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OCTOBER, 1905.]
A NOTE ON MALDIVIAN HISTORY.
251
The small area thus defined as occupied by the Tulu language seems to be admirably adapted to serve as the equivalent of Asoka's Satiyaputra. It adjoins Kerala, is the territory of a Dravidian people, and so completes the summary envmeration of the Dravidian nations given in Rock Edict II. But, of course, the proof of the suggested identity cannot be effected until it is shown that the name Satiyaputra is in fact connected with the Tuluva country, and at present such proof is lacking.
The Tulu language is closely related to Canarese, and the alternative suggestion may be offered, that, as Asoka's Kêralá may be interpreted in a wide sense so as to include the Chêra' territory, similarly Satiyaputra may possibly have comprised the whole territory occupied by the people speaking Kanarose and the cognato Tulu.
Until some better theory is proposed I shall believe that the Satiyaputra kingdom of ABóka's time corresponded, in part at least, with the Tuluva country lying immediately north of Kerala.
A NOTE ON MALDIVIAN HISTORY.
BY ARTHIE A. PERERA. Though the Maldivian Sultanate dates from the time of the Khalif's of Bagdad, all that is connectedly known of its history begins from A. D. 1759; but glimpses of two previous centuries have been preserved to us by Ibn Batůta, the traveller from Tangiers (1843) and by the ship-wrecked François Pyrard de Laval (1602).
In 1753 the reigning Sultan Muhammad Mukarram Im'adu'ddin was taken captive and blinded by the corsairs of the Raja of Cannanore and the government of the atolls was undertaken, on behalf of the Sultan's daughter Amina Rani, by the official Hasan Banna Badort, who, after six years, ascended the throne as Ghazi ħasan 'Iazu'ddin (1), probably after marrying the royal princess, and founded the present royal dynasty. He died in 1767, naming as his saccessor his old master's nephew Muhammad Ghiy&su'ddin (2); but this arrangement only lasted for seven years, as his own two sons usurped the throne, and successively reigned as Muhammad Mu'izu'ddin (8) and Hasan Naruddin (4). The latter reigned from 1779 to 1799 and left two sons, Muhammad Mu'inu'ddîn and Ahmad Didi.
Muhammad Mu'lnu'ddin (5) succeeded his father, and Ahmad Didt had to flee the country to Mocha and finally seek refuge in Cochin for trying to introduce enlightened modes of government. The latter, however, returned to the atolls in 1832, when his nephew Muhammad Im'adu'ddin Iskandar (6) ascended the throne, and became a valuable minister to the Sultan, and at his death, his son, the intelligent 'Ali Didt took his place. The two cousins soon fell out, and 'Ali Didi left the Maldives and became domiciled in Ceylon.
Ever since the death of Muhammad Im'ada'ddin Iskandar in 1881, there have beon frequent revolutions in the Maldives, owing to the ambitious designs of the descendants of Ahmad Didi to have an upper hand in the Sultan's Councils. As asan 'Izza'ddin, the eldest son of Muhammad Im'adu'ddin Iskandar, was blind from his twelfth year, his younger brother Ibrahim Nuru'ddin (7) succeeded to the throne. In 1885 he was deposed by his nephew Muhammad Mu'inu'ddin (8), but he regained his throne in 1887 and reigned till his death in Ootober 1893, in spite of a second attempt to dethrone him in 1891 in favour of his second son Agea Manifala.
The Sultan's eldest son Muhammad Shamsu'ddin (9) succeeded to the throne, but only reigned for three months, as his cousin Muhammad Im'adu'ddin Iskandar (10) successfully contested his right and was declared Sultân in December 1898. Ten years after, on 11th March 1908, Muhammad Shamsu'ddin took advantage of his adversary's absence at Suez for his marriage, with
