How did Nicobar Island get its name?
How did Nicobar Island get its name?
The earliest extant references to the name
"Nicobar" is in the Sri Lankan Pali Buddhist chronicles,
the Dipavamsa (c.
3rd or 4th century CE) and the Mahavamsa (c.
4th or 5th century), which state that the children of the followers of the
legendary founder of the Sri Lankan Kingdom, Vijaya, landed on Naggadipa (the
island of the children, from the Pali nagga meaning 'naked').
The modern name is likely derived from the Chola dynasty name
for the islands, Nakkavaram or 'Puup Pii' (literally,
"naked man" in Tamil)
which is inscribed on the Thanjavur (Tanjore) inscription of 1050 CE.
Marco Polo (12th-13th century) also
referred to this island as 'Necuverann'.
In the 15th century, Great Nicobar Island was recorded as
"Cui Lan island" (翠蘭嶼) during the voyages of Zheng He in the Mao Kun map of
the Wu Bei Zhi.
The island is said to have got its name after writings of
Chang Yang Sung, a Chinese monk. Lo Ten Quo or the land of naked and Nalo Chen
Quo or the land of coconut. He visited the island in 200A.D.
The name Nicobar probably derives from the Tamil word nakkavaram (“land
of the naked”).
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