Kathar
Encyclopedia
Katha is a town in Sagaing Division
, Myanmar
, on the west side of the Ayeyarwady
river on a bluff with an average elevation of 124 m. Most of the town is more than 10 meters above the river. Katha is known as the real setting of George Orwell
's Burmese Days
.
through the railroad junction town of Naba which is 23 km or 14 miles to the west of Katha. A small branch of railway runs east from Naba to Katha. Katha can also be reached by ferries that run on the Ayeyarwady river between the upstream town of Bhamo
down to Mandalay
. There is also direct bus service from Mandalay to Katha, but it is a bumpy ride.
which comprises seven small townships. Katha is populated with government offices and many of the early town settlers were from every part of Burma and usually had background history of civil service under at least one of ministerial departments. The main economy of the town is fisheries and farming of kidney beans. Production of rice in the Katha Township
is less than its consumption and Katha has to depend on imports from the nearby townships such as Indaw or Kawlin. Katha is a legendarily bureaucratic stronghold, and its prosperity is crippled by it.
's first novel Burmese Days
(1934). Orwell himself served at Katha in 1926-27 in the Indian Imperial Police
. The British Club (including active tennis court), police station, and town jail are locations referenced in the novel that can still be visited today. More accounts on this section is readable in Emma Larkin
's "Finding George Orwell in Burma". Katha links with prominent Burmese writers such as Shwe U Daung, Thaw Tar Swe, Theik-Pan Muu Tin, and AFPFL leader Kyaw Nyein from Stable faction .
Sagaing Division
Sagaing Region is an administrative region of Burma , located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, on the west side of the Ayeyarwady
Ayeyarwady
Ayeyarwady can mean:*Irrawaddy River, the primary river of Myanmar*Ayeyarwady Region, an administrative division of Myanmar...
river on a bluff with an average elevation of 124 m. Most of the town is more than 10 meters above the river. Katha is known as the real setting of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Burmese Days
Burmese Days
Burmese Days is a novel by British writer George Orwell. It was first published in the USA in 1934. It is a tale from the time of the waning days of British colonialism, when Burma was ruled as part of the Indian empire - " a portrait of the dark side of the British Raj." At its centre is John...
.
Location
Katha is 12 hours by rail north of MandalayMandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
through the railroad junction town of Naba which is 23 km or 14 miles to the west of Katha. A small branch of railway runs east from Naba to Katha. Katha can also be reached by ferries that run on the Ayeyarwady river between the upstream town of Bhamo
Bhamo
Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of Myitkyina. It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in...
down to Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
. There is also direct bus service from Mandalay to Katha, but it is a bumpy ride.
Economy
Katha is the administrative seat of Katha DistrictKatha District
Katha District is the northeastern-most district in Sagaing Division of Burma . Its administrative center is the town of Katha.The district consists of the townships of Banmauk, Indaw, Katha, Kawlin, Pinlebu, Tigyaing, and Wuntho....
which comprises seven small townships. Katha is populated with government offices and many of the early town settlers were from every part of Burma and usually had background history of civil service under at least one of ministerial departments. The main economy of the town is fisheries and farming of kidney beans. Production of rice in the Katha Township
Katha Township
Katha Township is a township in Katha District in the Sagaing Region of Burma. The principal town is Katha. The township is served by a branch railway line that leaves the main line just north of Indaw.-External links:...
is less than its consumption and Katha has to depend on imports from the nearby townships such as Indaw or Kawlin. Katha is a legendarily bureaucratic stronghold, and its prosperity is crippled by it.
Setting of George Orwell's Burmese Days
Katha is known in literature as the real place underlying the fictional Kyauktada, setting of George OrwellGeorge Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's first novel Burmese Days
Burmese Days
Burmese Days is a novel by British writer George Orwell. It was first published in the USA in 1934. It is a tale from the time of the waning days of British colonialism, when Burma was ruled as part of the Indian empire - " a portrait of the dark side of the British Raj." At its centre is John...
(1934). Orwell himself served at Katha in 1926-27 in the Indian Imperial Police
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...
. The British Club (including active tennis court), police station, and town jail are locations referenced in the novel that can still be visited today. More accounts on this section is readable in Emma Larkin
Emma Larkin
Emma Larkin is the pseudonym of an American journalist who was born and raised in Asia, studied the Burmese language at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and covers Asia in her journalism from her base in Bangkok...
's "Finding George Orwell in Burma". Katha links with prominent Burmese writers such as Shwe U Daung, Thaw Tar Swe, Theik-Pan Muu Tin, and AFPFL leader Kyaw Nyein from Stable faction .
External links
- "Katha, Burma", Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
- "Katha Map — Satellite Images of Katha", Maplandia