Kyaikkami

Kyaikkami
ကျိုက်ခမီမြို့
Town
Kyaikkami

Location in Burma

Coordinates: 16°04′48″N 97°34′03″E / 16.08000°N 97.56750°ECoordinates: 16°04′48″N 97°34′03″E / 16.08000°N 97.56750°E
Country  Burma
Division Mon State
Population (2005)
 • Religions Buddhism
Time zone MST (UTC+6.30)

Kyaikkami (Burmese: ကျိုက်ခမီမြို့; MLCTS: kyuikhka.mi mrui.; pronounced [tɕaiʔkʰəmì mjo̰]; Mon: ကျာ်ခမဳ) is a resort town in the Mon State of south-east Myanmar.

During Ayutthaya Kingdom (an ancient city state in Thailand), the town was a vassal state of Ayutthaya and was known in Thai as Chiang Krai (เชียงไกร) or Chiang Kran (เชียงกราน). It was renamed to 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).[1]

The town is situated on a peninsula about 48 km (30 mi) south of the town of Mawlamyine. 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.

It got a record rainfall of 75mm (2.95") on 14th Jan 2012. It was the highest amount of rainfall within 24 hours of January in the last 30 years.[2]

History

It was originally a settlement of the Mon people, but modern Kyaikkami was founded by the British during the annexation of Tenasserim and Arakan states after the First Anglo-Burmese War.[3] 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. Because of this, many British officers and their Burmese wives and families lived in the area, with a large presence of Anglo-Burmese, as time progressed.

Gallery

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. ↑ http://www.mrtv3.net.mm/newpaper/151newsn.pdf Page 1 Column 4
  3. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica