Rannamaari

Rannamaari (Dhivehi ރަންނަމާރި; "ranna" from Sanskrit; "ratna", "jewel"; and "māri", the Dravidian Mother goddess) is a Maldivian legend which chronicles the Maldivian people's conversion from Buddhism to Islam. According to the story, Rannamaari, a sea demon, haunted the people of the Maldives and had to be appeased monthly with the sacrifice of a virgin. On the last day of every month, the king would choose a girl to sacrifice and keep her in an isolated temple for one night. The girl would be found the next day dead.

Blood sacrifices used to be made to the Dravidian Mother goddess (known in India as Māri or Sitala and as Pattini in Sri Lanka).

The Myth

Rannamaari has two versions, the traditional version and the one told by Ibn Batuta.

According to the Moroccan traveler Ibn Batuta, who visited the Maldives during his journeys through Asia,

References

*The Travels of Ibn Batuta.
*Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84-7254-801-5