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Tourism Places In Lakshadweep
Tourist facilities in Lakshadweep have been developed by way of luxury cruises around
the islands. All tourists need permission to visit Lakshadweep. Four of the inhabited
islands (Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Minicoy and Kadmath) are open to Indian tourists and
Bangaram, an uninhabited island, is open to both domestic and foreign tourists.
Bangaram has facilities for water sports. Swimming, fishing, sailing in glass -
bottomed boats which give enchanting views of the coral below, and yachting are
the main attractions. Wood - carving in the Ujra Mosque at Kavaratti, the tomb of
Hazrat Ubaidullah at Andrott, the Buddhist archaeological remains at Andrott, and
the famous light house at Minicoy, are some of the places worth visiting. Cheriyam,
Suheli, Valiyakara and Tinakara have been identified for international tourists.
A Union Territory of India, Lakshadweep is a group of some two dozen islands with
a total land area of 32 square kilometres scattered over 30,000 square miles of
the Arabian Sea. Out of these islands, only ten are inhabited and they are Andrott,
Amini, Agatti, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmath, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Kiltan and Minicoy.
These islands form the smallest of the Union Territories of India, and are the country's
only coral islands. The name Lakshadweep means "Hundred Thousand Islands" in the
Malayalam language and also in Sanskrit.
Climatic conditions are similar to that of Kerala coast. Average rainfall is 1600mma
year with the major share from thesouthwest monsoon. Almost all islands experiance
tropical climate with temperature ranging from 25 degrees c to 35 degrees c and
humidity ranging from 70 -76 per cent during the most part of the year. March, April
and May are the hottest months of the year.
The administrative centre is Kavaratti.The jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court
extends over Lakshadweep.
History
t is generally believed that the first settlement on these islands was made by Cheraman
Perumal, the last king of Kerala, as a result of shipwreck on the stormy Arabian
seas. But the historical record shows that, around the 7th century, a Muslim saint
was shipwrecked on the island of Amini. He converted the inhabitants here to Islam,
despite initial opposition. After many difficulties he was able to carry out his
mission, and to this day, the people of Lakshadweep follow Islam. Although the sovereignty
remained in the hands of the Hindu Raja of Chirakkal, it eventually passed to the
Ali Raja of Cannanore (Kannur) in the 16th century, the only Muslim royal family
of Kerala, and later, in 1783 to Tipu Sultan. Following the defeat of Tipu Sultan
by the British, at Srirangapattanam in 1799, the islands were annexed by the East
India Company. It remained with the British until Independence, when it was made
a Union territory of the Indian Union in 1956.
Society and Culture
Of the 36 islands in Lakshadweep, only 10 are inhabited, mainly due to lack of drinking
water in the other islands. The people are warm, friendly and god-fearing.
The language spoken in all the islands except Minicoy is Malayalam. In Minicoy,
the largest island of the group, they speak Mahl, a dialect of the ancient Singhalese.
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The people are of mixed Arab and Hindu descent, akin to the Moplahs of Malabar.
90 percent of the people are devout Muslims who follow the matrilineal system still
prevalent in some parts of Kerala but are matrilocal in residence. The young man
continues to stay in his mother's house after his wedding and visits his wife every
evening. Remarriage for both men and women is accepted. As Muslims, they have conservative
customs and traditions and yet they are liberal in approach. 93% of the popultion
are indigenous Muslims.
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In Minicoy things are a little different. Here a man after marriage not only moves
to his wife's home but also adopts her family name. Marco Polo described Minicoy
as a female island. Women are dominant and make all the decisions.
History comes alive in folk ballads that women chant during their house - hold chores.
Events of the past - the arrival of Hazrat Ubaidullah in Lakshadweep, the plunder
of the islands by the Portuguese, have been perpetuated by the balladeer.
The young men have some spirited folk dances. The women are modest with colourful
dress and wear their jewellery in safety. The people of Minicoy have a good sense
of colour, painting their houses, furniture and boats in bright and tasteful combinations.
Seamen from Minicoy are to be found on merchant ship all over the world.
Economy
Agriculture is the mainstay of the Lakshadweep economy, the major products being
coconut and coir. Coconut is the only major crop grown here, with a production of
around 26.5 million nuts in 1994-95. Coconut fibre extraction and conversion of
its fibre products is the main industry in the islands. In some places the underlying
coral has been excised and the tracts fertilized with organic matter; these support
the cultivation of bananas, vegetables, edible root crops, and millet. Coir (coconut
husk fibre), a state monopoly, is traded for rice from the mainland. The other major
activity here, is fishing. Immense potential for development in fisheries has resulted
in the setting up of boat-building yards, canning and processing factories and adoption
of mechanised fishing boats.The islands stand first in the country in per capita
availability of fish.The annual fishlanding crossed the level of 10000 MTs in 1996
Hotels of Lakshadweep
The union territory has hotels of star and non star category catering to the needs
of the tourists visiting Lakshadweep. Besides it has resorts, restaurants and cafés
which cater to the needs of all segment of travelers.
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