Excerpta Maldiviana

About the Book:-The book contains an historical account of Maldives. It was a series of papers, mostly taken most taken from documents originally in Divehi; published during 1922-1926 in the Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. It is mostly a comprehensive catalogue of historical documents on the islands, compiled by a British civil servant who went there many times over several decades spanning the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The history of the Maldives is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia and Indian Ocean; and the modern nation consisting of 26 natural atolls, comprising 1194 islands. Historically, the Maldives had a strategic importance because of its location on the major marine routes of the Indian Ocean. After the 16th century, when colonial powers took over much of the trade in the Indian Ocean, first the Portuguese, then the Dutch and the French occasionally meddled in local politics. The earliest written history of the Maldives is marked by the arrival of Sinhalese people, who were descended from the exiled Magadha Prince Vijaya from the ancient city known as Sinhapura in North East India. The book is a uniquely useful research instrument though probably more than an average reader would be capable of digesting. It contains interesting old photographs and reproductions of ancient documents. About the Author:-Harry Charles Purvis Bell, CCS, more often known as HCP Bell, was a British civil servant and the first Commissioner of Archaeology in Ceylon. Appointed an official archaeologist, in July 1890 the Governor of Ceylon, Sir Arthur Gordon, appointed Bell as the first Archaeological Commissioner and Head of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon. He carried out many excavations in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) for the Archaeological Survey during an appointment running from 1890 to 1912 and claimed to dig treasures hidden in the Sigiriya and sent to England. After retirement, he also investigated the archaeology and epigraphy of the Maldives, where he had been earlier in his life and studied the linguistics of the Maldivian language. Bell had developed a good friendship with the king of the Maldives, who put his own royal schooner Fath-ul-Majid at his disposition to carry out archaeological research in certain atolls south of Malé. The Title 'Excerpta Maldiviana written/authored/edited by H. C. P. Bell', published in the year 2020. The ISBN 9788121233736 is assigned to the Paperback version of this title. This book has total of pp. 413 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Gyan Publishing House. This Book is in English. The subject of this book is . Size of the book is 13.34 x 21.59 cms Vol:-