The Maldivian Annual Tribute was a
tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...
presented each year by the
Sultan of the Maldives
Maldives was turned into a Sultanate in 1153 when the Buddhist King Dhovemi converted to Islam. Prior to that the Maldives was a Buddhist Kingdom, a Hindu Kingdom and before that a matriarchal society with each atoll ruled by a chief queen a ...
to the
British Governor of Ceylon. The tributes were presented after the Maldive islands became a
British protectorate in 1887 and were carried out annually until 1947 when a new agreement removed the requirement of tributes, however Maldives remained a British protectorate until 1953 when the sultanate was suspended and the First Republic was declared.
[Ceylonese Mudaliyars
Mudali (or Mudaliyar) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was part of the native headman system. The Portuguese colonials created the Mudaliyar class in the 17th century by enlisting natives of different castes fro ...]
guard of honour and band, as well as a police detachment to escort the Maldivian party to the
on foot. The streets would be lined with sightseers.
On arriving at Queen's House, the Maldivian Representative was formally received by the Governor and his officials. The Representative presented a letter wrapped in silk to the Governor from the Sultan. The presentation took places with two interpreters translating. The Governor would speak in English which would be translated to Tamil and the Maldivian interpreter would translate it to
for the Maldivian Representative. The tribute was thereafter handed over followed by tea and the Maldivian Representative taking his leave.
The tribute would consist of a gift of the finest Maldivian produce such as Maldivian
.
The Government of Ceylon would in turn send a letter to the Sultan accompanied by products from Ceylon.