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67-477: Thoondu is a white sandy beach on the north of Fuvahmulah , Maldives . Located within Dhadimagu ward of the island, it is believed to be one of the most well known features of Fuvahmulah . Hundreds of people visit the beach every day, and this figure is much higher during special occasions like Maahefun. Thoondu has also been declared as a Protected area of Fuvahmulah by the government of Maldives on 12 June 2012 and

134-833: A boat (named the Elizabeth Boyer) carrying soldiers from the Maldivian government in Malé tried to disembark at Rasgefanno, on the eastern shore of Fuvahmulah. Islanders gathered at the beach and threw stones at the soldiers in protest. The soldiers from Malé retaliated by opening fire on the unarmed islanders, resulting in the death of one islander and seriously injuring two other islanders who were subsequently ferried by dōni, to Gan , in Addu Atoll. The British, who were stationed in Gan sent them by air to Ceylon (now Srilanka) for treatment. On 4 February 2007

201-554: A book which is named 'Fua Mulaku' in its German edition.) There is also the Vasho-Veyo , an ancient circular bath with stone steps. This stone pool reveals great craftsmanship in the cutting of Porites coral stone (hirigal) by the locals. Among the monuments of the Islamic period, the most important is the Gen Miskit , a neat compound including a coral stone mosque, an ancient graveyard and

268-553: A division of Fuvahmulah City Police. Most of the officers working in the stations are natives of Fuvahmulah and they are well aware of what's Happening with in the Island. The appearance of the NSS (National Security Service) means that the armed forces of the Maldives established themselves on the island. However, the police was separated from the armed forces ( MNDF ) in 2004. MNDF still operates on

335-536: A domestic airport on the island in 2011 has gradually opened the island to the rest of the country. Being the nearest atoll to the Equator and the first atoll in the Southern Hemisphere among the atolls of the Maldives, Fuvahmulah has many features which make the island unique. As H.C.P Bell says in his monograph, throughout history Maldivians themselves have fairly judged Fuvahmulah to be the most beautiful island in

402-535: A few historical landmarks. These include a much-damaged Buddhist stupa known locally as Fua Mulaku Havitta . The original shape of the mound was lost as it was altered after its excavation. The ruin is about 40 feet in height and it looks like a small hill. A smaller mound, about 15 feet in height, is located near the Havitta. An ancient local poem in the local dialect reads: " Havitta uhe haudahau, Redin taneke hedi ihau ".( Thor Heyerdahl visited this island and wrote

469-519: A fire burned down the Community Center building. The fire started around 3:00 am local time. The Regional Fire Services, Maldives Police Services , and locals contained the fire, within 2 hours after the fire started. An investigation was carried out by the Police, but a report was not published. Police said the most likely cause of the fire was an electrical short. On 23 February 2007, a fire started at

536-463: A northern extension of the village, resulting in land from Dhadimagu and Diguvaandu wards being claimed to the village. Though this has resulted in a change of the believed-to-be areas in a disputed state, no formal changes have been made and area claims of different views exist. Hoadhadu is the first district in Fuvahmulah to have accepted Islam. The smaller size of the village with fewer people during

603-675: A peaceful island with low crime rates. However, the crime rate has gone up, especially with regards to drugs. A regional branch of the Maldives Police Service was established on the island on 7 October 1996. Initially, the Police and the Armed Forces of the Maldives were the same, known as the National Security Service. The main objective of the Fuvahmulaku Police Station is to maintain peace and stability across

670-415: A well. It is located in the northern end of the island. Gen Miskit is the oldest mosque in the Maldives built (~c. 1300). The structure is made of coral stone and was built straight after the conversion to Islam. The mosque still holds congregational prayer to this day. It has been said that the island was depopulated and resettled thrice in the last thousand years owing to lethal epidemics. The last time

737-529: Is Dhadimagu while the most populous ward of the island is Dhoondigan . This is the largest division of the island, located on the north-west of the island. A centre of learning as well as an important location for the island's economy. Throughout history, scholars and famous personalities came into being from this district housing many of the historical sites and landmarks of the island. The number of 'Hafiz's from this district outnumber that of any other district in Fuvahmulah. Located just after Dhadimagu, this

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804-462: Is also home to farmland where locals grow crops such as cucumber , tomato , carrot , cabbage , pepper , capsicum , eggplant and ladies' fingers . There is a broad sandy beach at the northernmost point of Fuvahmulah in the district of Dhadimago. It is locally known as "Thūndu" (In official Dhivehi "Thundi"). Its sands are formed by white small round pebbles, which are unusually smooth and shiny. This kind of pebbles are found in Fuvahmulah only in

871-421: Is at Fuvammulah Cricket stadium. Apart from Dhiraagu, Focus Infocom Private Limited and Ooredhoo also provides internet services on the island. Formerly there were many bicycles on Fuvahmulah, an ideal mode of transportation on the flat, large island. Presently there are a large number of motorcycles. The construction of Fuvahmulah Harbour has led to a boost in the number of vehicles – notably motor cycles – on

938-483: Is comparatively open, containing scattered shoal patches; the bottom is muddy and the average depth is from 30 to 34 fathoms (55 to 62 m). Haddhummathi Atoll forms the southern limit of Central Maldives. Beyond the Huvadhu Kandu, the broadest channel between atolls in the Maldives, lie the southern atolls. Traditionally, Maldivians simply call this atoll Haddhunmathi , without adding the word Atholhu (Atoll) at

1005-481: Is one of the largest districts in Fuvahmulah. Apart from Dhadimagu, the district also share borders with Hoadhadu and Maadhadu. Many residents of Dhiguvaandu rely on white-collar jobs for their income. Retail business is a main source of income as well. The most prominent feature of this district is the "Chas bin" (an area of wetland) associated with the Dhadimagi-Kilhi. Large amounts of taro fields can be found in

1072-506: Is well-formed, the Bissaaveli is enclosed from all sides, creating a natural shallow swimming pool where locals like to swim. Another natural phenomenon called Kalho-Akiri (meaning "Black Pebbles") occurs on the south-east shore of the island. This area only has black pebbles, quite unusual to the normal white coral sand beaches of the Maldives. Every year, towards the end of the southwest monsoon season, flying fish (Hulhammaha) come to

1139-523: Is well-formed, the Bissaveli is enclosed from all sides, creating a natural shallow swimming pool where locals like to swim. Bissaaveli too is a phenomenon which occurs only in Fuvahmulah in the Maldivian archipelago. 0°16′38″S 73°25′03″E  /  0.277227°S 73.417609°E  / -0.277227; 73.417609 Fuvahmulah The inhabitants of the island speak a distinctive dialect of

1206-768: The Dhivehi language , locally known as "F uvahmulaki baha.” Fuvahmulah means "Island of the Areca nut palms", Fuvah (or "Fuva") in the local language. Other places in the world like Penang in Malaysia and Guwahati in Assam , India , are also named after this nut. The original name of the island could have been Mulah, but was called Fuvahmulah (the Mulah with the areca nut palms) to distinguish it from Boli Mulah – another island in ancient Maldives. The admiralty charts and some geographers named

1273-559: The Maldives and visitors to the island usually collect them as a memory of the island. It is common for an annual phenomenon called Bissaaveli to form at the Thūndu. The Bissaaveli forms when part of the sand of the beach moves away from the shore towards the edge of the reef, thus creating a lagoon, enclosed by sand and the shore of the island. This natural event attracts hundreds – possibly thousands – of locals who love to go to watch it. When it

1340-480: The 8 wards of the island are officially considered to be administrative divisions which act as the replacement for islands in other atolls. In the past, a chief ('Katheeb') was appointed in charge of the day-to-day affairs of each ward of the island as was done for the remote islands of the other atolls. With the introduction of local government policy in the Maldives , the Decentralization Act of 2010 passed by

1407-499: The Atoll Council of Fuvahmulah has also passed a Decree to establish the place as a Protected area on 19 January 2012. Its sands are formed by white small round pebbles, which are unusually smooth and shiny. This kind of pebbles which sparkle even after being taken away from the beach are exclusive to Fuvahmulah only and there is no record of such kind of pebbles from anywhere in the world except Fuvahmulah. Very commonly, visitors to

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1474-567: The Maldive Buddhist period itself. The only actual remains of the art of those times are a few sculptures and etchings on coral stone. Most of these are preserved in a little room in the Malé Museum, but many they are not properly labelled, so it is not easy to know where they come from. A Buddha head found by H.C.P. Bell during his excavations in this atoll has disappeared, but the picture taken by Bell can be seen in his monograph. Scenes from

1541-405: The Maldives . In the past, Fuvahmulah was a small coral atoll whose southern end was open at a spot called Diyarehifaando and the inside of the island was a saltwater lagoon forming a natural harbor. There is a spot on the southern end known as Kudhuheraival (forest of a small islet), which indicates there was a small separate islet over there in ancient times. The channel connecting the lagoon with

1608-652: The Maldives. This judgement remains up to this day within the hearts of many Maldivians who express this both in words and deeds on different occasions ranging from TV and radio programmes to the polls taken by newspapers and websites online. Being a one-island atoll itself and the third largest island in the Maldives (if not for land reclamation), Fuvahmulah includes a diverse range of habitats ranging from tropical woodlands and wetlands to freshwater lakes, well-vegetated marshland areas, white sandy beaches of different variations and pebble texture plus gravel beaches and fertile lands of humus greater in area than any other island in

1675-478: The Maldives. The two freshwater lakes in the island plus the many number of swamps and marshland areas in the island give habitat to different plant and animal species not to be found anywhere else in the Maldives. Among such species, the common moorhen (locally known as Valikukulhu) is a bird natively confined to Fuvahmulah only in the Maldivian archipelago. Also, the dense forest of Syzygium cumini (Jambul), locally known as "Dhanvah Baal" (literally "Jambul grove") to

1742-488: The North of Dhadimagi Kilhi is the largest vegetation of Jambul to be found anywhere in the Maldives since this plant variety is nearly extinct elsewhere in the country. Fuvahmulah is also the largest producer of mangoes in the Maldives. Mango trees are found in abundance and every year hundreds of thousands of mangoes are produced from the island. Fuvahmulah also produces pineapples and oranges which cannot be found anywhere else in

1809-463: The Pacific Ocean, save for its greater size. Its reefs are generally of little breadth, with no signs of vilu (deep pools), except for its eastern fringes which are covered with islands that are quite large by Maldive standards. The lagoon is comparatively open, containing scattered shoal patches; the bottom is muddy and the average depth is from 30 to 34 fathoms (55 to 62 m). Laamu Atoll forms

1876-457: The People's majlis specifically states that in the case of Fuvahmulah an island council has to be elected for each ward of the island. So like the islands of other atolls across the country, the wards of the island act as separate constituencies. From February 2011 onwards the councils have started functioning. Each ward of Fuvahmulah has its own distinctive features. The largest division of the island

1943-432: The atoll. They carry out investigations into crimes and public complaints fairly and deliver justice to the locals of the atoll. The station also helps other government authorities in fighting and preventing crime. The station is commanded by an Inspector of t police, with a work force around 65 in combating the crime. Administratively Fuvahmulah was recognized as city by the government in 2016, Fuvahmulah Police Station became

2010-405: The boat yard near the harbor. The fire completely burnt 6 fiberglass dhows. Four of these dhows were 100 feet and the remaining two were 40 feet long. This fire also started around 3:40 am local time. Fire was first spotted, instantly after the fire started by a local fisherman. The Fire Service was called immediately. But since fiberglass resin is highly flammable, and there was no sprinkler system,

2077-594: The broadest of which are topped by islands. There are many islands along its eastern and southern boundaries. This atoll is quite regular excepting for the projection of the reef at its NE corner (Isdhū Muli). It closely resembles Kolhumadulhu, its neighbour further north. Owing to its typical atoll shape, it differs in no respect from atolls in the Pacific Ocean, save for its greater size. Its reefs are generally of little breadth, with no signs of vilu (deep pools), except for its eastern fringes which are covered with islands that are quite large by Maldivian standards. The lagoon

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2144-402: The country. The wetland areas of Fuvahmulah are mostly made up of dense vegetation ranging from ferns to reeds to taro fields. There is an abundance of water spinach locally known as Mahilanbo "މަހިލަނބޮ and plant varieties such as Syzygium cumini (jambul), pond-apple , mango , pineapple , screwpine , tropical almond , cheese fruit , ambarella , banana and many more. Fuvahmulah

2211-539: The dependency on fishing. One of the traditional harbours of Fuvahmulah, "Anbule Athiri" is located within Hoadhadu which explains the district's continued dependency on fishing. With changes over time, this is the smallest district in Fuvahmulah. Located in the center of the island, this district houses the strategically most important buildings on the island. This district shares borders with Dhiguvaandu , Hoadhadu , Maalegan and Miskiymagu . This village stretches along

2278-495: The end. Before that the name of the atoll was Sathu Dhuvu mathi named after the seven main islands. It is mostly rimmed by barrier reefs , the broadest of which are topped by islands. There are many islands along its eastern and southern boundaries. This atoll is quite regular except for the projection of the reef at its NE corner (Isdhū Muli). It closely resembles Kolhumadulhu , its neighbour further north. Owing to its typical atoll shape, it differs in no respect from atolls in

2345-399: The figures. This fire is said to be the worst fire in the history of the island. The island is 494.2 km (307 mi; 267 nmi) south of the country's capital, Malé . The Fuvahmulah city is about 4.5 by 1.2 km (2.80 by 0.75 mi) with a submerged reef (Rashikedefaro) extending for about 3 km (1.9 mi) in a southeasterly direction. The island is the third largest in

2412-492: The fire spread to the 6 dhows and the fiberglass resin barrels in the yard. It took the fire personnel, Maldives National Defense Force and local 2 hours to contain the fire. A forensics team of the Maldive Police Service did the investigation. All the dhows were insured. In an interview with media, the atoll chief said the loss is estimated to be around MRF 20 Million, although insurance companies never publicly disclosed

2479-619: The government, it did not have its own building, so the center operated in a private house. A separate building for the Health Center was constructed and the services began in the new building on 24 March 1988. As the population of the island increased significantly, and due to the isolation of the island, government upgraded the Health Center to a Hospital on 11 June 2001. Fuvahmulah is served by 11 schools. Consisting of 6 pre-schools, 1 primary schools, 3 secondary school (O-level) and 1 secondary school (A-level). Gn. Atoll Education Centre (GN.AEC),

2546-451: The increase in population of some wards has put pressure on the neighboring areas, resulting in the extension of some wards with time, and some claims out of the traditional boundaries. An example of such a case is that of the Hoadhadu ward. The northerly extension of the settlements of Hoadhadu ward by time led to the land from eastern strip of Dhiguvaandu and Dhadimagu wards being claimed by

2613-410: The island Fua Mulaku . In old French maps the island appeared under the name Poue Molluque. The name Fuvahmulah derives from fuvah , meaning "areca nut" (< *pūgavṛkṣa- ). Little is known about the history of Fuvahmulah, owing to its relative seclusion, partially because the island was historically very difficult to get to due to its geographic peculiarities. Despite this, island still holds

2680-474: The island collect pebbles from Thoondu as souvenirs. It is common for an annual phenomenon called Bissaaveli to form at the Thoondu. The Bissaaveli forms when part of the sand of the beach moves away from the shore towards the edge of the reef, thus creating a lagoon, enclosed by sand and the shore of the island. This natural event attracts hundreds – possibly thousands – of locals who love to go and watch it. When it

2747-452: The island fringe facing the Northeast. With some of the most significant features of the island this district shares borders with Maadhadu, Miskimmagu, Funaadu and Dhoondigan. The former Dashukubaa village was merged with Miskiymagu. This village has merged with neighboring Funaadu on its southern end and Maadhadu on its northern end. The village also shares borders with Maalegan ward towards

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2814-492: The island harbour, and a number of historical landmarks. The high rate of fertility has resulted in overpopulation. With more than 13000 inhabitants, the availability of land for market gardening is steadily diminishing. The most updated population figure for the island is available on the Ministry of Atolls Development website. This gives a sex ratio of 0.88. Dhiraagu is the only landline telephone communication service provider on

2881-420: The island, as well as in the entire country. However, Ooredoo along with Dhiraagu provides mobile communication services on the island. The Dhiraagu communications antenna, located in the premises of Dhiraagu Fuvahmulah Operations Center, stands 400 feet (120 meters) tall. It connects Gaafu Alif Atoll , Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and Fuvahmulah to the rest of the nation. Meanwhile, the ooredhoo communications antenna

2948-516: The island, but separate from the police. They are mostly active in the area of Fire and Rescue, along with military duties. Being home to the most number of Hafizs in the Maldives throughout known history, Fuvahmulah has produced many great scholars. Many figures from Fuvahmulah have been leaders in politics, religion and in business since early times. One such figure was the Independence Hero of Maldives, former President Ibrahim Nasir . Nasir

3015-510: The island. This has increased road accidents, many of them fatal. The poorly constructed roads have indirectly contributed to road accidents. Finivaa Magu, the main road running from north to south of the island, along with the other roads are not paved. The only partly paved road is the Mohamed Jamaaludeen Naibu Thutthu Magu or else known as 'Ring Road' This road is still under construction. When completed this road will be

3082-434: The lake is located in Dhadimagu ward of the island) and the southern is " Bandaara Kilhi " (lit. "State Lake" since the lake has been under state custody throughout history). Lacking a lagoon and being subject to ocean swells, Fuvahmulah was often inaccessible to seafarers in the past. In the early 2000s a harbor was built at the southeast tip of the island, which minimized the problem to a certain extent. The construction of

3149-406: The longest road on the island, running from the harbor and connecting all 8 districts. An airstrip is functional on the southeastern side of the island since 11 November 2011. Currently, there two scheduled flights every day to Malé from Fuvahmulah and from Malé to Fuvahmulah Airport . The first Health Centre officially started its services on 12 May 1973. Even though the center was fully owned by

3216-620: The mandate of city council was further revised with additional powers granted through an amendment to Decentralization Act. The city council bench was further increased from 3 members to a total 7 of members, including the mayor. The current mayor of Fuvahmulah City is Ismail Rafeeq . Fuvahmulah was traditionally divided into nine wards. From North to South these wards were: (1) Dhadimagu , (2) Dhiguvaandu (both stretching from East to West shore), (3) Hoadhadu , (5) Dhashukubaa (both segmental) and separated by, (4) Maadhadu , (A diagonal strip of parallel width). The other four divisions, occupying

3283-402: The midst of a joyful atmosphere. Large crowds will gather on the beaches for what the locals called "Hulhammaha Hifun". Fuvahmulah City Council and its office was established following a presidential decree by former president Abdulla Yameen on 4 June 2017. During its initial formation the city council was composed of three constituency members. During the presidency of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ,

3350-578: The most ancient writings of the Maldives are the Isdhū Lōmāfānu and the Dhanbidhū Lōmāfānu copperplates, relating to the conversion to Islam, the destruction of the Buddhist monuments, the beheading of the Buddhist monks and the building of mosques to replace the Buddhist temples and monasteries. These copperplates are from the year 1193 AD. The Maldivian king back then according to these documents

3417-508: The north-east of the village. This is the southernmost and one of the largest wards in Fuvahmulah. This district houses a center of learning. This is the most populous district and by area the second largest division of the island. This village lies in the southeastern corner of the island. It has merged with Maalegan on its northern end and Funaadu to the West. Being a center of learning as well as an important location for all islanders as it houses

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3484-408: The northwestern shore of Fuvahmulah. Confused by the number of voracious tuna shoals in the water and by aggressive frigate birds hunting them from the air, the flying fish would end up flying close to the beach. They mostly end up in the area between Thoondu and Dhadimago fanno where this phenomenon is most common. Men, women and children like to go down to the reef to catch the flying fishes by hand in

3551-504: The ocean was closed by massive coral boulders in the past. Thus the inside of the island is lower than its edges. In time the inner lagoon lost its saltiness and all that remains today are two small lakes, wetlands and marshy taro fields. In this respect, Fuvahmulah is like the island of Nukutavake in the Central Pacific. The northern lake of the island is known as " Dhadimagi Kilhi " (lit. "Lake of Dhadimagu" or "Dhadimagu Lake" since

3618-491: The only higher secondary school serving the island,(teaching from grade 7 to 12) is the largest education center on the island. Inaugurated on 20 April 1982, it currently serves more than 343 students. Fuvahmulaku School (FS) which was owned and operated by the citizens of Dūndigan, is one of the three secondary schools on the island. Located in Dūndigan, it serves the south west part of the island. Government assumed full control over

3685-404: The school on 1 March 1992. Mohammed Jamaadudeen school (MJS) (formerly called "Madharusathu-Sheik Mohammed Jamaaluddeen" (MJM)), opened on 3 November 1992. It serves the north-west part of the island. The school was built by the people of Dhadimagu and Dhiguvaadu. This is also a secondary school. There is another secondary school on the island, it is Hafiz Ahmed School (usually referred as HAS) which

3752-468: The site to subsequent vandalism. Often local inhabitants plundered the place in the vain hope of finding gold or other treasures, as soon as the archaeologists and accompanying government officials left the island. The Dhanbidhū Lōmāfānu tells us that the Satihirutalu (the chattravali or chattrayashti crowning a stupa) were broken to disfigure the numerous stupas. It tells us also that statues of Vairocana ,

3819-596: The southern limit of Central Maldives. Beyond the Huvadhu Kandu , the broadest channel between atolls in the Maldives, lie the southern atolls. Kadhdhoo Domestic Airport is located on Kadhdhoo . This atoll was playing an important role in the Maldives when the nation was a Buddhist Kingdom. Many of the islands located on Haddhunmathi's eastern reef have important Buddhist archaeological sites, like Dhanbidhoo , Mundoo , Gan and Isdhoo . These are remains of monasteries, viharas and stupas of large proportions. Some of

3886-452: The southern part of the island, consisted of two eastern and western strips, bisected into four wards, (6) Maalegan and (8) Dhoondigan lying to the East, (7) Miskiymagu and (9) Funaadu to the West. In time, some changes were made. In the 1950s, the number of wards were reduced to eight, with the village of Dhashukubaa being merged with Miskiymagu . Since then, no changes were made though

3953-638: The survivors of the epidemic vacated to neighboring Addu, Huvadhu and Haddhunmathi Atolls and remained there for a few years. In the post-war era, tensions rose significantly between the Southern Atolls and the Central Government in Malé. Fuvahmulah was part of the breakaway state of the United Suvadive Republic (1959–1963). However, nothing too eventful happened throughout those years on the island, except for an incident that occurred where

4020-450: The time of conversion may be the main reason for the village being the first district to be converted. What is clear from historical sources is that smaller districts of Fuvahmulah converted first and the larger districts last. Hoadhadu is a remarkable ward in Fuvahmulah. Historically, many residents of Hoadhadu depended on fishing as the primary source of income, although today retail business along with white collar jobs have diminished

4087-413: The transcendent Buddha of the middle world region, were destroyed; and the destruction was not limited to sculptures. The wealth of manuscripts probably written on screwpine leaves that Maldivian monks in their Buddhist monasteries must have produced was either burnt or otherwise so thoroughly eliminated that it has disappeared without leaving any trace. Therefore, there are no samples of paintings from

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4154-501: The village. A similar case occurred in the Funaadu-Dhoondigan boundaries to the south of the island. However, no formal changes have been made in any of the cases and area claims of different views exist in modern times. The officially used maps and government sources as well do not portray any significant changes to the traditional boundaries. Taking into consideration the geography of Fuvahmulah along with its size and population,

4221-423: The wetland area. Vast plantings of areca nut can be found in the district. Mango and breadfruit can be found in reasonable quantities. Almost every house in the district has a mango tree . Hoadhadu used to be the smallest district in Fuvahmulah, nearly the same size as Maadhadu. During the late 20th century, the increase in population of the district led to pressure on land in the neighbouring areas. This led to

4288-696: Was Sri Gadana Aditya Maharadun. A tentative transcription of the Dhanbidū lōmafānu was made by M. Ibrahim Loutfi and was subsequently published in 'Faiytūra', the organ of the Maldivian Cultural Affairs Council. H. C. P. Bell excavated some of the Buddhist sites in 1923. The stupa in Kuruhinna, one of the Buddhist sites in Gan Island, was remarkably well preserved. Only the Chattravali (Satihirutalu)

4355-406: Was born in Fuvahmulah and the early childhood days of Nasir were spent in Fuvahmulah until his family moved to Malé . Haddhunmathi Atoll Haddhunmathi or Laamu Atoll (Dhivehi: ހައްދުންމަތި އަތޮޅު) is an administrative division of the Maldives . The administrative capital is Fonadhoo Island . It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name. It is mostly rimmed by barrier reefs,

4422-423: Was missing. Unfortunately these sites have been vandalized since then and there is almost nothing remaining now, except for a heap of stones and gravel. The cause of heavy destruction during recent years has been archaeological excavations on those sites themselves. Regrettably, these investigations were either done carelessly, or left the site unprotected after excavation. The removal of the sheltering jungle exposed

4489-457: Was opened on 22 April 2004. It currently serves more than 500 students. There is also a primary only school teaching up to grade 6 called Brightways International School (BHIS) which was opened in June 2021. Brightways international education is a private art school teaching up to grade 6 from 1, with another branch teaching from Baby nursery to UKG Historically the island was and still is, considered as

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