The following is a translation of the legend of Koimala Kalou as narrated by Buraara Koi

In very ancient times there was a king who ruled in Serendib (now Sri Lanka). Whenever the cattle herds of the townsfolk became small the king would send able bodied men into the jungle to muster wild cattle. The men whipped the wild herds into submission and drove them close to the city.

At that time there lived a very poor couple outside the city of the king of Serendib. After enduring a long time in poverty the poor woman's husband died. At the time of his death, the woman was three months pregnant. About six months later the woman gave birth to a baby boy. When the boy was just a toddler, his mother died too. Having lost his mother and father, the little boy crawled out into the jungle and found himself in the midst a huge herd of cattle. The boy was adopted by a suckling cow and he began running around on all fours like the little calves in the herd.

One day the cows and bulls suddenly raised the alarm and the calves were driven in front of the herd. The little boy was with the calves. A very loud noise was heard and a huge serpent crawled out of the jungle into a clearing and disappeared into a cave in the woods on the other side. The little boy marked where this cave was.

Meanwhile in the city the king of Serendib again ordered his men to go out into the jungle to round up cattle. These people saw the boy living with the cattle. They returned to the city and with the king's command captured the boy and brought him back to the city. After a year of treatment by physicians the boy was able to walk upright. The king then ordered the boy to be taught the language of human beings. After he was able to speak he was brought before the king.

The king asked the boy if he had parents and the boy replied, "Sir, you brought me here when I was living with my parents". The king then asked him of the most extra-ordinary wonder he had seen in the jungle. The boy then related the story of the huge serpent he saw when he was living with the cattle. Having heard this the king remarked that the the boy was like a flower in the jungle. This was why people started calling the boy Koimala, which meant "Flower Lad".

The king of Serendib comanded Koimala to show him the cave he saw in the jungle. Koimala led the king and a huge retinue of people to the cave. There was no one among the king's men who dared enter the cave because they had heard that Koimala had seen a huge serpent enter it. Koimala then suggested that a fire be lit at the entrance of the cave in order to smoke the serpent out. The serpent did not emerge and no one was willing to enter the cave. Koimala then entered it and returned to tell the king that the bottom of the cave was full of sand. Koimala brought back a sample of what he called sand. The king and his men were dumbfounded with what they saw because what Koimala called sand was all manner of gems. When the king's men saw this there was no one left who did not volunteer to go down the cave.

Maldive image of the Buddha in a buried temple excavated on Thoddu island in Ari Atoll. Such finds of pre-Islamic relics are systematically vandalised and destroyed. Ordinary people are not encouraged to find out that Maldivians could ever worship a deity other than Allah. Among the artifacts excavated from the same temple included a Roman republican coin that went out of circulation circa AD 100.

The king ordered the treasure to be carried back to the city. This work went on for days and eventually had to be stopped because there was no more storage left to store the treasure.

The king then summoned the learned men and the nobles of the city and asked them if the treasure from the cave belonged to him. They replied that the treasure belonged to Koimala, the Flower Lad of the Forest. The king then asked the nobles and wise men how this treasure could become the property of the king. They replied that if there was no one to inherit it then it would become the property of the state and some of them suggested that Koimala be put to death. Others suggested that if the king's daughter were given to Koimala in marriage then the property would pass on to the king.

The king's daughter was then married to Koimala, but Koimala was not allowed to meet his new bride. She was kept in a palace far away from an estate where Koimala was made to live. The king sent for the wisemen and nobles again for a ruling on the ownership of the treasure. They advised him that the nature of the domestic arrangement of Koimala and his new bride meant that the king was still not legally the owner of the treasure.

The king then brought Koimala and asked him how the king could claim ownership of the treasures. Koimala suggested that two huge ships be built and loaded with treasures and manned with a crew of slaves. If the king permitted his daughter to sail from the country, the remainder of the treasure would be his, Koimala suggested.

The king of Serendib agreed with Koimala's terms and let his daughter and Koimala sail into exile.

They sighted two tiny islands and came ashore on one of them. Koimala and his entourage put up tents and settled down on that island. Koimala ordered his slaves to settle on the other island. The Flower Lad of the Forest Koimala then named his island Rasgetheem which meant King's Town and the other island Alhugetheem, which meant Slave Town. Alhugetheem is now pronounced Agolhitheem.

When Koimala settled on Rasgetheem there were still a few indigenous people on the neighbouring islands. Koimala invited them all to Rasgetheem for a feast and killed them. After that Koimala became the Lord of these islands.

Lord Koimala put the slaves from Agolhitheem to work on building a bath on his island. While the lord watched the men dig the bath, he saw seven birds fly towards Rasgetheem. The birds called out as they came overhead and turned back and flew off in the direction from which they came. Koimala ordered the slaves to stop work immediately and return to Agolhitheem.

A long time later the slaves were brought back to dig the same bath. As they dug, five birds came overhead like the last time, called out and flew off to were they came.

As before the slaves were ordered to stop work and return. Several days later they were brought back again to dig the bath. This time it was just one bird that came and flew off only to return a second time to call out and fly away in the direction it came.

Koimala ordered the slaves to launch the lifeboat of the main ship. When the boat was ready, Koimala, his wife, the nobles and slaves sailed in the lifeboat and travelled in the direction the bird flew. The bird led the way ahead and the lifeboat followed. Several days and nights later the bird landed on an island in Malé Atoll which was promptly named Doonidu, which meant Bird Island.

As the boat moored off Doonidu the bird flew off and landed on a desert island called Malé. Koimala ordered his crew to sail to Malé where they found a group of rough fisherman in makeshift huts. These fishermen spoke the language of the Fureytha demons.

Koimala asked the fishermen for permission to settle in Malé and they said that Malé was not worth living on. They also said that there were other islands that were better suited for living. Koimala was not interested in settling on any other island and the amused fishermen willingly consented for this group of odd foreigners to settle on their desert island.

Koimala then sent the slaves back to Rasgetheem to bring the two ships to Malé. A missive was then sent to Koimala's father-in-law the king of Serendib asking him to send the material and people necessary to establish a new kingdom. The king of Serendib sent a group of people of the Lion race who wore very little clothing only around their loins.

Koimala worshipped idols as did the people of Serendib. Soon many buildings were constructed in Malé including two colossal idol temples. The entrance to the town of Malé was flanked by two towering idols.

When the new capital was built, Koimala was proclaimed king over all of the Maldives.