Maalhos (Baa Atoll)
| Maalhos | |
|---|---|
| Inhabited island | |
  Maalhos Location in Maldives | |
| Coordinates: 05°08′06″N 73°06′30″E / 5.13500°N 73.10833°ECoordinates: 05°08′06″N 73°06′30″E / 5.13500°N 73.10833°E | |
| Country | Maldives |
| Administrative atoll | Baa Atoll |
| Distance to Malé | 114.67 km (71.25 mi) |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 7.650 km (4.753 mi) |
| • Width | 0.500 km (0.311 mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 545 |
| Time zone | MST (UTC+05:00) |
Maalhos (Dhivehi: މާޅޮސް) is one of the inhabited islands of Southern Maalhosmadulhu Atoll, code letter Baa Atoll.
Anthropology
In this island there is the custom once every year to take a bath in seven different wells (haiy valhuń feń veruń). This is probably an ancestral Dravidian custom. The Pulaya or Cheruman, an agricultural caste of Kerala, used to take a bath in seven different tanks when they were considering themselves polluted. During the eid festival men cooks (firihenun kekkun) and give a dinner for ladys and then women cooks (anhenun kekkun) and give a dinner to all men in the island. jungle parade which the people of maalhos do is a modified edition of the parade which the armies do.
History
By historical researches the researchers have foud that Buddhism was the main religion of Maalhos. Hassan Ibraahim (aaveli) found a damaged part of a budda head from the old grave yard.
Tourism
The island is inhabited with local population, but it is open for day trips by tourists that would like to get to know the local culture and way of life. The island has a small port, small shops and cafes. Here is a 360° panorama of The island white sand beach with fallen coconuts. Maalhos is just a couple of minutes away from the nearby resort islands.
References
- Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84-7254-801-5
- E. Thurston, ‘Castes and Tribes of S. India’, Vol. 2.