Buddhist monasteries · The Maldive kingdom of Male · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Haddhunmathi (Laamu)

The Buddhist monasteries and stupas of Laamu (Haddhunmathi) atoll, especially on Isdhoo, Dhanbidhoo, Gan and Mundoo, whose destruction, the beheading of their monks and the building of mosques in their place the Dhanbidhoo plate is said to record (English Wikipedia, Laamu Atoll).

By 1200 little survives except the ruins; the English Wikipedia says H. C. P. Bell's excavations in 1923 damaged what remained.

Who holds it

Name
not named in any source we reached
Title
The remaining monks and the Buddhist families of Laamu
Since
not known
Born
not known
Confidence
low

Overlord

The king of Male (the suppressing power)

What it holds

  • The ruins and the memory of the monasteries

Allies and rivals

The king of Male (the suppressing power)

How things stand that morning

Broken; a remnant of Buddhist families remains.

Military

No armed force is recorded for the house.

Places of note

  • Isdhoo: Find-spot of a copper plate.
  • Dhanbidhoo: Find-spot of the Dhanbidhoo plate (coordinates approximate).

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The shrine or community is real, but what it held and who ran it in 1200 is inferred from general or later accounts; no page we read dates anything about it to 1200.

On the map: Drawn as a small disc round the shrine; the real estates were scattered villages.

Primary sources for Maldives

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

Sources and studies

  1. Laamu Atoll, English Wikipedia
  2. Loamaafaanu, English Wikipedia

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.