How Buddhist Maldives Became an Islamic Sultanate 900 Years Ago

The Maldives is marking 900 Hijri years since its conversion from a Buddhist kingdom into an Islamic sultanate. The anniversary dates to 548 AH, or 1153 CE, when the islands’ last Buddhist ruler, Dhovemi, is traditionally said to have embraced Islam and adopted the name Sultan Muhammad al-Adil.

The milestone has renewed interest in the archipelago’s pre-Islamic history. Archaeological discoveries have uncovered stupas, monasteries and coral-stone carvings reflecting Buddhist, Hindu-Buddhist, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. Researchers believe Buddhism may have reached the Maldives as early as the third century BCE, with influences arriving from both Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent.

Much of the ancient history came to light after British official Harry Charles Purvis Bell investigated the islands following the 1879 wreck of the steamship Sea Gull. The mounds he encountered, locally known as havitta or ustubu, led to further archaeological investigations and the discovery of Buddhist sites across several atolls.

The traditional account of the conversion comes from Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta, who recorded a legend involving a Muslim preacher and a sea demon called Rannamaari. According to the story, the preacher recited Quranic verses through the night while staying in a temple where a young woman was supposedly offered to the demon. After the demon failed to appear, the incident was presented as a miracle that convinced the Buddhist king to convert. Historians regard the episode as a conversion legend rather than independently verified history.

Evidence from medieval copper plates suggests the transition was not entirely peaceful. Records from 1195 and 1196 refer to the destruction of Buddhist monasteries, including one site at Dhanbidhoo where a mosque was later built.

Over centuries, Islam became deeply connected with Maldivian statehood. Today, the Constitution recognises Islam as the state religion and restricts citizenship to Muslims. Yet Buddhist archaeological remains continue to preserve evidence of the religious traditions that existed in the islands before the Islamic sultanate emerged.