Katha (, , sometimes also spelled Kathar,) (Shan: ၵၢတ်ႇသႃႇ) is a town in

Sagaing Region Sagaing Region ( my, စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်းဒေသကြီး, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and lon ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, on the west side of the Irrawaddy River on a bluff with an average elevation of . Most of the town is more than above the river. Katha is known for having inspired Kyauktada, the fictional setting of George Orwell's ''

Burmese Days ''Burmese Days'' is the first novel by English writer George Orwell, published in 1934. Set in British Burma during the waning days of empire, when Burma was ruled from Delhi as part of British India, the novel serves as "a portrait of the dark ...

''.

Location

Katha is 12 hours by rail north of Mandalay through the railroad junction town of Naba which is to the west of Katha. A small branch of railway runs east from Naba to Katha. Katha can also be reached by ferries that run on the Irrawaddy River between the upstream town of

Bhamo Bhamo ( my, ဗန်းမော်မြို့ ''ban: mau mrui.'', also spelt Banmaw; shn, မၢၼ်ႈမူဝ်ႇ; tdd, ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥨᥝᥱ; zh, 新街, Hsinkai) is a city in Kachin State in northern Myanmar, south of the ...

down to Mandalay. There is also direct bus service from Mandalay to Katha, but it is a bumpy ride.

Climate

Katha has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Aw'') bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cwa''). Temperatures are very warm to hot throughout the year, with milder winter months (December–February). There is a winter dry season (November–March) and a summer wet season (April–October).

Economy

Katha is the administrative seat of

Katha District Katha District is the northeasternmost district in Sagaing Region of Myanmar.

which comprises seven small townships. Katha is populated with government offices and many of the early town settlers were from every part of Burma and usually had background history of civil service under at least one of ministerial departments. The main economy of the town is fisheries and farming of kidney beans. Production of rice in the Katha Township is less than its consumption and Katha has to depend on imports from the nearby townships such as Indaw or Kawlin. Katha is a legendarily bureaucratic stronghold, and its prosperity is crippled by it.

Setting of George Orwell's ''Burmese Days''

Katha is known in literature as the real place underlying the fictional Kyauktada, setting of George Orwell's first novel ''

'' (1934). Orwell himself served at Katha in 1926-27 in the Indian Imperial Police. The British Club (including active tennis court), police station, and town jail are locations mentioned in the novel that can still be visited today. More accounts on this section is readable in Emma Larkin's "Finding George Orwell in Burma". Katha links with prominent Burmese writers such as Shwe U Daung, Thaw Tar Swe, ''Theik-Pan'' Muu Tin, and AFPFL leader Kyaw Nyein from Stable faction. In September 2019, the Katha Heritage Trust opened a museum at the house that Orwell lived in during his time in Katha. The two-story wooden building had been an attraction for Western tourists. The museum features portraits and a picture of Orwell, and a painting of the house. One stated aim of the trust was to cooperate with the Orwell Trust in the United Kingdom to restore momentos of Orwell's time in Katha.Aung Phay Kyi Soe,
Reliving Orwell's Burmese Days in Katha Township'
''Myanmar Times'', 18 October 2019. Katha 2016.jpg, Katha 2016 View of town centre.jpg, View of town centre Katha Market.jpg, Katha Market

Notes

External links

Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
"Katha Map — Satellite Images of Katha"
Maplandia