LAAMU HANDBOOK ADDENDUM SITES INVESTIGATED BY H. C. P. BELL IN LAAMU ATOLL LAAMU HANDBOOK ADDENDUM: SITES INVESTIGATED BY H. C. P. BELL IN LAAMU ATOLL Compiled by Ahmed Ikram 3 July 2018 Maldives Heritage Survey is a project, based at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, led by Dr Michael Feener and funded by Arcadia.Work in the country will be done in partnership with the Maldives Department of Heritagewith additional support from the Earth Observatory of Singapore. Contact: Dr Michael Feener Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Marston Road Oxford. OX3 0EE Email: [email protected] Front Cover: The famous world map by Venetian monk Fra Mauro was completed about 1450. The surviving original is on display at the Museo Correr in Venice. This version has been inverted to put north at the top of the map. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 1. Dagaba & associated ruins in Gan, Laamu Atoll 1 i) Gan Dagaba 1 ii) Gan Vihāra (Image shrine) 3 iii) Gan Piriveṇa (Monk’s Residence) 4 iv) Waṭadāge (Circular Relic Shrine) 5 v) Ruin A and Ruin B 5 vi) Wells 5 2. Munbaru Dagaba & associated ruins in Kuruhinna, Gan, Laamu Atoll 6 i) Mumbaru Dagaba 7 ii) Ruin A and Ruin B 7 2.b. Finds from Munbaru Dagaba & associated ruins, Gan, Laamu Atoll 8 3. Description of Buduge Dagaba & Well in Munḍu, Lama Atoll. 8 i) Dagaba 8 ii) Well 8 LIST OF FIGURES Plate 2 - Plan of Gan Dagaba 12 Plate 3 - Plan of Gan Vihara 13 Plate 4 - Gan Vihara Front Elevation 14 Plate 5 - Gan Vihara - Side and Back Elevation 15 Plate 6 - Gan Vihara - Section Through A-B 16 Plate 7 - GAN VIHARA - SOUTH ELEVATION & SECTION THrOUGH C-D 17 Plate 8 - Plan of Well near Gan Dagaba 18 Plate 8 - Plan of Gan Pirivena 19 Plate 9 - Gan Pirivena - South Elevation 20 Plate 10 - Gan Pirivena - Section A-B 21 Plate 11 - Well near Gan Pirivena 22 Plate 12 - Plan of Kuruhinna, Gan 23 Plate 13 - Plan of Kuruhinna Dagaba 24 Plate 14 - Kuruhinna Dagaba - West Elevation 25 Plate 15 - Kuruhinna Dagaba - Section Through A-B 26 Plate 16 - Plan of Kuruhinna Ruin A, Ruin B and Moulding Section Through A-B 27 Plate 17 - Plan of RUINS IN MUNDU 28 Plate 18 - PLAN - Mundu Dagaba 29 Plate 19 - MUNDU DAGABA - EAST elevation 30 PLATE 20 - MUNDU Dagaba Section Through A-B 31 PLATE 21- Mundu Island - Plan, Section Through A-B of Well and its Moulding 32 LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS Photograph 1: Gan Dagaba - South View 34 Photograph 2: Gan Dagaba - South - Cleared 34 Photograph 3: Gan Dagaba - South West 35 Photograph 4: Gan Privena - North East - Cleared 35 Photograph 5: Gan Privena - South West - Cleared 36 Photograph 6: Gan Privena - South East - Cleared 36 Photograph 7: Gan Privena - South East - Mouldings 37 Photograph 8: Gan Privena - North East - Cleared 37 Photograph 9: Gan Vihara - North - Excavated 38 Photograph 10: Gan Vihara - South - Excavated - Mouldings 38 Photograph 11: Gan Vihara - Mouldings 39 Photograph 12: Gan Vihara - South - Porch 39 Photograph 13: Gan Vihara - Gan Vihara - Porch - South East - Excavated 40 Photograph 14: Gan Kuruhinna Dagaba - North - Cleared 40 Photograph 15: Gan Kuruhinna Dagaba - South - Cleared 41 Photograph 16: Gan Kuruhinna Dagaba - East - Cleared 41 Photograph 17: Gan Kuruhinna Dagaba - West - Cleared 42 Photograph 18: Gan Kuruhinna Dagaba- West - Uncleared 42 Photograph 19: Gan Kuruhinna Dagaba - Mouldings 43 Photograph 20: Gan Kuruhinna - Ruin A - East - Cleared 43 Photograph 21: Gan Kuruhinna - Ruin B - Mouldings 44 Photograph 22: Gan Kuruhinna - Ruin A & B - South East - Cleared 44 Photograph 23: Mundu Dagaba - North East - Cleared 45 Photograph 24: Mundu Dagaba - South East - Cleared 45 Photograph 25: Mundu Mosque - South West 46 Photograph 26: Gan Ruins - Asana & Indrikila-Gala 46 Photograph 27: Gan Ruins - Teli & Padmasana 46 Photograph 28: Gan Ruins - Rumba, China Jar 47 Photograph 29: Gan Ruins - Post Heads 47 Photograph 30: Gan Ruins - Pillar Capitals 47 Photograph 31: Gan Ruins - Sedent Buddha 48 Photograph 32: Gan Ruins - Face of Buddha 48 Photograph 33: Gan & Mundu - Beads 49 Photograph 34: Gan Kuruhinna - Karanduva 49 Photograph 35: Gan Kuruhinna - Karanduva - Beads 49 Introduction It was during his third visit from 2 February 1922 to 22 September 1922 that H.C.P. Bell conducted two Archaeological Expeditions to the Southern Atolls of Maldives with interludes in Male’. The objective of the visit as conveyed by the Ceylon Government to the Sultan of Maldives was H.C.P. Bells planned Archaeological trip to the Southern Atolls and a stay in Málé (Bell, 2002: 7). H.C.P. Bell was accompanied by a clerk, Mr. W.L.de Silva, a Sinhalese from Kandy Kachcheri and A.R. Allon (Allauddin), a Malay peon together with the Maldivian, Hoḷudu-nevige Ismail Dīdī1, the then Míru Bahru2 as interpretor and Ibrahím Takurufánu of Addu Atoll as Pilot. The second expedition was to Laamu Atoll (Haddummati Atoll) was from 7th to April 1922 by the same team in Fath-hul-Májid, the Maldivian Government Schooner. The expedition investigated the following Buddhist ruins, (a), (b) in Gan Island (11-20 March) and (c) in Mundu Island (20-22 March) (Bell, 2002: 3) and (d) Guraidu Island in South Male Atoll (8 April) (Bell, 2002: 4): (a) The larger group lying about a half a mile from clustered habitations. Maniku (1993:52) describes this group of ruins as being called “Gamu Haiytheli" and is situated on Mudhin Hinna in the Mukurimagu ward of Gan Island, Haddumati Atoll (Laamu Atoll). The Dagaba is 300 ft. in circumference and 24 ft. in height. (b) A smaller coterie at the South end of the island known as Kuruhinna tharaagandu. Maniku (1993:52) describes these ruins as being called 'Munbaru" in an area called Kuruhinna of Gan Island, Haddumati Atoll (Laamu Atoll). (c) Small Buddhist monastery (a diminished mound,once a Dágaba) in Mundu Island. Maniku (1993: 52) describes this mound as being called Buduge and situated on the west of the island. This is 244 feet in circumference and about 4 feet in height. (d) Ziyárat (tomb) of Sultan Hussain II Fámudéri Kilégefánu adjoining a ruined abandoned mosque in Guraidu Island, South Male’ Atoll. Of the sites please find below the descriptions of the sites in Laamu Atoll, investigated by H.C.P Bell. 1. Dagaba & associated ruins in Gan, Laamu Atoll For a plan of Dagaba and associated ruins in Gan, see Plate 1 i) Gan Dagaba This was the biggest Dagaba from the five discovered in the Expedition to the Southern Atolls. In 1922 the expedition recorded the height of the mound as 35 ft., in a very ruined condition with lots of vegetation including large trees which has devastated the site (Bell 2002:111). It is located on the North-East corner of the monastic complex (Bell 2002:130). See Plate 2. The only remains is a part of the haunch of the dome its connected moulding and the drum and base moulding on the South-West of this stupa. This surviving structure had a lineal spread of 9 ft. and a height of 16 ft. (Bell 2002:111). 1 Born 15 Jumada al-Awwal 1276 A.H and died in an epidemic which struck Málé in Rabi al Awwal 1341 A.H (9 December 1859-October 1922) 2 In Arabic Emir-ul-Bahr, at the rank 1 Table 1: Measurement of Gan Dagaba No. Detail Measurement (Ft.) 1 Height - Plinth and base 9.6 - Drum 4.4 - Cornice 1.6 - Springing line 0.18 - Dome 26.6 2 Superstructure height 10 3 Diameter - Plinth 105 - Base (low) 103 - Base (up) 93 - Drum 86 - Springing line 78 Bell states that the most of the superstructure of the Dagaba has vanished including almost all of the dome, the plinth or platform on which the Dagaba stood (Bell 2002:111). This makes it difficult to understand the plan of the stupa or discern whether it had a staircase or not. Bell describes that the at the foot of the Dagaba had fragmentary walling which started 10 ft. above ground level has been stripped from all sides and that it formed part of a tholobate basement (2002:111). Bell means that this stupa was on a plinth and being 10ft above ground level means that there was once a staircase. The masonry of Gan Dagaba was coral squared blocks of medium size encasing a rubble core, similar to Fua Mulaku Dagaba (Bell 2002:111). Bell’s prima facie interpretation was that Gan Dagaba was a replica of Fua Mulaku Dagaba. He classes this Dagaba as a “segmental dome rising from a presumed neck of like diameter, which it stood on duplicated platform stages” (2002:111). Bell points out that unlike the Fua Mulaku Dagaba whose diameter bisects the top of the dome from the springing line; the Gan Dagaba’s diameter bisection places the center of the dome at ground level, making it a true hemicycle (2002:111). And using this bisection, Bell arrives at a diameter of 84 ft. at base with a radius of 42 f. to the top of the dome (2002:111). On the top of the Dagaba in a hollowed pit that had depth 3 ft. was found the slab fixed in the top of the Dagaba. This circular slab had a diameter of 4 ft. and had knops at its four quarters (with one missing). This slab had slightly shifted from its original place. This was deduced from the compass readings which gave (North-East & South-West and North-West & South East). In its true position it will confirm exactly to the cardinal points (Bell 2002:149).