Kyaikkhami

Kyaikkhami ( Mon: ကျာ်ခမဳ; Burmese: ကျိုက္ခမီမြို့; MLCTS: kyuikhka.mi mrui.; pronounced [tɕaiʔkʰəmì mjo̰]; Thai: เชียงกราน, formerly Amherst) is a resort town within Thanbyuzayat township in the Mon State of south-east Myanmar.

Kyaikkhami ကျိုက္ခမီမြို့
Town
Kyaikkhami Location in Burma
Coordinates: 16°04′48″N 97°34′03″E
Country	Myanmar
Division	Mon State
Population  (2005)
• Religions	Buddhism
Time zone	UTC+6.30 (MST)

The town is situated on a peninsula about 48 km (30 mi) south of Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State. It is a popular destination for local pilgrims and some tourists. The town has a pagoda (Kyaikkami Yele Pagoda or Kyaik-kami Ye Le Paya) just constructed on the sea using the natural foundation of its ocean reefs, which is connected with the corridor to the beach and always attracts the people for the festival of donations over the sea tides during.

History

It was originally a settlement of the Mon people. During the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (an ancient kingdom in Thailand), the town was probably a vassal state of Ayutthaya and it was known in Thai as Chiang Kran (เชียงกราน) or Chiang Tran (เชียงตราน). Kaikkhami was under the possession of Burmese kings before the First Anglo-Burmese war.[1]

Modern Kyaikkhami was founded by the British during the annexation of Tenasserim and Arakan states after the First Anglo-Burmese War.[2] The town was a fishing village of the Mon but it used to be a certain headquarters for British commanding officers for their southern-Burma control. It was renamed Amherst after William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, then governor-general of India who successfully seized the town during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826).

Kyaikkhami (Amherst) briefly became the capital of Amherst district and the seat of British government that governs Tenasserim coast for a short period. Later, the British moved its seat of government to Moulmein (now Mawlamyine). Because of this, many British officers and their Burmese wives and families lived in the area, with a large presence of Anglo-Burmese people, as time progressed.

In the early 19th century, Ann Hasseltine Judson, one of the first female American foreign missionaries lived in Amherst and died here on 24 October 1826 from smallpox. She was credited for the very first translation of Protestant scriptures into Thai and introducing the Protestantism in Thailand. Not only was her husband the first person to compile a Burmese-English dictionary, Ann Hasseltine Judson was also regarded as the mother of missionary schools in Myanmar that became the root of modern education in Myanmar.[3] Her grave is still visible in the town.

Majority of people living in Kyaikkhami are Buddhist Mon people. A Thai community also still exists in the town.[4] Though the town was once the principal town of Amherst district, now it is a resort town within the Thanbyuzayat township.

It got a record rainfall of 75 mm (2.95") on 14 January 2012. It was the highest amount of rainfall within 24 hours of January in the last 30 years.[5]

Business and Economy of Kyaikkami

Tourism

Kyaikkami Yele pagoda is one of the most well-known and famous pagoda in mon state of myanmar. Kyaikkami is also actively promoting itself as an pradise to increase tourism. And it has great tourism potential. In order to attract tourists,Kyaikkami should has to improve its roads, built international standard hotels, and other facilities.

Rubber production

Kyaikkhami has experienced a rapid growth in production of natural rubber over the past decade. Rubber has been cultivated in Kyaikkhami since the early 1900s.

Fishing

Kyaikkhami is blessed with some of Myanmar 's most bountiful fishing grounds. In Kyaikkhami, there are several types of fisheries, including coastal or inshore fisheries, and offshore or deep-sea fisheries. A majority of these fish are harvested by commercial means, which includes the use of trawling nets, purse seins, drift net and gill net. A minority still use traditional techniques, such as hook-an-line, cast net, bag net, trammel gill net and traps. The export value of fish and fish products has grown in recent years such as dried prawn and dried fish, raw prawn fish, fish sauce and fish cracker.

Others

Farmers in Kyaikkhami raise rice production, livestock for both food and labour purposes. But these agricultural sectors are minor for condition of Kyaikkhami's economy.

Kyaikkhami also produces waterproff adhesive glue and adhesive powder for wooden and metal boats and ships.(e.g.-Hinthar's brand special waterproof adhesives )

People from Kyaikkhami

• Nyan Win

See also

• Thanbyuzayat
• Three Pagoda Pass

Gallery

• 
  Kyaikkami Yele Pagoda constructed out at sea
• 
  Entrance to Kyaikkami
• 
  Town center and monument
• 
  A colonial-era building
• 
  Kayikkhami Yele Pagoda on a sunny day
• 
  Buddha images inside the Kyaikkhami Yele Pagoda
• 
  Ann Hasseltine Judson (1789–1826)
• 
  The grave of Ann Hasseltine Judson in Kyaikkhami (1913)
• 
  Drifting of Shin Upagutta Raft in Thadingyut festival
• 
  Shin Upagutta drift
• 
  Lord Amherst (1773– 1857)

References

1. Fine Arts Department of Thailand (1999). ประชุมพงศาวดารฉบับกาญจนาภิเษก เล่ม 1 [Golden Jubilee Collection of Chronicles, Volume 1] (in Thai). Bangkok: Fine Arts Department of Thailand. p. 220. ISBN 9744192151.
2. Encyclopædia Britannica
3. "Mother of missionary schools: Ann Hasseltine Judson". The Myanmar Times. 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
4. "Mon State | myanmarorphans.org". myanmarorphans.org. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
5. http://www.mrtv3.net.mm/newpaper/151newsn.pdf%5B%5D Page 1 Column 4