History of Chittagong
The history of Chittagong , the second largest city in Bangladesh , is shaped by its location as a port city on the Bay of Bengal and in the border area between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia . As an important trading center, it changed hands several times, which is reflected in the population. The local dialect has loanwords from Arabic, Persian, English and Portuguese. Even if the Islam , as everywhere in Bangladesh, here is the most widespread religion, the proportion of religious minorities is Hindus (13.76%) and Theravada - Buddhists (2.01%) higher in Chittagong.
From the early days to the Middle Ages
In Sitakunda , about 35 kilometers to the north, tools from the period between 5000 and 3000 BC were found in 1886. BC, so that one assumes a settlement of the region around Chittagong already in the Neolithic . Hand axes and chisels indicate relationships with the production facilities in West Bengal and Bihar . A city with a port can be traced back to the 4th century BC. Trace back to BC. Malay sources report on the journey of the navigator Buddha Gupta from Chittagong to Malaya . The port of Chittagong also appears in the Periplus Maris Erythraei from the 1st century AD and in descriptions by Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century AD). Ancient Greek - Roman sources call the city " Pentapolis ". With Arabs and Persians it was called "Samandar" and "Sudkawan" from the 9th to 14th centuries, "Shatijam" or "Che-ti-chiang" from the 14th to the first half of the 16th century. Other ancient names and spellings were Chatigan, Chatigam, and Chittigon. There are other reports from the Chinese Xuanzang (7th century) and Ma Haen (1405) and Ibn Battūta (14th century). For Arab traders, Chittagong was, next to Dbol (near Karachi ) and Calicut, the third port on the Indian subcontinent, which they were the only one to visit until the 8th century. In 1154, al-Idrisi reported a flourishing trade route between Basra and Chittagong. In 1405 the Chinese admiral Zheng He and his fleet anchored in Chittagong.
Bengali and Pashtun rule
The region initially belonged to the Bengali empires of Samatata and Harikela ; the Varman , Chandra, and Deva dynasties ruled the area.
In 1340, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah , Sultan of Sonargaon Chittagong, located in what is now the center of Bangladesh, conquered and made the city the sea trade center of his Bengali empire by connecting it to the road to West Bengal and the great trade route of northern India . Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah , the first independent sultan of Bengal, killed Ezhatiar Uddin Gazi Shah , the son of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah and subjugated Sonargaon in 1352/53. Chittagong became the main port of Bengal. Raja Ganesha and his descendants interrupted the rule of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty in 1414 until they regained power in Bengal in 1435 with Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah . The Habshi dynasty followed from 1487 to 1494 and finally the Hussain Shahi dynasty from 1494 to 1538 .
In 1517 the Portuguese reached Chittagong for the first time, which they called Porto Grande de Bengala ( German Great Port of Bengal ). Chittagong also appears in the Portuguese national epic , the Lusiaden . The first contact there between the Portuguese and Bengali was already not very friendly. Portugal's envoy, João da Silveira, had been treated rather rudely by the Bengali vizier , which he remembered as he traveled on to Mrauk U , the capital of Arakans . The reception of King Min Yaza , who was still tributary from Bengal, was clearly more interested. The Arakanese recognized the Portuguese as an opportunity to return to old strength. Despite gifts, Silveira mistrusted the Arakanese after the bad experience in Chittagong, which is why Portugal was initially hostile to Arakan. In the years that followed, there were repeated Portuguese attacks on Arakan in retaliation for raids by Arakanese pirates. However, the Portuguese were misinformation, as the pirates were mostly Pashtuns . In addition, Portuguese privateers attacked the Arakanese coast again and again without an official mandate.
Arakan's king, King Min Bin (1531–1554) succeeded in strengthening his empire again. He used the internal struggles in the Bengali Empire to take Chittagong and Ramu in 1531 . Then the Arakanese marched on Dhaka and forced negotiations. Min Bin moved into the Bengali capital Gaur as a successful conqueror. He made a Bengali princess his queen, for which he renounced Chittagong in favor of the Bengali. Despite Silveira's unsuccessful negotiations, the port city was of great importance. Since 1517 the Portuguese have sent merchant ships to Chittagong every year.
1533, the Portuguese sent Governor in Goa Nuno da Cunha 200 men and five ships under the command of Martin Afonso de Mello Jusarte a Chittagong to get permission for the construction Faktorei to ask. A delegation paid their respects to the Sultan of Bengal in Gaur and brought precious gifts. But Sultan Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah had the emissaries and in Chittagong also Jusarte arrested with 30 men. The Portuguese now supported the Sultan in his fight against the Pashtuns . That brought them back their freedom and permission to build a fortress. Shortly afterwards, misunderstandings led to the Portuguese being arrested again. The governor of Goa then dispatched António de Silva Meneses with nine ships and 350 men in 1534 to clarify the situation in Chittagong. Since his messenger Jorge Alcocorado took longer than expected, Meneses burned Chittagong and other Bengali coastal towns in the meantime. He also attacked Arakan, although the empire had nothing to do with the capture of Jusarte. The Portuguese still believed that Arakan was a weak small state that could not be trusted. The Portuguese sent a fleet up the river to Mrauk U to conquer it, but were defeated by the Arakanese by a clever defensive strategy. At night they had drifted a fleet of bamboo rafts with soldiers' mannequins and explosive devices towards the Portuguese ships. When they opened fire on the alleged attackers, thousands of fireworks were lit, so that several Portuguese ships caught fire. The Portuguese withdrew.
Portugal now controlled the entire maritime trade between Orissa and Chittagong. Practically all Bengali traders had been ousted by forcing every merchant ship to acquire a permit if it was not to be sunk at sea. Because the Bengali wanted to maintain their ports as the only sources of supply for their trade goods and the previous Bengali control of sea trade in the region disadvantaged Arakan exports. Portugal wanted competition among suppliers of goods in order to lower prices and more outlets for their own goods. This suited Arakan, which is why Min Bin was looking for a friendly relationship with the Portuguese. With Portuguese help, Mrauk U was developed into the best fortified city on the Bay of Bengal. In 1536/37 the Portuguese were allowed to take over the customs house in Chittagong and to set up a trading post. The Jesuits built two churches and a mission in Chittagong.
The Pashtun ruler Sher Shah Suri (Sher Khan) succeeded in conquering Gaur in 1538, crowning himself sultan there and thus establishing the Surid dynasty, which had its center of power in Delhi . His governor in Bengal Khidr Khan had to depose Sher Shah Suri in 1541 with a second campaign against Gaur after he had tried to make himself independent. Qazi Fazilat (1541–1545) became the new governor .
Belonging to Arakan
From 1544, the Burmese king Tabinshwehti attacked Arakan. The attack could be repulsed, but the soldiers were missing to counterattack. At the same time, Tippera tribes began raiding Chittagong and Ramu. The Surides were unable to defend themselves because of the internal difficulties. Instead, Arakan managed to drive the Raja of Tippera out of Ramu and to conquer Chittagong again. The second Burmese attack on Arakan followed in 1545, this time being answered with a counter-invasion. During the last Burmese invasion attempt in 1546, Portuguese mercenaries helped defend themselves. Chittagong likely saw several more conquests in the 1550s, but ultimately remained under the rule of Arakan.
The Pashtun governor in Gaur Muhammad Khan Sur (1545–1555) took advantage of the weakness of the Surids in 1554 and declared Bengal to be independent again. His dynasty was to produce three rulers: Khizr Khan Suri (1555–1561), Ghiyasuddin Jalal Shah (1561–1563) and Ghiyasuddin Shah III. (1563-1564). In 1564 the Karrani dynasty took power. The Pashtun rule in Bengal ended with the death of the last ruler Daud Khan Karrani (1572–1576) and the conquest by the Mughal empire , which now became Chittagong's new neighbor. A threat to the East Bengal areas of Arakans, because Mughal Mughal Akbar saw all of Bengal as his province.
Arakan's king Min Sekkya (Min Setya, 1564–1572) used independent Portuguese traders to protect his border. The first Portuguese settlement founded by Min Sekya was Dianga (today Bunder or Feringhi Bunder), on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River , across from Chittagong. A risk, because the Portuguese in Chittagong and the offshore island Sandwip (Sundiva) were partly hostile to Arakan after the Arakanese conquest of the city. In 1569, Min Sekya sent a negotiator to strengthen friendship with the Portuguese. The situation for the Arakanese king improved after his governor Nusrat Khan, who had repeatedly caused difficulties for Min Sekkya, was killed in battle by the Portuguese. Min Sekkya agrees with the Portuguese in return for trade concessions to protect the border with the Mughal empire. The Portuguese in Dianga also earned money with slaves, which they captured during raids on the Bengali coast and sold to the king of Arakan. But Min Sekkya was aware that the Portuguese could not be fully trusted, which is why he appointed a loyal relative as the new governor of Chittagong with the special task of keeping an eye on the Portuguese. a contingent of Arakanese soldiers was always stationed in Chittagong for security and was replaced annually.
Arakan benefited from Chittagong as a trading center. Imports and exports of fish, salt and fruit were taxed. The king had the monopoly on teak and ores. There were also fees for building irrigation, bridges and temples.
In 1581 another Burmese invasion of Arakans failed. In 1585 Amar Manikya , king of Tippera, attempted an attack on the empire. His son Rajdharnarayan led a large force, which was also supported by some Portuguese traders. Chittagong was captured, as were several military posts on the way to Ramu. However, the Portuguese finally saw better earning opportunities at Arakan and handed over the Tippera camps to the Arakanese. The invaders fled back to Chittagong, where they were mercilessly destroyed by the Arakanese. The Portuguese traders helped Arakan recapture the city.
In 1598 there were about 2500 Portuguese and Eurasians living in Arakan, but while the traders in Dianga were linked by treaties with Arakan, independent Portuguese traders created new problems. In 1590 the Portuguese rose against Arakan in Chittagong and occupied the city's fortress and the surrounding islands around Sandwip. António de Sousa Godinho, who led the uprising, forced the Sandwip to pay tribute to the Portuguese branch in Chittagong. The insurgents and Arakan soon made peace again, but Sandwip remained in an unclear position. In some places there were Portuguese administrators, in others the Mughal Empire ruled. Among other things, the empire had a fort on the island. In addition, Kedar Rai , the Bengali ruler of Sripur , laid claim to the island. The Great Mughals had separated the island from his dominion. Like eleven other Bara Bhuyas in southeastern Bengal, Sripur was able to maintain its independence despite the conquest of the rest of the region by the Mughals. He had briefly captured Sandwip and was now hoping for an opportunity to take control again. King Min Razagyi (1593-1612) reached the height of Arakan's power in 1599. The Burmese Taungu dynasty was defeated and the coast of the Bay of Bengal was under the control of Arakans from the Sundarbans to the Gulf of Martaban . But the further revolts of Portuguese traders were to lead to decline.
Domingo Carvalho and Manuel de Matos occupied Sandwip in 1602 and established a base there. In 1605 the Portuguese were expelled from Sandwip and in 1607 Min Razagyi killed the 600 Portuguese in Dianga. A small group of Portuguese escaped the massacre and settled on a small island in the Ganges estuary . One of them was Sebastião Gonçalves Tibau , who later that year took back the island of Sandwip with 400 Portuguese. With a force of 1000 Portuguese, he practically acted as the independent king of the island and also conquered the islands of Dakhin Shahbazpur and Patelbanga . In 1615, Tibau set out to conquer the kingdom of Arakan and received support from the Portuguese viceroy of Goa . In October, the Portuguese fleet met those of Arakan, which were supported by ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The Portuguese lost the battle and most of the force returned to the colonial capital Goa .
Between Mughals and British
In 1616, Delwar Khan, an officer from the Mughal Empire, finally drove the Portuguese from Sandwip and ruled the island as an independent ruler for 50 years. The Portuguese who had remained in Dianga and Chittagong allied themselves again with Arakan and committed themselves to piracy. But the troops of Subedar Shaista Khan , who ruled over Bengal for the Mughal Mughal, first took Sandwip in November 1665. He was able to persuade the Portuguese in Chittagong to give up the city in January 1666 with bribes and promises of protection. The population of Portuguese origin moved on to Feringhi Bazar (south of today's Dhaka). During the reign of Mughal Mughal Aurangzeb (1658-1707) Chittagong was renamed "Islamabad" and a Faujdar was used. Under the Mughal Empire, the Chittagong was expanded as planned. Place names such as Rahamatganj , Hamzer Bagh , Ghat Farhadbegh and Askar Dighir Par are the names of governors ( Nawab ) who were appointed by the Great Mughals .
Shaista Khan later got into a dispute with the English traders in Hugli . A war broke out and the English were driven out of Hugli. They tried to conquer Chittagong and occupied the island of Hijli in the mouth of the Rasulpurs , a tributary of the Hugli River . In 1690 it was agreed in negotiations that the English would be allowed to set up a new trading post in Calcutta .
In 1760 Chittagong fell to the English. During the British period, the city initially lost more and more importance, in favor of Calcutta. Only after the partition of Bengal in 1905 and the founding of the province of East Bengal and Assam did this change again. The newly built Assam Bengal Railway now connected the port of Chittagong with its hinterland, which led to the city's strong growth.
In the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1823, the Burmese threatened Chittagong. During the Sepoy uprising in September 1857, the rebels managed to occupy the treasury for several days.
Easter 1930 saw the Chittagong uprising , one of the most important uprisings against British colonial rule, in which two barracks under the leadership of Surya Sen were stormed.
During the Second World War , Chittagong was an important military base for the Allies in the fight against the Japanese Empire . Chittagong was attacked several times by the Japanese Air Force. Natural disasters and the lack of rice deliveries from Japanese-occupied Burma led to the great famine in Bengal in 1943 with 1.5 to 4 million deaths. Chittagong was also affected.
In East Pakistan and in independent Bangladesh
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With the departure of the British, Chittagong became part of East Pakistan . The city grew rapidly with increasing industrialization and soon expanded to Patenga , where the international airport is today. The University of Chittagong was founded in 1966.
In 1971 Chittagong was the first place where the Declaration of Independence of (West) Pakistan was broadcast on radio. In the subsequent Bangladesh war, freedom fighters sank several ships in the Karnaphuli Canal, which completely blocked the port. There was great damage and numerous casualties in the city. The reconstruction succeeded in a few years, with which Chittagong regained its status as an important port city.
In December 2010 there were violent clashes between textile workers and security forces in Chittagong. Three people died and 185 other people were injured. The riots broke out because some companies did not adhere to the statutory minimum wage.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Local Government Engineering Department: About Chittagong ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on May 2, 2019.
- ↑ a b c d e The Daily Star: Past of Ctg holds hope for economy ( Memento from April 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Tathya Mantraṇālaẏa. Bahiḥ Pracāra Anubibhāga: Bangladesh towards 21st century. External Publicity Wing, Ministry of Information, Govt. of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, 1994, limited preview in Google Book search.
- ↑ Custom House Chittagong ( Memento from November 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Abdul Mannan: Chittagong - looking for a better future ( Memento from September 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Michael W. Charney: ARAKAN, MIN YAZAGYI, AND THE PORTUGUESE , June 1993 , SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research, Vol. 3, No. 2, Autumn 2005, ISSN 1479-8484 , accessed May 2, 2019.
- ↑ Shireen Hasan Osmany: Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh . Second edition. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh , 2012, Chittagong City (English, banglapedia.org ).
- ↑ Dineshchandra Sen: The Ballads of Bengal. , 1988, limited preview in Google Book search.
- ↑ Stefano Cariolato: The Treasures Ships. Ming China on the seas: history of the fleet that could conquer the world and vanished into thin air. , 2017, limited preview in Google Book Search.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Nitish Sengupta: Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin UK, 2011, limited preview in Google Book search.
- ↑ a b c d THE PORTUGUESE SETTLEMENTS IN THE BAY OF BENGAL ( Memento from November 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c Banglapedia: Chittagong City , accessed May 3, 2019.
- ↑ Times of India: Rare 1857 reports on Bengal uprisings , June 10, 2009 , accessed May 3, 2019.
- ↑ Inguva Mallikarjuna Sharma: Easter Rebellion in India: the Chittagong Uprising. Hyderabad 1993, OCLC 622641461 . (numerous sources in the appendices, including approx. 100 short biographies of freedom fighters)
- ↑ Estimates from: Encyclopedia Britannica , 1992
- ↑ Amartya Sen (1981): Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation. London: Oxford University Press. P. 203, ISBN 978-0-19-564954-3 .
- ↑ Joseph Lazzaro: Bengal Famine Of 1943 - A Man-Made Holocaust. International Business Times, February 22, 2013, accessed October 14, 2014 .
- ↑ Rakesh Krishnan Simha: Remembering India's forgotten holocaust: British policies killed nearly 4 million Indians in the 1943-44 Bengal Famine. (No longer available online.) Tehelka.com, June 13, 2014, archived from the original on April 11, 2015 ; accessed on April 5, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Banglapedia: University of Chittagong , accessed May 3, 2019.
- ↑ Deaths in workers protests in Bangladesh. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . December 12, 2010, accessed December 16, 2010 .
