The Laccadive or Cannanore Islands are one of the three
island subgroups in the
Union Territory of
Lakshadweep,
India. It is the central subgroup of the Lakshadweep, separated from the
Amindivi Islands
The Aminidivi Islands, are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the northern group of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Laccadive Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel north. The total ...
subgroup roughly by the
11th parallel north
The 11th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 11 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the Indian Ocean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Central America, South America and the Atlantic Ocean ...
and from the atoll of
Minicoy
Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on ''Maliku atoll'', the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian union territory o ...
(Maliku)—far to the south—by the
9 Degree or Mamala Channel.
Formerly the Union Territory of Lakshadweep was known as Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands, a name that was changed to Lakshadweep by an act of Parliament in 1973.
The Laccadive subgroup had been known earlier as the "Cannanore Islands" after the coastal town of
Cannanore (Kannur). The name originated in the fact that while the northern group of Amindivi had stopped in 1784 being a
vassal state
A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...
of the
Kannur Kingdom (Arakkal) in exchange for
fealty to
Tippu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
's
Kingdom of Mysore, the southern group remained loyal to
Kannur.
Geography
The Laccadive subgroup includes the island of
Agatti
Agatti Island is a 7.6 km long island, situated on a coral atoll called Agatti atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is west of the city of Kochi.
Geography
Agatti is located about 364 km off Kannur, 394 km of ...
, with
Agatti Aerodrome, the only airport in Lakshadweep, as well as
Bangaram Atoll which has a tourist resort in Bangaram, its largest island.
The Laccadive group forms two
taluka
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
s or subdivisions:
Androth, with a population of 15,048 and
Kavaratti
Kavaratti is the capital of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India. Kavaratti is a census town as well as the name of the atoll upon which the town stands.
It is well known for its pristine white sand beaches and calm lagoons, which makes ...
with 17,193. The islands of
Agatti
Agatti Island is a 7.6 km long island, situated on a coral atoll called Agatti atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is west of the city of Kochi.
Geography
Agatti is located about 364 km off Kannur, 394 km of ...
, Androth,
Kavaratti
Kavaratti is the capital of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India. Kavaratti is a census town as well as the name of the atoll upon which the town stands.
It is well known for its pristine white sand beaches and calm lagoons, which makes ...
and
Kalpeni
Kalpeni is an inhabited Atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.
It has a distance of west of the city of Kochi.
Geography
Kalpeni is west from the port of Kochi and lies south of Andrott and to the NNE of Minicoy, with the b ...
are inhabited.
Islam is the main religion of the islanders.
The Laccadive Islands subgroup consists mostly of
atoll
An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gro ...
s with islands, as well as part of one
submerged bank. The
Amindivi
The Aminidivi Islands, are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the northern group of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Laccadive Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel north. The total ...
and the Laccadive subgroups have a submarine connection between them through
Pitti Bank
Pitti, also known as Pakshipitti (''pakshi'' meaning "bird" in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil), is an uninhabited coral islet in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.
Geography
It is located at about 24 km to the north of Kavaratti, 3 ...
, a largely sunken atoll.
History
In the same manner as the Amindivi Islands further north, the islands of the Laccadive subgroup were settled from ancient times by people of nearby
Kerala to which were added later people of
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...
descent.
Vasco da Gama visited these islands around 1498. In the mid 16th century all the inhabited islands of the Lakshadweep put themselves under the rule of the
Arakkal kingdom
Arakkal Kingdom was a Muslim kingdom in Kannur town in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, South India. The king was called Ali Raja and the ruling queen was called Arakkal Beevi. Arakkal kingdom included little more than the Cannanor ...
in order to obtain protection from the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
.
In 1697, the notorious pirate
Captain Kidd
William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd ( – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate. He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder a ...
and his crew brought their ship, the ''Adventure Galley'', to the Laccadive Islands. The undisciplined crew chopped up the local boats for firewood, and raped the local women. When the men retaliated by killing the ship's cooper, the pirates attacked the village and beat up the people who lived there.
Almost 100 years later—in 1784—the Amindivi group of islands rejected the protection of Cannanore and became a vassal state of the
Kingdom of Mysore.
The southern group, however, remained loyal to the rule of
Cannanore.
Following the defeat of
Tipu Sultan and the 1792 treaty of
Srirangapatam
Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated at around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule the city wa ...
, the southern subgroup was permitted by the
East India Company to remain under the rule of the Cannanore Kingdom in exchange for a yearly tribute of 15,000
Rs. Since the tributary payments were often in arrears, the islands were put under direct rule of the
British Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
, first between 1855 and 1860, and then finally were
annexed
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
in 1877 by virtue of the
doctrine of lapse, becoming attached to the
Malabar District.
[William Logan, ''Malabar Manual'', p. CCLXXVI]
Bibliography
*R. H. Ellis, ''A Short Account of the Laccadive Islands and Minicoy''. Government Press,
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
. 1924
References
External links
Full text of "Laccadive Islands And Minicoy"The imperial gazetteer of India (Volume 8)
{{authority control
Landforms of Lakshadweep
Archipelagoes of India