Lakshdweep: A Perfect Island for Your Next Summer Vacation

Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks. There are 10 inhabited islands and 17 uninhabited islands with a total geographical area of 32 sq. Kms., 220 to 440 Kms. away from the coastal city of Kochi in Kerala, in the emerald Arabian sea. The Lakshadweep islands are a geographical extension of the Maldives island chain. Referred to by many as the 'ultimate island paradise', each island floats serenely in a sea whose water range from palest aquamarine and turquoise to deepest sapphire and lapis lazuli.

Early history of Lakshadweep is unwritten. What now passes for history is based on various legends. Local traditions attribute the first settlement on these islands to the period of Cheraman Perumal, the last king of Kerala. It is believed that after his conversion to Islam, at the behest of some Arab merchants, he slipped out of his capital Cranganore, the present day Kodungallor - an old harbour town Kochi, for Mecca. When his disappearance was discovered, search parties went after him in sailing boats and left for the shores of Mecca, in search of the king from different places. It is believed that one of these sailing boats of Raja of Cannanore was struck by a fierce storm and they were shipwrecked on the island now known as Bangaram. From there they went to the nearby island of Agatti. Finally the weather improved and they returned to the mainland sighting other islands on their way. It is said that after their return another party of sailors and soldiers discovered the island of Amini and started living there. It is believed that the people sent there were Hindus. Even now unmistakable Hindu Social stratification exists in these islands despite Islam. Legends say that small settlements started in the Islands of Amini, Kavaratti, Andrott and Kalpeni first and later people from these islands moved to the other islands of Agatti, Kiltan, Chetlat and Kadmat. This legend of Cheraman Perumal is not, however, substantiated.


Here are some of the images of the beautiful island!! Enjoy!!