1. First Sakyan group arrived in Northern Myanmar at 850 BCE in Tagaung (Myanmar) from central India as Sakya. ( U Pe Maung Tin & G.C Luce, The Glass Palace of the Kings of Myanmar, Yangon: Unity Publication. 2008: 1. (http://www.shanyoma.org/yoma/the-glass-palace-chronicles.pdf)
2. Second Sakyan group arrived in Northern Myanmar called Tagaung around 6th Century BCE as Sakya from Northern India). (Ibid. 3)
3. Due to Chinese attack in 600 BCE the Sakyan moved from Tagaung to Micchagiri (Present Thayet, Magwe, Myanmar) at the bank of Iravati(Ayyawaddy River) from Tagaung. (Ibid:, 309)
4. In 443 BCE Sakyan founded Prome (Present Pye, Bago, Myanmar) (G. E. Harvey, History of Burma, London: Longmans Green and Co, 1926: 307)
5. In 1333-34 CE Arakan king defeated the (Thek) Sakyan king at Micchagiri (present Thayet, Magwe, Myanmar) and took them to Arakan, Western Myanmar and our Sakyan (Thek) become Dainak ( Myanmar Min Aredawbung, Danyawaddy Aredaw Bung: 14)
6. From Arakan or Sa Prye( Pye) around 1364 (it is an estimate date) CE (Common Era)went to the border of Burma and Bangladesh called Toin Gang as Dainak. (Heard from our ancestor)
7. From Toin River Pha Phru led 4000 Dainak with him to Chittagong Hill Tract during Dharam Bux Khan ( Chakma King) and gave them as Toin- Gangya since they went from Toin River ( it is a tributary of Matamuri) Burma-Bangladesh border. The king did not List them as Chakma but took care them as his subjects. ( Biro Kumar Tanchangya, Tanchangya Parichiti (Bandarban: Tanchangya Maha Sommilon, 1995: 21)
8. Our name has recorded by changing from “Toin-Gangya” to Tounjynyas during British India in 19th Century CE. (Lewin, Thomas Herbert, The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers Therein: with comparative vocabularies of the Hill Dialects, Calcutta: Bengal Printing Company Limited, 1869: 62.(https://ia800205.us.archive.org/15/items/cu31924023625936/cu31924023625936.pdf)
9. In 1989, Bangladesh government identified Tanchangya as one of the indigenous communities in Bangladesh. (Rupayan Dewan; Jhum, Dhaka University)
10. Tounjynyas to Tanchangya/ Tongchangya.
Sakya> Dainak> Toin-Gangya> Tounjynyas> Tanchangya/ Tongchangya.
This is our brief history from Sakya to Tanchangya/Tongchangya. We trace this history as our due to our Dainak who has been living in Myanmar since immemorial time. Hope all of you will find interesting. Share your thoughts and comments with us.
Tongchangya World 