In the 13th century, a tiny porcelain shell from the Maldives circulated as currency across West Africa and Bengal. The cowrie shell (Cypraea moneta) was light, durable, and impossible to counterfeit — a perfect medium of exchange for long-distance trade. That the Maldives supplied cowries to two continents suggests these islands were embedded in global networks long before the first resort opened. Which raises a question that remains surprisingly difficult to answer: who first settled the Maldives, and when did they arrive?
Cowrie shells from the Maldives were used as currency in Africa and Bengal — evidence that the islands were connected to far-flung trade networks centuries before the first resort was built.
Scholars have proposed at least five distinct origin theories, each supported by different kinds of evidence: archaeological remains, oral traditions, copper-plate inscriptions, and linguistic ties. None has universal agreement. The short answer is that the earliest settlers likely arrived from the Indian subcontinent around 500 B.C., but that timeline is contested, and some researchers argue for habitation as early as 1500 B.C. or earlier.
The first settlers of the Maldives were almost certainly seafaring people from the South Asian subcontinent, probably from what is now Kerala and Tamil Nadu, arriving via the Lakshadweep islands. But the evidence is fragmentary, and competing theories — including Thor Heyerdahl’s proposal of a pre-500 B.C. sun-worshipping culture called the Redin — remain unresolved. No single account has been definitively proven.
| Theory | Proposed origin | Timeframe | Key evidence | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redin (sun-worshipping seafarers) | Unknown, possibly Middle Eastern or Indus Valley | Before 500 B.C. | Hawitta mounds; mosques that face the sun rather than Mecca | Contested; limited archaeological support |
| Indian subcontinent (Kerala/Tamil/Malabar) | South Asia, via Lakshadweep | Around 500 B.C. | Linguistic and cultural ties; Giraavaru oral traditions | Widely accepted as the most likely |
| Dheyvis from Kalibanga | Kalibanga, India (ancient Indus Valley region) | Before Emperor Asoka (269–232 B.C.) | 17th-century manuscript Kitab fi athar Midhu al-qadimah; copper-plate records | Traditional account, not independently verified |
| Sinhalese (Sri Lanka) | Sri Lanka | 10th–12th centuries A.D. | Buddhist stupa ruins; Theravada Buddhism as dominant pre-Islamic religion | Later influence, not first settlement |
| Indonesian voyagers | Maritime Southeast Asia | Indeterminate early period | Possible stopovers en route to Madagascar | Speculative; minimal evidence |
Each theory draws on different kinds of evidence, and the gaps between them are large. The following sections examine what archaeologists, historians, and oral traditions have to say about the people who first called these islands home.
The Archaeological Puzzle
Western archaeological interest in the Maldives began almost by accident. In 1879, British civil servant H.C.P. Bell was shipwrecked on the islands and became fascinated by the ancient Buddhist ruins he found there. Bell spent decades investigating stone stupas, coral foundations, and the remains of monastic structures across multiple atolls. His work established that Theravada Buddhism from Sri Lanka had become the dominant religion by the 4th century A.D., and that Buddhist Sinhalese kings ruled the Maldives during the 10th–12th centuries.
In the mid-1980s, the Maldivian government invited Thor Heyerdahl — famous for the Kon-Tiki expedition — to excavate ancient sites. Heyerdahl studied the hawitta, large earthen mounds that dot many atolls, and proposed that they were built by a pre-Buddhist, sun-worshipping seafaring culture he called the Redin. He pointed out that several mosques still face the sun rather than Mecca, which he argued indicated a pre-Islamic foundation. Heyerdahl also claimed that the Maldives lay on maritime trading routes of early Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Indus Valley civilizations as early as 2,000 B.C.
Yet the archaeological record is thin. The first Maldivians built with wood, palm fronds, and other perishable materials that decayed quickly in the salt air. Unlike the stone temples of Sri Lanka or the brick cities of the Indus Valley, the earliest settlements have left almost no trace. The hawitta mounds are the most durable structures, but their original purpose remains debated — Heyerdahl saw them as sun temples, while other researchers interpret them as burial mounds or boundary markers.
Legends Carved in Copper
Alongside the archaeological evidence, a body of written and oral tradition preserves competing accounts of the first settlers. The most famous Maldivian legend credits a Sinhalese prince named KoiMale, who was stranded with his bride from Sri Lanka and became the first sultan. The story is widely repeated in tourist literature, but it describes a medieval founding, not the original settlement by millennia.
More significant are the Loamaafaanu, copper plates inscribed with Maldivian texts that record early history, legal codes, and royal decrees. The oldest known example, the Isdhoo Lomafanu, was written in 1194 A.D. in the Evēla script and is displayed at the National Museum. Another set, the Maapanansa copper plates, recorded the history of the first kings of the Solar Dynasty but have been lost.
The 17th-century manuscript Kitab fi athar Midhu al-qadimah by Allama Ahmed Shihabuddine offers a different origin account. It states that the first settlers were the Dheyvis, who came from Kalibanga in India and arrived before Emperor Asoka’s kingdom (269–232 B.C.). This account aligns with some South Asian oral traditions and copper-plate records, but no independent archaeological evidence has confirmed it.
Oral traditions among the Giraavaru people — a fishing community from Gaafaru Atoll — link them directly to the first settlers. Comparisons of language, customs, and physical anthropology suggest that the Giraavaru may be the closest living descendants of the original inhabitants. However, the Giraavaru population has declined sharply, and their traditional lifestyle has largely disappeared.
If you want to see the Loamaafaanu copper plates, contact the National Museum in Male before your visit. The plates are fragile and are not always on display. The museum also houses pre-Islamic carvings from Heyerdahl’s excavations — the best place to see the physical evidence of the earliest periods.
For a deeper look at the mythical creatures and legends that shaped Maldivian identity, see Maldivian Folklore: Mythical Creatures and Enchanting Island Legends.
Comparing the Theories
The table below lays out the main origin theories side by side, highlighting what each explains and where each falls short.
| Theory | What it explains well | What it does not explain | Weakest point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redin (sun-worshippers) | Mosque orientations; hawitta mounds; pre-500 B.C. habitation | No written records; no clear origin point | Heyerdahl’s interpretations are not widely accepted by mainstream archaeology |
| Indian subcontinent (Kerala/Tamil) | Linguistic ties; proximity; seafaring tradition | Does not account for Buddhist influence or the Giraavaru link | Lack of direct archaeological evidence for the earliest period |
| Dheyvis from Kalibanga | Aligns with copper-plate records and oral tradition | Kalibanga’s own history is poorly understood; no Maldivian artifacts from that period | Single manuscript source, no independent verification |
| Sinhalese (Sri Lanka) | Buddhist ruins; linguistic and religious influence | Arrival date is too late (10th–12th centuries) to explain first settlement | Describes a later cultural layer, not the original population |
| Indonesian voyagers | Maldives lie on route between Indonesia and Madagascar | No linguistic or genetic evidence supports settlement | Highly speculative; no direct evidence |
The assumption that there was a single “first” group. The Maldives were likely settled in waves by different seafaring cultures over centuries, each leaving traces that blended with earlier populations. The question is not “who was first” but “who all contributed to the early population.”
- The earliest settlement of the Maldives is still debated, with no single theory commanding universal agreement.
- Archaeological evidence is limited because early Maldivians built with perishable materials that decayed in the salt air.
- Oral traditions, copper-plate inscriptions, and the work of H.C.P. Bell and Thor Heyerdahl provide the main sources of information.
- The Giraavaru people are widely considered the closest living link to the original inhabitants.
Questions Readers Ask About the First Settlers
Who were the first people to live in the Maldives?
The most widely accepted theory is that seafaring people from the Indian subcontinent — probably from Kerala and Tamil Nadu — arrived around 500 B.C. via the Lakshadweep islands. But some evidence points to earlier habitation by a group called the Redin, and oral traditions describe the Dheyvis arriving from Kalibanga before Asoka’s reign.
How do we know about the first settlers if there are so few artifacts?
Researchers rely on three main sources: the hawitta mounds studied by Thor Heyerdahl, the copper-plate inscriptions (Loamaafaanu) that record early history, and oral traditions among communities like the Giraavaru. Each source has gaps, which is why the picture remains incomplete.
Is the Redin theory accepted by mainstream archaeologists?
Not widely. Heyerdahl’s interpretations have been criticized for lacking rigorous stratigraphic evidence and for relying on speculative connections to Egyptian and Mesopotamian seafaring. The Redin theory is considered one possible explanation among several, not a proven fact.
Did the first settlers come from Sri Lanka or India?
Both claims have merit, but they refer to different periods. Sinhalese settlers from Sri Lanka brought Theravada Buddhism and established kingdoms during the 10th–12th centuries A.D. — a later cultural layer. The original settlement, around 500 B.C. or earlier, is more likely to have come from the Indian subcontinent.
What the Search for First Settlers Reveals
The question of who first settled the Maldives resists a clean answer — and that messiness is itself revealing. The islands have always been a crossroads, not a destination. Cowrie shells, Buddhist stupas, copper plates, and mosque orientations all point to the same reality: the Maldives were shaped by successive waves of seafarers, traders, and settlers who brought their languages, religions, and building practices with them. The search for a single origin story misses the point. The identity of the Maldives lies in its position as a meeting point, not a point of origin. To understand that, you need to look beyond the resorts and spend time in the communities that still carry the old traditions. Beyond Resorts: Discovering Authentic Maldivian Village Life offers one way in.
Sources and further reading
Facts and Details. “Early History of the Maldives.” 2023. 🔗
Thor Heyerdahl. “The Maldive Mystery.” 1986. 🔗
H.C.P. Bell. “The Maldive Islands: Monograph on the History, Archaeology and Epigraphy.” 1940. 🔗
Related reading on IslandHopperGuides
Maldivian Wedding Traditions: A Journey Through Ritual and Romance — explores how marriage customs reflect the islands’ layered cultural history.
The Weaving Women: Preserving the Tradition of Mat Weaving in the Maldives — looks at a craft that has been passed down since the earliest settlements.
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