Maldives: From Ancient Times to Modern Paradise.” 🔗

Must See Spots. “A Brief History of the Maldives: Exploring Its Past.” 🔗

Related reading on IslandHopperGuides

From Sultanates to Sovereignty: A Concise History of the Maldives’ Independence — Traces the political evolution from Islamic sultanate through European encounters to modern nation-state.

Maldivian Art & Craft: A Journey Through Generations of Skill — Explores traditional crafts including lacquer work, mat weaving, and coral carving that have roots in the pre-Islamic period.

Fishing Traditions: The Heartbeat of Maldivian Culture — Examines how tuna fishing and boat-building traditions predate Islam and remain central to island life.