Sandwip

Sandwip (Bengali: সন্দ্বীপ, romanized: Shondip) is an island along the southeastern coast of Bangladesh in the Chittagong District. It is part of the Sandwip Upazila. A number of its residents have migrated to B-Block/Ward 26 in Halishahar where they form a small diaspora community, as well as the United States.

Sandwip
Native name:
সন্দ্বীপ
Satellite view of Sandwip
Sandwip
Geography
LocationBay of Bengal
Coordinates22°29′N 91°29′E
Adjacent bodies of waterBay of Bengal
Total islands3
Major islands1
Area762.42 km2 (294.37 sq mi)
Length50 km (31 mi)
Width5–15 km (3.1–9.3 mi)
Administration
DistrictChittagong District
Demographics
DemonymSandwipi
Population450,000[1] (2016)
Pop. density439/km2 (1137/sq mi)

Description
Small ship building yard at the coastal area.

It is at the estuary of the Meghna River on the Bay of Bengal and separated from the Chittagong coast by Sandwip Channel. It has a population of nearly 350,000. There are fifteen wards, 62 mahallas and 34 villages on Sandwip Island. The island is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and 5–15 kilometres (3.1–9.3 mi) wide. It is at the north-east side of the Bay of Bengal, near the main port city of Chittagong. It is bounded by Companiganj on the north, Bay of Bengal on the south, Sitakunda and Mirsharai, and Sandwip Channel on the east, Noakhali Sadar, Hatiya and Meghna estuary on the west.[2]

Etymology

There are several theories to the origin of the name Sandwip (pronounced Shondip) among the locals. Some say that 12 awlia from Baghdad travelling to Chittagong discovered this island in the middle of the ocean and found no people, so they defined it as "Shunno Dip" and which eventually became "Shondip". And another group argues that "Sandwip" is named after Bakhorganj historian Mr. Beverage's "Shom Dip".[1] Some scholars have suggested that Portuguese people called it "Sandheep" (Hasan, 1999). Je the Baras marked it as "Sundina" in his map (1550). Candel Broke mentioned it as ‘Sundiva’ in his map (1660). Major Ranel mentioned it as ‘Sundeep’ in his map.[2]

History
Sandwip in the map of delta of Ganges by surveyor James Rennell created in 1778
The Guftasara Bridge, Sandwip.
The beaches of Sandwip

Sandwip Island in Bangladesh has a great historical legacy. The island itself is about 3000 years old,[3] and was said to have been a part of the Samatata realm. It is supposed that Sandwip was connected with Chittagong original land and disconnected by natural disasters. Tansi reported on Lower Gangas (150) in which he included Sandwip. Sandwip is mentioned at The Baros Map (1560). Sanchan the Abevel mentioned Sandwip in his drawing map and he also mentioned Bhulua, Chittagong and Dhaka with it. The island is also found in The Anvel Curt's drawing map (1752). In 1923, Sri Rajkumar Chakrabarty mentioned in his History of Sandwip about the prevalence of 400 to 500 year old plants. Arab merchants began trading in the area since very early on.[4] In the 14th-century, a Sufi from Afghanistan called Sultan Balkhi visited the island and lived there for a few years.[5]

In the 16th century, the island became an important source of salt for Bengal.[lower-alpha 1] In the 1560s, a traveller from Venice called Caesar Frederick was the first European to write about Sandwip. Returning homeward from Pegu, he was caught in a typhoon whilst sailing from Chittagong to Cochin. After being tossed about for some days, his ship sighted an island and landed. He wrote:

"We found it a place inhabited, and, to my judgment, the fertilest island in all the world; the which is divided into two parts by a channel which passeth between it. With great trouble we brought our ship into the same channel, which parteth the island at flowing water."[6]:35

Frederick described the island as a densely-populated, well-cultivated island inhabited by Moors.

Early modern period

At the start of the 17th century, the island was under the rule of Antonio de Sousa Godinho, a Portuguese pirate, though it had previously been ruled by Kedar Rai, a Bengali Hindu chieftain who ruled over large parts of eastern Bengal. According to Pierre Du Jarric, Kedar Rai managed to retrieve Sandwip from Godinho with the help of another group of Portuguese pirates.[7] The Mughals and the Arakanese failed to annex Sandwip from Kedar Rai.[8][9][10] By 1602, a Portuguese settler from Montargil called Domingos Carvalho, who was in Kedar Rai's service, managed to earn the governorship of Sandwip after assisting him in battles against Arakan and the Mughals.[11] Emmanuel de Mattos came from Chittagong to aid Carvalho in the Portuguese annexation, and they divided the island between them and Gonçalves. Philippe de Brito also established a fort in the island. It is said that each year about 300 salt-loaded ships sailed from Sandwip for Liverpool. In addition to its salt industries, Sandwip became very famed for its ship-building as well at that time.[12] Thereafter, the Portuguese held the island in conjunction with the Arakanese and Muslim rulers. Even today some of the architecture on the island reflects this part of the island's history in which it was a 17th century pirate-stronghold. Philip III, the King of Portugal, ennobled Carvalho for his efforts.[7]

The loyalty of the Portuguese however, was suspected by the Arakanese. The Arakanese King of Mrauk U, Min Razagyi would execute many Portuguese settlers in his kingdom. In November 1602, the Jesuits fled to Sandwip following the imprisonment and death of their head chief Fernandez in Chittagong (which was under Arakanese rule). Carvalho fled to Jessore for safety, but its ruler Pratapaditya, was an ally of the Arakanese, and had him executed and sent his severed head back to Arakan.[13] Other sources say that Carvalho was not killed by Pratapaditya but was wounded in battle against the Mughals, and that as a result he fled to Hugli. Manuel de Matoo was his successor but the Portuguese were defeated in Sandwip during his office, and Fateh Khan took over the island.[7]

In March 1609, Sebastian Gonzales Tibao/Tibeau, who was an escapee of Arakanese punishment and a salt-dealer and soldier who had come to Bengal in 1605, led an army of 400 Portuguese mercenaries to colonise Sandwip, kill Fateh Khan and wipe out 3000 Muslim (non-Mughal) pirates and all of the island's male Muslim inhabitants.[7] He did this by negotiating a deal with the King of Bakla, receiving support such as ships and horses for the takeover, in exchange for half of the revenue of the island to be given to Bakla's king. However, Tibao withheld the agreed payment and warred with the King of Bakla too.[14] Razagyi was furious with the Portuguese movements, but he faced an even more urgent threat after hearing that the Mughal governor of Bengal was planning an attack on nearby Bhulua, and so he agreed to an alliance with Tibao.[15] Be that as it may, Tibao later broke the alliance, and seized the entire naval fleet by "the simple expedient of murdering its captains at a council".[6]:36 Tibao was described to have become the "absolute sovereign" of Sandwip, as he was even obeyed by the natives as an independent ruler. In the course of a short time, his territory extended to the up until the Lemro River and his forces consisted of 1000 Portuguese, 2000 Indian soldiers, 200 cavalry, and 80 sail of vessels of various sizes. Many merchants resorted to the island, and by their commerce contributed much to increase his revenue.[16] Tibao later took the islands of Shahbazpur and Patelbanga from the Raja of Batecala (Bacola). He was finally defeated in 1617, by Razagyi's son, Min Khamaung, who defeated Tibao in Sandwip, seized the island, reduced him to his former miserable condition and killed many inhabitants of the island.[14][17][18]

In the 1620s, Samuel Purchas also described the inhabitants as majority Mohammedans and mentioned the presence of a 300-year old mosque in the island. Abdul Hakim was a prominent medieval Bengali poet from Sandwip who was active in this period. As piracy was prevalent in the island for many decades, many people ruled over it such as Delwar Khan, also known as Raja Dilal, who was the final pirate ruler of Sandwip. A former Mughal officer, he and his private army ruled the island independently for about 50 years. In November 1665, Shaista Khan, the Mughal governor of Bengal, led a conquest to Sandwip with the support of the Dutch military, to defeat Dilwar who was 80-years old at the time.[19][20] The Arakanese had also fell out with the Portuguese, which led to the Portguese also assisting the Mughals. By 26 January 1666, the conquest was successful and the Chief Captain of the European pirates were rewarded.[7] Dilwar was successively locked up in an iron cage in Murshidabad.[21] The volume of shipbuilding swelled extensively during the Mughal period. During the 17th century, the shipyards of Sandwip used to build warships for the Ottoman caliphs.[22][23]

In the late 18th century to early 19th century, Armenian merchants began to do business here. Khojah Kaworke, Khojah Michael and Agha Barshick owned several salt farms in Sandwip and the existent of such factories were also noted by Italian traveller Niccolao Manucci.[24][25]

Modern period

By the time the island came under British rule, it had a mixed population of Bengalis, both Muslim and Hindu, many of whom had arrived from Dhaka, as well as the Buddhist Arakanese. The working population consisted of farmers, fishermen, pirates and robbers. The British initially struggled in administrating the island as its inhabitants used to frequently make complaints. They eventually appointed a Commissioner but he too would complain of the difficulties in managing the island with constant petitions of the Taluqdars. Abu Torab, a descendant of Chand Khan who was the son-in-law of Raja Dilal, led Bengal's first anti-British peasant rebellion against Captain Nollekins in 1767. As a result of troublesome administration, the island was subsequently given direct attention to the District Collector in 1785. In 1822, the island joined the District of Noakhali.[21] In 1912, many Muslim men from Sandwip travelled to the Balkan Peninsula to fight alongside the Ottoman Empire during the Balkan Wars. Keshab Ghosh, a President of the Indian National Congress, led the Violation of Law movement in Sandwip in 1930.[26]

It is said that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 1966 Six point movement began in Sandwip. During the 1970 Pakistani general election campaign, Mohammad Shah Bangali of Sandwip was the folk singer mascot for the Awami League.[26] The area was heavily affected during the 1970 Bhola cyclone and as a response, the Government of Pakistan sent three gunboats and a hospital ship carrying medical personnel and supplies.[27] The Government of Singapore sent a military medical mission to the country, which was then deployed to Sandwip where they treated nearly 27,000 people and carried out a smallpox vaccination effort.[28] During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Sandwip was included in Sector 1. On 10 May, many civilians were murdered including Jahedur Rahman, a lawyer in Sandwip town killed in Kargil Bridge. On the same day, Jasim Uddin, a student at the Chittagong College, was arrested in Sandwip and taken to Chittagong to be imprisoned. He was later released but continued as a Bengali freedom fighter, leading to his execution on 10 December.[26]

The construction works of a Bangladesh Navy fleet headquarters at the Sandwip Channel with ship berthing facilities is also going on as part of the Forces Goal 2030.[29]

Agriculture

Agriculture is the main occupation of many people on the island. They cultivate paddy, jute, potato, betel leaf, betel nut, sugarcane, radish, tomato, brinjal, cauliflower, sweet potato, carrot, etc. They cultivate fruit including water melon, mango, jackfruit, banana, papaya, guava, kul, and date.

Ecology
Sandwip Ferry Ghat

Sandwip Island has been formed by silt deposits from the estuary of the Meghna river. This makes it an incredibly fertile island – something which the people of the island have been exploiting for years. Large crops of rice, dal, vegetables, coconuts, battle leave and wheat have all been grown on the island at some point in its history. Today the main crops are melons, mangos, pineapples, gaab, jam and coconut.

Natural disaster
Sunset in Sandwip

In the years 1825, 1876, 1985, 1991 Sandwip was affected by devastating cyclones & tornadoes. On 29 April 1991, the most damaging storm affected the island. The death toll was about 40,000, and 80% of the houses in Sandwip were destroyed. The velocity of the cyclone was 225 km/h (140 mph).[30]

Notable persons
  • Wajihullah, 20th-century Islamic scholar
  • Muzaffar Ahmed (politician) - Bengali politician, journalist and communist activist, popularly known as "Kakababu".
  • Belal Muhammad- One of the founders of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra.
  • Abdul Hakim (poet)- A poet in medieval Bengal. He wrote several epics verses in Bengali and also translated some from Persian manuscript.
  • Ships Wharf, Sandwip
  • Dheki (husking pedal) once was very common in houses of Sandwip
  • Kakataruya

See also

Notes
  1. "Sandwip is evidently a very old island, and seems to have been of more importance three hundred years ago than it is now [mid-1800s], because it was one of the chief sources from which Bengal was supplied with salt." "Du Jarric ... tells us that it is opposite Sripur, and that it supplies all Bengal with salt."[6]:35,36

References
  1. "Sandwip Upazila (সন্দ্বীপ উপজেলা)". Chittagong. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  2. "Sandwip Island". Ebbd.info. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  3. Noakhali District Gazetters
  4. Muslehuddin, ATM (2012). "Arabic". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  5. Abdul Karim (2012). "Shah Sultan Mahisawar (R)". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  6. Beveridge, Henry (1876). The district of Bákarganj; its history and statistics. London: Trübner & Co.
  7. Ray, Aniruddha (2012). "Portuguese, The". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  8. পাতা:ঐতিহাসিক চিত্র (তৃতীয় বর্ষ) - নিখিলনাথ রায়.pdf/২২ - উইকিসংকলন একটি মুক্ত পাঠাগার. bn.wikisource.org. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  9. কেদার রায়. Bangladesher Khabor (in Bengali). Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  10. পাতা:প্রতাপাদিত্য-নিখিল নাথ রায়.djvu/৭৩ - উইকিসংকলন একটি মুক্ত পাঠাগার. bn.wikisource.org. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  11. Mandal, Asim Kumar (2003). The Sundarbans of India : a development analysis. New Delhi: Indus Publ. Co. p. 44. ISBN 8173871434. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  12. Editorial. "Sandwipees should respond to the call of Master Shahjahan for development of Sandwip". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  13. Beveridge, Henry (1876). The district of Bákarganj; its history and statistics. London: Trübner & Co. pp. 173–179.
  14. Manuel de Faria y Sousa, Asia Portuguesa, 1666. English translation 1695 by Captain John Stevens, quoted by Beveridge 1876, p. 37.
  15. (Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 84): Tuesday, 4th waxing of Natdaw 971 ME = 1 December 1609
  16. Stewart, History of Bengal, quoted in Beveridge, 1876, p. 36.
  17. Phayre 1967: 174–177
  18. Harvey 1925: 142–143
  19. Abdul Karim (2012). "Shaista Khan". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  20. Sarkar, Jadunath, ed. (1973) [First published 1948]. The History of Bengal. Volume II: Muslim Period, 1200–1757. Patna: Academica Asiatica. p. 379. OCLC 924890. It was Shāista Khan's task to put an end to this terror [the Arakan pirates] ... The Bengal flotilla (nawwāra) had been wofully depleted ... Shāista Khan's energy and persistence overcame every obstacle. A new navy was created, manned and equipped in a little over a year ... In a short time 300 vessels were ... ready in war-trim ... The island of Sondip ... [was] captured ... (November 1665.) A still more important gain was the seduction of the Feringis of Chātgāon from the side of the Arakanese ... A feud had just then broken out between the Magh ruler of Chātgāon and the local Portuguese ... Shāista Khan gave their chief captain a bounty ... and their other leaders were all enlisted in the Mughal service.
  21. George Abraham Grierson. "Sandip, Noakhali District". Linguistic Survey of India. V Pt 1. pp. 247-.
  22. Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Shipbuilding Industry". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  23. "Prospects of shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh". Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  24. Ray, Aniruddha (2012). "Manucci, Niccolao". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  25. Ansar Ali, Sushil Chaudhury & Sirajul Islam (2012). "Armenians, The". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  26. Abul Kalam Elias (16 December 2003). "The contribution of Sandwip to the struggle for freedom". The Daily Star. 4.
  27. "Thousands of Pakistanis Are Killed by Tidal Wave". The New York Times. 14 November 1970.
  28. Choy Choi Kee (7 November 1999). "Medical Mission to East Pakistan". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
  29. "One day BD Navy to become builder from buyer, hopes PM". UNB. 24 December 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  30. "The Yellow page of Sandwip - প্রাকৃতিক দূর্যোগ". Sandwip-uttaran.org. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
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