A very little information is available about the early history of Lakshadweep. It is generally believed that the first settlement on these islands was made by Cheraman Perumal, the last king of Kerala, who reached here owing to a shipwreck. However the historical record shows that, around the 7th century, a Muslim saint who was shipwrecked on the island of Amini converted the inhabitants here to Islam, despite initial opposition.

Although the sovereignty remained in the hands of the Hindu Raja of Chirakkal, it eventually passed to the Ali Raja of Cannanore (Kannur) in the 16th century, the only Muslim royal family of Kerala, and later, in 1783 to Tipu Sultan. Following the defeat of Tipu Sultan by the British, at Srirangapattanam in 1799, the islands were annexed by the East India Company. It remained with the British until Independence, when it was made a Union territory of the Indian Union on 1st November, 1956. The UT is administered by an Administrator (an IAS officer) appointed by the President of India.