Koimala: The First King of the Maldives
According to Maldivian folklore, Prince Koimala was a prince from the Indian subcontinent (or Sri Lanka, in some versions) who sailed to the Maldives with two ships. The indigenous Giraavaru people — Dravidian fishermen who cleaned tuna on a large sandbank — spotted his vessel and welcomed him, allowing him to settle on the blood-tainted sandbank. Trees were planted there (the first being a papaya tree) and the island was named Maa-le (Malé, meaning 'big blood'). The islanders, impressed by his royal lineage, proclaimed him king. He unified the Maldives from Minicoy to Addu, establishing Malé