13 Nov,2023
Chakmas are a Buddhist community in the Indian subcontinent with their own culture, language, and scripts.They practice shifting cultivation known as JUM, growing various crops like paddy, maize, cotton, sesame, vegetables, and spices.
Primarily located in Chittagong Hills Tracts (Bangladesh), Chin and Arakan provinces of Myanmar, and various regions in Northeastern Indian states.
Current Chakma population is around 5-6 lakhs in Bangladesh, 80,000 – 100,000 in Mizoram, 60-70 thousand in Arunachal Pradesh, 40-50 thousand in Tripura, and about 30 thousand in Assam.
Before British rule, Chakmas had an independent kingdom extending to present-day Chittagong Hills Tracts and parts of Chittagong district in Bangladesh.British interference started in 1777, leading to the reduction of Chakma Kingdom powers and boundaries.
Chakma King paid tribute to Mughals, later transferred to British after 1757.British expeditions in 1777 and 1780 were met with resistance, leading to negotiations in 1787 and an agreement to pay tribute.
British interference increased in 1861 with the establishment of an administrative office, resulting in the ceding of Chakma Kingdom lands.
During India's partition, Chakmas sought inclusion of Chittagong Hill Tracts into the Indian Union, but it was awarded to Pakistan in 1947, causing controversy.
The origin of the Chakmas is unclear, with little historical reference before the 10th century A.D.Various accounts, including BIJAG (Chakma history) and folk songs, highlight the Chakmas as Suryo Vangshi and Khattriya, descendants of the Sakyas.
Chakma's original capital was Kalapnagar, later moved to Champaknagar.They conquered new lands to the southwest, naming it Kalabagha, and later established a new kingdom, Rampudi, at Safrai Valley.
In 1333, Burmese King Minthi attacked Manijgir, the Chakma capital, leading to its downfall. After fleeing to different places, a group of Chakmas settled in Bengal in 1418, and their kingdom continued until British transformations and the award to Pakistan in 1947.