Gan is one of the uninhabited islands of Southern Huvadhu Atoll, in the Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll

Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll

Southern Huvadhu Atoll or Gaafu Dhaalu is an administrative district of the Maldives formed by the southwestern section of Huvadhu Atoll. It was created on February 8, 1962 when Huvadhu Atoll was divided into two districts...

 administrative division of the Maldives

Maldives

The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

.

Gan Island was formerly inhabited, but its inhabitants moved to neighboring islands after a severe epidemic at the end of the 18th century. Before that point, there is evidence of continuous human habitation since very ancient times. There are still large cultivated fields of yam

Yam (vegetable)

Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...

s, manioc and coconut trees on this island, which are used by neighboring islanders from Gaddu.

The origin of the word "Gan" is in the Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 word "Grama", meaning "village". This island should not be confused with other Maldive islands called "Gan" in Addu Atoll

Gan (Seenu Atoll)

Gan is the southernmost island of Addu Atoll, as well as the southernmost island of the Maldives. It is relatively large by Maldive standards....

 and Haddummati Atoll

Gan (Laamu Atoll)

Gan is one of the inhabited islands of Haddhunmathi Atoll, administrative code Laamu and the proposed capital for the Mathi-Dhekunu Province of the Maldives. Gan is the longest island of the Maldives...

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Archaeology

There are several ancient Buddhist ruins in this island, including one of the largest stupa

Stupa

A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....

s in the Maldives:

• A large ruin called “Gamu Haviththa” located at the centre of the island is 73 m in circumference and 18 m in height. Local tradition says it was a Buddhist place of worship.
• Another mound 55 m in circumference and 1.5 m in height is situated on the western shore of the island.
• Another mound with a circumference of 15 m and a height of 1 m is on the northwestern shore of the island.
• Another mound with a circumference of 58 m and a height of 9 m is on the southeastern shore of the island.
• On the northwest of the centre of the island is a mound with a circumference of 42 m and a height of 6 m.
• There is another mound near the latter with a circumference of 37 m and a height of 3 m.

Thor Heyerdahl

Thor Heyerdahl

Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a background in zoology and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands...

 visited this island and investigated one of the ruined stupas there in the 1980s accompanied by Mohamed Lutfi. This included the foundation of the perimeter of the vihara

Vihara

Vihara is the Sanskrit and Pali term for a Buddhist monastery. It originally meant "a secluded place in which to walk", and referred to "dwellings" or "refuges" used by wandering monks during the rainy season....

or temple compound.
However, most ruins have not yet been well researched.