Coral Paradise of India_Lakshadweeep Trip EP#3

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Lakshadweep formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy and Aminidivi Island is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 440 km off the southwestern coast of India. The archipelago is administered as a union territory and district of India. They were also known as Laccadive Islands, although geographically this is only the name of the central subgroup of the group. Lakshadweep means "one hundred thousand islands" in Sanskrit and Malayalam. The islands form the smallest Union Territory of India and their total surface area is just 32 km2 . The lagoon area covers about 4,200 km2 the territorial waters area 20,000 km2 and the exclusive economic zone area 400,000 km2 . The region forms a single Indian district with 10 subdivisions. Kavaratti serves as the capital of the Union Territory and the region comes under the jurisdiction of Kerala High Court. The islands are the northernmost of the Lakshadweep-Maldives-Chagos group of islands, which are the tops of a vast undersea mountain range, the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge.

As the islands have no aboriginal inhabitants, scholars have suggested different histories for the settlement of these islands. Archaeological evidence supports the existence of human settlement in the region around 1500 BC. The islands have long been known to sailors, as indicated by an anonymous reference from the first century AD to the region in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The islands were also mentioned in the Buddhist Jataka stories of the sixth century BC. Islam was established in the region when Muslims arrived around the seventh century. During the medieval period, the region was ruled by the Chola dynasty and Kingdom of Cannanore. The Catholic Portuguese arrived around 1498 but were expelled by 1545. The region was then ruled by the Muslim house of Arakkal, followed by Tipu Sultan. On his death in 1799, most of the region passed on to the British and with their departure, the Union Territory was formed in 1956.

Ten of the islands are inhabited. At the 2011 Indian census, the population of the Union Territory was 64,473. The majority of the indigenous population is Muslim and most of them belong to the Shafi school of the Sunni sect. The islanders are ethnically similar to the Malayali people of the nearest Indian state of Kerala. Most of the population speaks Malayalam with Mahi (or Mahl) being the most spoken language in Minicoy island. The islands are served by an airport on Agatti Island. The main occupation of the people is fishing and coconut cultivation, with tuna being the main item of export.
The Aminidivi subgroup of islands (consisting of Amini, Keltan, Chetlat, Kadamat, Bitra, and Perumal Par) and the Laccadive subgroup of islands (comprising mainly Androth, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Pitti, and Suheli Par), both subgroups having a submarine connection between them through Pitti Bank. Together with Minicoy Island, a lonely atoll located at the southern end of the 200-km-broad Nine Degree Channel, they form the Coral Islands of India in the Arabian Sea. All these islands have been built up by corals and have fringing coral reefs very close to their shores.

lakshadweep island can be reached by ships and flights operaed from kochi. for all tourist purposes kochi is the gate way to lakshadweep. Agati and Bangaram islands can be reached by flight from Kochi. Indian Airlines operate flights from kochi. Onward Flights from kochi are aailable to most of the airports in India and abroad Airstrip is there in Agatti Island only. From Agatti boats are available to Kavaratti and Kadamat during fair season October to May. Helicopter transfer is available from agatti to Bangaram Island resort during monsoon and to kavaratti through out the year The flight from Cochin to agatti takes approximately one hour and thirty minutes.
Seven Passenger ships MV Kavaratti , MV Arabian Sea, MV Lakshadweep Sea, Mv Amindivi MV Minicoy MV Corals and MV Lagoons .The Passage take 14 to 18 hours depending on island chosen for journey. The ships offer different classes of accommodation. A/c First Class With two berth cabins, A/C Secound Class with four berth cabins and push back/Bunk Class with A/C seating . A doctor is available on call on board. MV Amindivi and MV Minicoy also Offer comfortable A/C seating ideal for a nights journey.
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