“A little town which I love”

Writer; Tha Khin Nwe

There is a little tow in Myanmar named Kalaymyo I grew up in and I love it. It is close to the Chin State, in the northwest of Myanmar. The majority of people have moved there from several parts of the country. Most people work in agriculture. Honesty, openness and friendliness are the characters of its people.
The town was formerly known as Karlaymyo, which means a town surrounded by four satellite towns, Shwetaung in the northeast, Sintton in the southeast, Manlon in the southeast and Khanpat in the northwest. It is said that Kalaymyo was established on Sunday, the 5th of waning of Tabotwe month 328, according to the Myanmar calendar. The Chief Executive was Kye Taung Nyo, son in-law of Mahar Saw Lon Kyi.
Kalaymyo was renovated afterwards by Chief Saw Shwe in 999, Chief Saw Han Kle in 1123 and Chief Maung Phar Kyi in 1251. During the reign of Chief Maung Phar Kyi, the satellite towns were replaced with the new ones. They were Teinnyinmyo in the northeast, Tintharmyo in the southeast, Manlonmyo in the southwest and Eikswtmyo in the northwest.
The former satellite towns, Shwetaungmyo, Sinttonmyo, Khanpatmyo and the later satellite town Teinnyinmyo are today covered in dense jungle. Kalaymyo is now 120- years old if we take the fourth establishment of the town as a mark and 1043-years old from the first year of establishment. Kalaymyo therefore can be said to be an ancient town which was contemporary with Tagaung, one of the ancient cities in Myanmar.
Even if Kalaymyo is a small town and has a small population, its people are built with honesty, openness and friendliness. Personally, I think that it is not the size of a town or a country that gives excellent value; but the character of its people. That is why Kalaymyo is small town which is worth living in.

Tha Khin Nwe

Kalay Township

Kalaymyo (Kalemyo) is a town in the Sagaing Division of Myanmar(Burma). Upstream from Mandalay and Monywa on the Chindwin River, the town is gaining importance as a staging point for trade between Myanmar(Burma) and India (Kalaymyo is about 150 km from the Myanmar -India border at Tamu)