Although there was no kingdom when the British left the country in 1947, there still remained many Rajas and Maharajas(Kings). In modern day Bangladesh there are now three hereditary kings in the three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts(CHT); Chakma Raja, Bohmong Raja and Mong Raja.
In official or government register, their designation is Circle Chief but to the people living in their own circle, they are known and respected as Kings.
The Chakma King rules over Rangamati, the Bohmong King and the Mong king rules over Bandarban and Khagrachhari district respectively.
This article gives a brief introduction on The Bohmong Circle.
The Bohmong Marma kingdom, which is now known as the Bohmong Circle, is the second largest kingdom in the CHT. The head of this circle is Bohmong Chief or Bohmong Raja.
Before being formed as a district, Bandarban was divided into two thanas ; Bandarban and Lama. Later, the thanas were upgraded to subdivisions which led to the formation of the present Bandarban district of nearly 4,480 square km.
According to a book by Suniti Bhushan Kanungo, many sources suggest 'Hario' as the first King and the founder of Bohmong kingdom who was a very close ally to the then Arakan King Sanda Wizaya. In the battle against the Mughals, Hario provided military aid to him. As a regard, the Arakan king Sanda gifted Hario a vast area in the southern Chittagong and in 1710 awarded the title 'Bohmangri' (The Great Bohmong).
Till the present day, the Bohmong circle has seen 17 kings. His Majesty U Chaw Prue Chowdhury is the 17th and present Bohmong King.
Written by Neeti Chakma
Comments