Sandwip (, ) is an island located in the southeastern coast of Bangladesh in the Chittagong District. Along with the island of Urir Char and Bhasan Char, this is part of Sandwip Upazila.
Description
Sandwip (সন্দ্বীপ) is located in the north-east of the Bay of Bengal, near the port city of Chittagong. It is close to the mouth of the Meghna River in the Bay of Bengal and is separated from the Chittagong coast by Sandwip Channel. It has a population of 292,773. There are fifteen wards, 62 mahallas and 34 villages on Sandwip Island. The island is long and wide. The island is bounded by Companiganj on the north; the Bay of Bengal on the south; Sitakunda, Mirsharai, and Sandwip Channel on the east; and the Noakhali Sadar, Hatiya and Meghna estuaries; on the west.
History
Some sources claim Sandwip island is around 3000 years old,Noakhali District Gazetters and was a part of Samatata. The sources state that Sandwip was originally connected to Chittagong by land and was disconnected by natural disasters. Sandwip is mentioned in scholarly sources such as Tansi's report Lower Gangas in 150, The Baros Map in 1560, Sanchan the Abevel's drawing map, and the Anvel Curt's drawing map in 1752. Arab merchants began trading in the area since very early on. In the 14th century, a Sufi from Afghanistan called Sultan Balkhi visited the island and lived there for a few years.
In the 16th century, the island became an important source of salt for Bengal. 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: Frederick described the island as a densely populated, well-cultivated island inhabited by Moors. In 1923, Sri Rajkumar Chakrabarty mentioned in History of Sandwip the prevalence of 400- to 500-year-old plants on the island.
Early modern period The island of Sandwip was administered under the Sarkar of Fatehabad under the Mughal empire. At the start of the 17th century, the island was under the rule of António de Sousa Godinho, a Portuguese pirate, though it had previously been ruled by Kedar Rai, a Bengali Hindu chieftain who controlled large parts of eastern Bengal. According to Pierre Du Jarric, Kedar Rai managed to reclaim the governance of Sandwip from Godinho with the help of another group of Portuguese pirates. The Mughals and the Arakanese failed to annex the island from Kedar Rai. By 1602, a Portuguese settler from Montargil, in Kedar Rai's service, Domingos de Carvalho, managed to earn the governorship of Sandwip after assisting Rai in battles against the Arakan and the Mughals. Manuel de Matos came from Chittagong to aid Carvalho in the Portuguese annexation, and they divided the island between themselves and a Portuguese pirate named Gonçalves. Filipe de Brito e Nicote also established a fort on the island. It is said that, each year, about 300 salt-loaded ships sailed from Sandwip for Liverpool. In addition to its salt industry, Sandwip also became known for ship-building at the time. Eventually, the Portuguese held the island in-conjunction with the Arakanese and Muslim rulers. Even today, some of the architecture on the island reflects the island's history as a 17th-century pirate-stronghold. Philip III, the King of Portugal, ennobled Carvalho for his efforts.
The loyalty of the Portuguese, however, was suspected by the Arakanese. The Arakanese King of Mrauk U, Min Razagyi would execute many of the Portuguese settlers in his kingdom. In November 1602, the Jesuits fled to Sandwip following the imprisonment and execution of their head priest, Fernandes, in Chittagong (which was under Arakanese rule). Carvalho fled to Jessore for safety, but the city's ruler, Pratapaditya—an ally of the Arakanese—had him executed and sent his severed head back to Arakan. Other sources say that Carvalho was not killed by Pratapaditya, but rather wounded in battle against the Mughals, and that he fled to Hugli. Ultimately he was succeeded by Manuel de Matos, but the Portuguese were defeated in Sandwip during Matos' office and the island was taken by Fateh Khan. Khan then developed a garrison of Muslim soldiers and a fleet of 40 sailboats on the island.
Tibao rule Sebastião Gonçalves Tibao, a salt-dealer who had come to Bengal in 1605, had escaped Arakanese punishment in Dianga with some other Portuguese captives and began a life of piracy consisting of robbing the Arakan port and keeping the stolen goods with their native allies in Bakla, or as some sources say, Bhatkal. In March 1609, Fateh Khan dispatched a fleet to suppress these pirates who had been located in nearby South Shahbazpur. In retaliation, Tibao led 400 Portuguese mercenaries with a plan to colonise Sandwip. Tibao negotiated a deal with the King of Bakla or Bhatkal, receiving support in the form of ships and 200 horses for the takeover in exchange for half of the island's future revenue. However, Tibao withheld the agreed payment and later warred with the King of Bakla.Manuel de Faria y Sousa, Asia Portuguesa, 1666. English translation 1695 by Captain John Stevens, quoted by Beveridge 1876, p. 37. A great battle took place in Sandwip, and it was only resolved after a Spanish ship of 50 men arrived at the island to help the Portuguese take over the Sandwip Fort. Fateh Khan, 3000 Muslim pirates and all of the island's male Muslim inhabitants were killed, allowing Tibao to become the ruler of Sandwip.
Razagyi was furious with Tibao's colonisation of Sandwip, but he faced an even more urgent threat, that the Mughal governor of Bengal was planning an attack on nearby Bhulua, so he agreed to an alliance with Tibao and even married his daughter off to him.(Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 84): Tuesday, 4th waxing of Natdaw 971 ME = 1 December 1609 Razagyi despatched 700 elephants, 200 ships with 4,000 men, and 90,000 soldiers to join Tibao's military under his command. Tibao later broke the alliance and seized the entire naval fleet by "murdering its captains at a council" in 1611. The Mughals defeated Arakan, with Razagyi fleeing to Chittagong with only a few men. Wishing to take advantage of this development and avenge the 1609 Dianga captives, Tibao destroyed the forts of Arakan but was defeated by Razagyi at the capital and returned to Sandwip.
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. He had a house built for himself and heavily increased trade in the island, boosting its economy. Many merchants visited the island, and by their commerce contributed to his revenue.Stewart, History of Bengal, quoted in Beveridge, 1876, p. 36. Tibao developed a military of 80 cannon ships, 200 horses, 2,000 native soldiers and 1,000 Portuguese soldiers. Tibao later colonised the islands of South Shahbazpur and Patelbanga from the Raja of Batecala (Bacola). In 1616, Tibao denounced himself as an independent sovereign, offering to become a dependent ruler under the Portuguese Empire and annually provide Portuguese Goa with large amounts of rice. The condition behind the deal was for the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa to assist Tibao in a battle against Arakan, which was now ruled by Razagyi's son, Min Khamaung. The Viceroy of Goa accepted the deal and dispatched a fleet led by Don Francisco. They joined Tibao's fifty ships, sailing towards Arakan. However, Khamaung and his Dutch allies defeated Tibao, who fled back to Sandwip. By 1617, Sandwip was seized by Mrauk U, reducing Tibao to his former miserable condition and killing many of its inhabitants. Many Portuguese pirates were also transported to Chittagong as sailors and gunners as Khamaung feared the growing power of the Muslims.
Mughal conquest of Sandwip In the 1620s, cleric Samuel Purchas described the inhabitants of Sandwip 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. Delwar Khan, also known as Raja Dilal, was the final pirate ruler of Sandwip. A former Mughal officer, he and his private army governed the island independently for about 50 years. In November 1665, Shaista Khan, the Mughal governor of Bengal, appointed General Abul Hasan to lead the conquest of Sandwip with the support of the Dutch military. Dilwar was 80 years old by that time. Abul Hassan attacked Sandwip and fought with Dilawar, who after being hit by an arrow fled to the jungles. Meanwhile, the Arakanese fleet came up to Sandip to render assistance to Dilawar. Abul Hassan prepared to assault the Arakanese fleet, which withdrew, and Abul Hasan, not pursuing it, retired to Noakhali. Nawab Shaista Khan, on hearing of this, sent another fleet consisting of 1,500 gunners and 400 cavalry, commanded by Ibn-i-Husain, Superintendent of the Nawarah (Fleet), Jamal Khan, Serandaz Khan, Qaramal Khan, and Muhammad Beg to reinforce Abul Hassan; to co-operate with the latter and occupy Sandwip; and to extirpate Dilawar. Ibn-i-Husain with this reinforcement moved up to Noakhali, in front of Sandwip, and halted there with Muhammad Beg in order to blockade the passage of the Arakanese fleet. Abul Hassan, with others, then attacked Sandwip, wounded and captured Sharif, son of Dilawar, and also captured, after severe fighting, Dilawar and his followers, and sent them prisoners to Jahangirnagar (Dhaka).Alamgirnama, Mirza Muhammad Kazim (Pers.text P.943) Dilawar had many sons and two daughters; Musabibi and Maryam Bibi. Among his sons, only the name of Sharif Khan is known. As a means of compensation, Shaista Khan granted Dilawar's younger sons a jagir of 10-12 villages on the banks of the Dhaleshwari River in Patharghata-Mithapukur near Dhaka. These villages were destroyed due to fluvial erosion two hundred years later. The family then relocated to the village of Ganda in Savar.Prof Rajib Humayun, Sandiper Itihas, Somaj O Songskriti(1987)(সন্দ্বীপের ইতিহাস, সমাজ ও সংস্কৃতি) P.80,91Chowdhury, ABM Siddiq (1988). শাশ্বত সন্দ্বীপ [Eternal Sandwip] (in Bengali).
The Arakanese also fell out with the Portuguese, which led to the Portuguese assisting the Mughals. By 26 January 1666, the Mughal conquest of Sandwip was successful and the chief captain of the European pirates was rewarded.
Mughal rule Abdul Karim Khan was subsequently appointed as the Mughal faujdar (military governor) of Sandwip. He had 100 cavalry and 400 infantry under his control. In order to facilitate the collection of revenue, a man named Muhammad Qasim was appointed as the Ahaddar (secretary) of Sandwip. The locals were outraged by Dilawar's defeat at the hands of the Mughals and the loss of Sandwip's independent status. The Mughal administration took some public welfare measures to bring the situation in their favour. One of them was to reducing the rate of rent imposed by Dilawar, in their first year. Another notable move was that Sandwip was given a lease arrangement to subdue the island's elite. When the lessees collected the rent and submitted it to Muhammad Qasim, he would arrange for it to be sent to the treasury. Under this system, the lessees enjoyed financial benefits and status.