Kyaikkhami (

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * A ...

: ; ; pronounced ; , formerly Amherst) is a

resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

within

Thanbyuzayat Thanbyuzayat (; , "Reid, Robert and Grosberg, Michael (2005) ''Myanmar (Burma)'' (9th edition) Lonely Planet Publications, Footscray, Victoria, Australiapage 159 ) is a town in the Mon State of south-eastern Myanmar. It is the administrative cente ...

township in the

Mon State Mon State (, ; ) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It lies between Kayin State to the east, the Andaman Sea to the west, Bago Region to the north and Tanintharyi Region to the south, also having a short border with Thailand's Kanchanabu ...

of south-east Myanmar. The town is situated on a peninsula about south of

Mawlamyine Mawlamyine (also spelled Mawlamyaing; , ; ; , ), formerly Moulmein, is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma), ''World Gazetteer'' southeast of Yangon and south of Thaton, at the mouth of Thanlwin (Salween) River. Mawlamyine was an ancient ...

, the capital of Mon State. It is a popular destination for local pilgrims and some tourists. The town has a

pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...

(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 during.

History

It was originally a settlement of the

Mon people The Mon (; Thai Mon: ဂကူမည်; , ; , ) are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and several areas in Thailand (mostly in Pathum Than ...

. During the time of the

Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

(an ancient kingdom in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

), the town was probably a

vassal state A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...

of Ayutthaya and it was known in Thai as Chiang Kran (เชียงกราน) or Chiang Tran (เชียงตราน). Kyaikkhami was under the possession of Burmese kings before the First Anglo-Burmese war. Modern Kyaikkhami was founded by the British during the annexation of Tenasserim and

Arakan Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...

states after the

First Anglo-Burmese War The First Anglo-Burmese War (; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War in English language accounts and First English Invasion War () in Burmese language accounts, was the first of three wars fought between the ...

. 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. It was renamed Amherst after

William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst (14 January 177313 March 1857) was a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William from 1823 to 1828. Background and education Born at B ...

, then

governor-general of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the emperor o ...

who successfully seized the town during the

(1824–1826). Kyaikkhami (Amherst) briefly became the capital of Amherst district and the seat of British government that governs

Tenasserim coast Tanintharyi Region (, ; Mon: or ; formerly Tenasserim Division and Tanintharyi Division) is a region of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the northern Malay Peninsula, reaching to the Kra Isthmus. It borders th ...

for a short period. Later, the British moved its seat of government to Moulmein (now Mawlamyine). Because of this, many British officers and their Burmese wives and families lived in the area, with a large presence of

Anglo-Burmese The Anglo-Burmese people, also known as the Anglo-Burmans, are a community of Eurasians of Burmese and European descent; they emerged as a distinct community through mixed relationships (sometimes permanent, sometimes temporary) between the B ...

people, as time progressed. In the early 19th century,

Ann Hasseltine Judson Ann Hasseltine Judson (December 22, 1789 – October 24, 1826), nicknamed "Nancy", was one of the first female American foreign missionaries. Biography Ann Hasseltine attended the Bradford Academy and during a revival there read ''Strictures ...

, one of the first female American foreign

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

lived in Amherst and died here on 24 October 1826 from

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

. She was credited for the very first translation of

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

scriptures into Thai and introducing the

Protestantism in Thailand Protestants in Thailand constitute about 0.77% of the population of Thailand. Protestant work among the Thai people was begun by Ann Judson in Burma, who evangelized Thai war captives who were relocated to Burma. Protestantism was introduced to ...

. Not only was her husband the first person to compile a Burmese-English dictionary, Ann Hasseltine Judson was also regarded as the mother of missionary schools in Myanmar that became the root of modern education in Myanmar. Her grave is still visible in the town. Majority of people living in Kyaikkhami are

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. A Thai community also still exists in the town. Though the town was once the principal town of Amherst district, now it is a resort town within the Thanbyuzayat township. It got a record rainfall of on 14 January 2012. It was the highest amount of rainfall within 24 hours of January in the last 30 years.http://www.mrtv3.net.mm/newpaper/151newsn.pdf Page 1 Column 4

People from Kyaikkhami

Nyan Win Nyan Win (, ; born 22 January 1953) is a former Chief Minister of Bago Region, having served from 2011 to 2016. He won a Regional Hluttaw seat in an uncontested election in 2010, representing Zigon Township, and was appointed Chief Minister of ...

Gallery

File:Kyaikkami Yele Pagoda, Kyaikkami, Mon State, Myanmar 001.jpg, Kyaikkami Yele Pagoda constructed out at sea File:Amherst 18.JPG, Entrance to Kyaikkami File:Amherst 70.JPG, Town center and monument File:Amherst 69.JPG, A colonial-era building File:Kyaikkhami Yele Pagoda.jpg, Kayikkhami Yele Pagoda on a sunny day File:Kyaikkhami Yele Pagoda Buddha Homage.jpg, Buddha images inside the Kyaikkhami Yele Pagoda File:Portrait of Ann Hasseltine Judson (4673541).jpg, Ann Hasseltine Judson (1789–1826) File:Nancy Judson tree.jpg, The grave of Ann Hasseltine Judson in Kyaikkhami (1913) File:Kyaikkhami Thadingyut Drifting of Shin U Pa Gota Raft.jpg, Drifting of Shin Upagutta Raft in

Thadingyut festival The Thadingyut Festival (), also known as the Lighting Festival of Myanmar, is held on the full moon day of the Burmese lunar month of Thadingyut. As a custom, it is held at the end of the Buddhist sabbath (Vassa) and is the second most popular f ...

File:Kyaikkhami Shin Upagotta Adrift.jpg,

Shin Upagutta Shin Upagutta ( or ; also spelt Shin Upagot, Shin Upagote or Shin U Pagoke) is an arahant commonly venerated by Buddhists in Myanmar. He is believed to protect worshipers from danger, including floods and storms. He is also venerated in Cambod ...

drift File:Earl Amherst.jpg, Lord Amherst (1773– 1857)

References

{{Mon State Populated places in Mon State

History

People from Kyaikkhami

See also

Gallery

References