Unesco’s St Kilda heritage site is situated off the coast of Hebrides on the west coast of Scotland, and comprises the islands of Hirta, Dun, Soay, and Boreray.
The difficulty in accessing the remote archipelago where past human activities almost entirely centred upon Hirta, makes a loud voice on ancient migrants’ past identity through the abandoned houses, cleits and other remains across the archipelago.
According to Unesco, ‘Recent research indicates that the archipelago has been occupied on and off for over 4000 years…The time depth, preservation and completeness of the physical remains, provides a tangible and powerful link to the islands’ past history, its people and their way of life, a distinctive existence, shaped by the St Kildan’s response to the peculiar physical and geographic setting of the islands…..St Kilda is one of the major sites in the North Atlantic and Europe for seabirds with over 1,000,000 birds using the island. It is particularly important for gannets, puffins and fulmars. The feral Soay sheep are also an interesting rare breed of potential genetic resource significance….’.
St Kilda is known to Scottish Gaelic as Hiort; it is situated 40 miles west-north-west of North Uist, in the North Atlantic Ocean. It contains the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides. Hirta is the largest island. The islands are administratively under the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar local authority.
St Kilda—It means Kaludayi, the childhood friend of the Buddha who was born on the same day the Buddha was born; Buddha’s father Sudhodana sent Kaludayi to bring back the Buddha to Kapilavastu. It may mean Kadru, wife of Sage Kashyapa. But the name suggests that she belonged to the House of Kardam who is as same as Cadmus of the Greek.
Hebrides—or Hebri-des; it marks the settlement of the Hebrew people or the people of Hari-varsha of Indian puranas.
Hirta—It means ‘Herat’ or the seat of worship of Goddess Hera;
Dun—It marks the settlement of Dan or Danu people;…. Dùn does not mean “fort”, that it had been built in the far-distant past by the Fir-Bolg means Bir- Bagha. Bir means ‘brave’ and Bagha refers to the Bagha-munda dynasty; Bagha is as same as Phrygia.
The only “habitation” is Sean Taigh (old house), a natural cavern sometimes used as a shelter by the St Kildans when they were tending the sheep or catching birds. Sean ‘s root is in Senani, a group of shepherd people of ancient Magadha; it may refer to San, the sacred place in Sinai region; Taigh similarly refers to ancient ‘Tai’ or Triveni, the meeting place of Three Rivers’;
Soay—It means ancient ‘Sahya country’;….. Soay has a primitive hut known as Taigh Dugan (Dugan’s house). Dugan seems to mean either goddsss Durga or Durga means ‘fort’;
Boreray—-It means ‘Varahi’ deity; it marks the people of Bhur country;….. Boreray boasts the Cleitean MacPhàidein, a “cleit village” of three small bothies used regularly during fowling expeditions. Here too are the ruins of Taigh Stallar (the steward’s house), which was similar to the Amazon’s house in Gleann Mòr, but had more spaces. The local tradition said it was built by the “Man of the Rocks”, Cleitean’s root is either in ‘chaitya’ or in ‘kutira’ means ‘small house’ ; Mac means ‘Makka’ which means ‘moksha’ or salvation; Phaidein refers to the Vardhana country from where the dwellers of Boreray migrated. Vardhan were people of White Lotus region, and they were followers of Zion. Bothis means ‘Vasta’ or settlements’. It has different meanings which are identical with vati, bathua, pothia, Bhatia, bhatta, Bhutias, and Bharta.
Stae an Armin—-It seems to mean ‘stai’ means ‘permanent’; or it may mean ‘stri’ or ‘wife’; Armin means ‘Ramanaka’ people or ramani means ‘women’;
Stac Lee—It means ‘Loi’ or women of Loi country or Rai country.
Uist—-It means ‘Asta’ or “Eight’ country people’s settlement; it may mean ‘Asta’ or ‘Country of ‘Sun-Set-region’ that marks Temple of Sun Set;
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar—-Comhairle means ‘kumhara’ , the earthen pot makers; it may mean ‘kamara’, the iron pot maker; nan means ‘nana’, th priest; Comhairle nan refers to a sorcer from Kama region; Eilean Siar refers to deity Alan at Sri;
Scholars find meaning of Kilda attached to a Norse word, sunt kelda, meaning ‘sweet water’; some others do not see this as name of a saint. Whereas some other scholars think that the spring Tobar Childa refers to the name of a monk.
Sunt—-It means ‘santha’ , a pious man or a godly man; aman who leads a detached life.
Tobar—It refers to Mt Tob or Tab, the Heaven at See;
Childa—It means ‘Chola’ desha or Chila country which means the country of the Phoenix Bird.
Culdees—Chula-country or the Chaldeans
Hilta—-or harta means ‘ the protector’;
Skildar—-The Skythian or the Skanda people or the sardar (means ‘leader’) of the Skanda people;
Haskeir—-The root is in ‘Asclepius’ or the medicine people;
Mullach Sgar—Mallich-ghara means ‘House of Mallich’; the latter was sometimes refer to a port manager;
Village Bay cleitean—It means ‘Baya’ of the Village or a Sage of the Village;
The Isle of Irte(insula de Irte)—-
A medieval village lay near Tobar Childa—
Conachair—-the beacon;
Bull’s House—
Black Houses—
Lady Grange’s House—
Behive Buildings—
Edinburg—
Monarch Isle—
ccleit—
Kirk—-
Manse—
Factor House—
Skye Cullin—
Flannan Isles—
North Rona—
Sula Sgeir—
Bishop’s Isles—
Harris—-
Inverness-shire—-
Mingulay or Miughalaigh is the second largest of the Bishop’s Isles in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Barra is close to it in the south; Skipsdale is a tiny cove and the only settlement of note is called ‘The Village(Biraja); Bagh na h-Aioneig on the western side is a deep cleft in the sae-cliffs at Builacraig. Mingulay has three large sea stacks: Arnamul, Lianamul, and Gunamul. Several outlaying islets including the twin rocks of Sron a Duin to the south-west, Geirum Mor and Geirum Beag to the south between Mingulay and Berneray, and Solon Mor, Solon Beag, Sgeirean nan Uibhein, Barnacle Rock and a smaller stack called The Red Bay, all to the north between Mingulay and Pabbay.
Mingulay or Miughalaigh —
Bishop’s Isles—
Barra—
Skipsdale—
The Village—Biraja
Bagh na h-Aioneig—
Builacraig—
Arnamul—
Lianamul—
Gunamul—
Sron a Duin—
Geirum Mor—
Geirum Beag—
Berneray—
Solon Mor—
Solon Beag—
Sgeirean nan Uibhein—
Barnacle Rock—
The Red Bay—
Pabbay—
Mingulay’s root is in Mangala, name of a palace where Asoka built after his conversion to Buddhism. It was then situated on the Setu bandha itself. Mongolia is identical with Mangulay; it also refers to deity Mangala that identifies the deity with Maa Dindima or Mother Dindima.
Scholars took it as being derived from the Old Norse word Mikil-ay, meaning ‘Big Island’; the names Miughalaigh and Miughlaigh is identical with Mughala or Moghal who identified themselves as a ruling class in 15th c A.D. They were followers of Moggallana or they me taken as descendant of Moggallana, the foremost disciple of the Buddha. The name Mewla refers to Mt Malaya or Malaba country, and it may mean Malla Country from which the name Mull has been derived. But Miuley is not Mewla; it means Mulla-garh, a historic place and an ancient kingdom near ancient Kapilavastu and Troy on the bank of the river Styx. Megaly pinpoints settlement of ancient Meghas who were a priest class people and were descendants of Sage Mogha, the Bodhisattva Indra, or the King of Heaven, or the Thunder God of Heaven.
Carnan Hill—
Macphee’s Hill—
Barra—
Clan McNeil of Barra—
Dun Mingulay—
Crois an t-Suidheachain—
Aneir—
Midden—
Skipisdale—
Garmoran—
MacRory—
Kingdom of Isles—-
Clan Ranald—
Siol Gorrie—-
Siol Murdoch—-
Ross-shir—
Cromarty—
Cape Wrath—
Burt of Lewis—
Sula Sgeir—-
Faroe Islands—
Root of Rona is in Rohana, name of a country whose people’s were known as Rana or Rona; it does not mean hraun-ay which marks Hiranya-khanda or the Country of Hiranya or Gold; it identifies Mt Hor; –ay refers to Ai and Ayira clan; the Old Norse meaning for hraun-ay as ‘rough island’, and ron for ‘seal’, and oy for ‘island’ shows ancient migrants’ geographical relationship with their homeland prior to the Great Flood.
Meaning of ‘North’ is confused; it identifies the ancient ‘Kapila’ or the Greek people’s settlements; the region from Rona to Skye marks the ancient people from Kapila; Rohan or Rona is also a title. Tabha refers to a sacred bathing ghat; it may mean the sacred meeting of three rivers in Kapila.
Metaphoric reference to ‘Island at the edge of the world’ in literary works of modern writers does not mean ancient Rome. This term also means ‘west’, and like the term ‘end of the world’ in other ancient works like the Bible.
The uninhabited island of Scarp in Outer Hebrides where all the men of the island would gather in the morning time to take up a decision for the ‘day’ means ‘sabha’ or ‘sarba’ or ‘assembly in the interest of people’.
© All rights reserved, 2022, Akhil Kumar Sahoo. Design : Maskin Coder India