Research Projects

The Lakshadweep islands, located 400km from Kerala and Karnataka, consist of 36 islands with a population of around 70,000. A previous research project using uni-parental Y chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA markers found contrasting results, with a maternal link to South and/or North West parts of India and a paternal link to North or North East India and West Eurasia. However, no definite link has been established for genetic affinity between the mainland and the Lakshadweep populations, leading to the outflow of specific haplogroups into the distinct islands. Further analysis is needed to determine the founders of Lakshadweep populations and address other unresolved questions, such as the sources of genetic components found among present-day islanders and their admixing to contribute to the gene pool. The obscure written history and rigid population structure of Lakshadweep draw interest, and genome-wide data from these populations would be desirable to re-evaluate their ancestral component. Autosomal data is essential for reconciling and resolving results from mtDNA and y-chromosome markers for a deeper understanding of the population structure and early peopling of Lakshadweep.