Union Teritorry – Lakshadweep, India
Location: Lakshadweep is located in the Arabian sea around 200 to 300 km off the coast of the Indian state of Kerela.
District Headquarter: Kavaratti
Distance: 200 to 300 km from the cost of Kerela or Mangalore, 404 km from Cochin
Journey time: Around 14 to 20 hrs by ship and 1 – 1 and 1/2 hrs by flight.
How to reach there: Five passenger ships- MV Kavaratti,MV Tippu Sultan, MV Bharat Seema, MV Amindivi and MV Minicoy operate between Cochin and Lakshadweep. There are regular flights between Cochin and Agatti island.
Route: Cochin – Kavaratti and few other island by ship.
Best time to visit: October to mid May
Where to stay:
3. Kadmat Beach Resort
Kadmat, Lakshadweep – 682555
4. An almost good economical option would be the tourist huts provided by the Lakshadweep tourism department.
Where to eat: In hotel or the resort you are staying.
Language spoken: A dialect of Malayam is spoken in all over Lakshadweep except Minicoy. In Minicoy, people speak mahl, a dialect of Divehi – the language spoken in Maldive islands nearby.
Lakshadweep can be said to be the smallest unit of India. It is a union territory consisting of hundreds of islands in the Arabian sea. The lagoon is spread over 32 sq. km. The main islands are Amini, Andrott, Kavaratti, Agatti and Minicoy. In total 10 islands are inhabited. Entry to the islands are governed by few rules – check the entry rule doc.
Early history of Lakshadweep is not available and most of them are associated with legends. These islands have come under the influence of Arab merchants quite early in time. Arab traveler, Ibn Batuta wrote about Lakshadweep islands in detail. The main religion of people here is Islam. It is believed that the islands were under the rule of Cholas, Chirakkal Raja, Ali Rajahs/Arakkal Bheevi of Kannur, Portuguese, Tipu Sultan of Mysore and finally to the British.
Apart from natural resources, fish and other sea resources, tourism is a major contributor to Lakshadweep’s income. As there are very few fresh water resources available, the world’s first ever low temperature thermal desalination plant (LTTD) was opened in Kavaratti to de saline sea water for producing potable water.
What to see:
Visiting Lakshadeep is like going back to nature’s lap. Apart from natural beauty, clean white sand beaches, blue lagoons, water sports is a huge attraction here. The union territory administration offers various packages like Coral Reef, Marine Wealth Awareness Programme, Taratashi, Swaying Palm (Minicoy) or Scuba Diving Package.
To find more details on Lakshadweep packages in Mumbai, contact:
LACADIVES
E-20,Everest Building, Tardeo, Mumbai-400 034
Phone: +91-22-4943430, 4940431, 4942723, 4940510
Fax +91-22-49516443
1. Dolphin Dive Center, Kavaratti
2. Kadmat Scuba Diving Centre
3. Minicoy Dive Center
Booking can be done by contacting the agents.
Useful websites:
1. http://www.lakshadweeptourism.com/
2. http://lakshadweeptourism.nic.in/
3. http://lakshadweep.nic.in/
4. http://www.laccadive.in/