Names of Chittagong

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Detail of East and Southeast Asia in Ptolemy's world map. Gulf of the Ganges (Bay of Bengal) left, Southeast Asian peninsula in the center, South China Sea right, with "Sinae" (China). Ptolemy Asia detail.jpg
Detail of East and Southeast Asia in Ptolemy's world map. Gulf of the Ganges (Bay of Bengal) left, Southeast Asian peninsula in the center, South China Sea right, with "Sinae" (China).

The city known in English as Chittagong has undergone changes in both its official and popular names worldwide. The choice of names stems from the Chittagonian culture, language and colonisation. A reason for the city having a number of names is due to the diverse history of Chittagong. [1]

Contents

Bengali and Chittagonian names

The Bengali word for Chittagong, Chottogram (চট্টগ্রাম), has the suffix "-gram" (গ্রাম) meaning village in Standard Bengali, and the word "chotto" could be from "chati" meaning lamp. A legend dates the name to the spread of Islam, when a Muslim lit a chati (lamp) at the top of a hill in the city and called out ( Azaan ) for people to come to prayer. [2] Thus, many people continue to call the city, চাটিগ্রাম (Chatigram) or in the Chittagonian language, চাটিগাঁও (Chatigaon), গাঁও (Gaon) meaning village. Other names include চাটগাঁ (Chatga), চৈট্ট্যভূমি (Chaityabhumi) and চট্টলা (Chottola). [3] Names such as Chatagao are still used in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Chittagonian and other Bengali dialects today. The name Sitagang is also common in Eastern dialects with "gang" also meaning village.

Arabic names

Arab traders saw well-developed currency, banking and shipping in Chittagong during the 9th century. Early cosmopolitan Muslims established dominance over the port as an entrepot of maritime trade. [4] Geographically, the Ganges Delta is located in Bengal. The Arabic word Shaṭṭ (شط) meaning delta, could also be an etymology of Chittagong, the Ganges delta, Shaṭṭ Al-Ghānj (شط الغانج). [5] [6] [7] The Moroccan traveller, Ibn Battuta referred to the Port of Chittagong as Sadkāwān (سدكاوان). [8] [9] However, currently the Arabic word for Chittagong is Jātjām (جاتجام) which is derived from Chātgām (چاتگام), the Persian name of the city.

Burmese names

Chittagong was an important port city in the Kingdom of Mrauk U, after Arakan's independence from the Bengal Sultanate. The Burmese tradition of the city's etymology, is that an Arakanese king, invading in the 9th century, gave the city the name Tsit-ta-gung (စစ်တကောင်း; to make war is improper). [5]

Portuguese and Dutch names

Early Dutch map of Bengal Bengale Tire de "Oud en nieuw Oost-Indien" par Francois Valentyn (1724-26).jpg
Early Dutch map of Bengal

The Portuguese referred to the port city as Porto Grande de Bengala, which meant "the Grand Harbor of Bengal". The term was often simplified as Porto Grande. [10] Other names include Xatigan [11] from the Dutch, Xetigam, and Chatigão from an early Bengali name.[ citation needed ]

Historical names and nicknames

Dutch ships visiting Chittagong during the Mughal period in 1702 Dutch VOC ships in Chittagong or Arakan.jpg
Dutch ships visiting Chittagong during the Mughal period in 1702

The Mughal conquest of Chittagong re-established Bengali control and ushered an era of stability and trade. The city was renamed as Islamabad (City of Islam) and continues to be used in the old city. [12] [13]

According to Roman historian Pliny the Elder, the Port of Chittagong is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as গঙ্গাবাজার (Gongabazaar) meaning "the Market of the Ganges". The location described is most likely located in Sitakunda, Sitakunda Upazila. [14] [ better source needed ]

In ancient Tibetan texts, the city was known as জ্বালনধারা (Jaalondhaara), and in Arab geographical texts as সামন্দর (Samandar). [14] [15] [ better source needed ]

The city is known in Bangladesh as বাংলাদেশের প্রবেশদ্বার / Bangladesher Probeshdaar (Bangladesh's Gateway) as well as বাংলাদেশের বাণিজ্যিক রাজধানী / Bangladesher Banijjik Rajdhani (Bangladesh's Commercial Capital). [16]

See also

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The city of Chattogram (Chittagong) is traditionally centred around its seaport which has existed since the 4th century BCE. One of the world's oldest ports with a functional natural harbor for centuries, Chittagong appeared on ancient Greek and Roman maps, including on Ptolemy's world map. Chittagong port is the oldest and largest natural seaport and the busiest port of Bay of Bengal. It was located on the southern branch of the Silk Road. The city was home to the ancient independent Buddhist kingdoms of Bengal like Samatata and Harikela. It later fell under of the rule of the Gupta Empire, the Gauda Kingdom, the Pala Empire, the Sena Dynasty, the Deva Dynasty and the Arakanese kingdom of Waithali. Arab Muslims traded with the port from as early as the 9th century. Historian Lama Taranath is of the view that the Buddhist king Gopichandra had his capital at Chittagong in the 10th century. According to Tibetan tradition, this century marked the birth of Tantric Buddhism in the region. The region has been explored by numerous historic travellers, most notably Ibn Battuta of Morocco who visited in the 14th century. During this time, the region was conquered and incorporated into the independent Sonargaon Sultanate by Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah in 1340 AD. Sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah constructed a highway from Chittagong to Chandpur and ordered the construction of many lavish mosques and tombs. After the defeat of the Sultan of Bengal Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah in the hands of Sher Shah Suri in 1538, the Arakanese Kingdom of Mrauk U managed to regain Chittagong. From this time onward, until its conquest by the Mughal Empire, the region was under the control of the Portuguese and the Magh pirates for 128 years.

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