Chi Tu

Chi Tu Raktamaritika
2nd century–7th century
Location of Chi Tu as indicated in the map of Transpeninsula route-ways.
Capital	Sing-ha/ Singgora/ Songkhla
Common languages	Old Malay, Kelantan Malay
Religion	Buddhism
Government	Monarchy
Li-fo-duo-se
History
• Coronation	2nd century
• Conquered by Srivijaya	7th century
Succeeded by Srivijaya Tambralinga Pan Pan (kingdom)
Today part of	Malaysia Thailand

Chi Tu (other alternative spellings include Chihtu, Chitu or Ch-ih-t'u; Sanskrit: Raktamaritika or Raktamrittika; Chinese: 赤土国; pinyin: Chì-tǔ-guó; lit. 'Red Earth Country'; Malay language: Tanah Merah) was an ancient kingdom mentioned in the history of China. The Sui Dynasty annals describe an advanced kingdom called Chi Tu in 607, when Chang Chun was sent as an ambassador there. The location of Chi Tu was disputed; proposals for its location include areas in the states of Kelantan or Pahang in Malaysia, or in Songkhla and Pattani Province of southern Thailand. The best evidence to support the Kelantan theory was when the envoys left Chi Tu, the sail took 10 days to reach Champa, this indicates the kingdom was located somewhere 'red earth' around the main river of Kelantan. The inscribed Buddhagupta Stone found in Kedah mentioned a Raktamrttika, meaning "red earth land".

History[]

Replica of Buddhagupta stone on display at the National History Museum, Kuala Lumpur.

Part of a series on the
History of Malaysia
Prehistoric Malaysia Prehistoric Malaysia –6th century
Early kingdoms Gangga Negara 2nd–11th century Langkasuka 2nd–14th century Chi Tu 2nd–6th century Pan Pan 3rd–5th century Kedah Tua 5th–9th century Pahang Tua 5th–15th century Melayu 6th century Srivijaya 650–1377 Majapahit 1293–1500
Rise of Muslim states Kedah Sultanate 1136–present Samudera Pasai Sultanate 1267–1521 Brunei Sultanate 1368–present Malacca Sultanate 1402–1511 Sulu Sultanate 1450–1899 Pahang Sultanate 1470–1623 Aceh Sultanate 1496–1903 Pattani Sultanate 1516– 1902 Perak Sultanate 1528–present Johor Sultanate 1528–present Sarawak Sultanate 1599–1641 Selangor Sultanate 1745–present Besut Kingdom 1780–1899 Setul Kingdom 1808–1916 Reman Kingdom 1810–1902 Kubang Pasu Kingdom 1839–1864 House of Jamalullail 1843–present
Colonial era Portuguese Malacca 1511–1641 Dutch–Portuguese War 1601–1661 Dutch Malacca 1641–1824 Pahang Kingdom 1770–1881 Straits Settlements 1786–1946 Siamese invasion of Kedah 1821–1826 Anglo-Dutch Treaty 1824 Burney Treaty 1826 Naning War 1831–1832 Kingdom of Sarawak 1841–1946 Crown Colony of Labuan 1848–1946 Pahang Civil War 1857–1863 Larut Wars 1861–1874 Klang War 1867–1874 Pangkor Treaty 1874 Perak War 1875–1876 British Malaya / Borneo 1874–1946 Jementah Civil War 1879 North Borneo 1882–1946 Federated Malay States 1895–1946 Anglo-Siamese Treaty 1909 Unfederated Malay States 1909–1946 Battle of Penang 1914 Kelantan rebellion 1915
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The Chi Tu kingdom is believed to have existed as early as 100 BC to the 6th century AD.^[1] The royal family's name was Chu-dan (which means Gautama Buddha) and the king was Li-fo-duo-se.^[2] According to Chinese records, Chi Tu was built by kit mow (Mon-Khmer) peoples who sailed from the coast of Funan (southern Indochina) that eventually intermarried with the local population. "... Chi Tu is a derivation nation of Funan, located in within the southern sea, sailing hundred days to reach, the majority terrain was red, thus named Red Earth Kingdom (Chi means red, Tu means earth). East bordering Po-Lo-La, West bordering Po-Lo-So, South bordering Ho Lo Tan, thousands of square miles in land area.^[3] The king has three wives and the kingdom embraced Buddhism ...".

Chi Tu kingdom along with Langkasuka, Kedah and others were early important trade centers (approximately 100 BC to 700 AD).^[4] During this period, ships coming from China and Funan (from Indian Ocean as well) stop at the coast of Malay Peninsula. They get the local porters to transport the goods, using rafts, elephants and manpower along the Early transpeninsular routeway and part of the ancient Spice Route (Sea Route). By the 800 AD, the Chi Tu kingdom went into decline.^[5]

Location[]

Scholars do not agree on the location of Raktamaritika. While some consider it in the area of Phatthalung / Songkhla area, or Kelantan.^{[6]: 51, 54, 79} The ruins around the Songkhla lake such as Bang Kaeo in Phatthalung or Sathing Phra in Songkhla then might be one of the cities of Raktamaritika.

Sources from Indian scholars[]

J.L. Meons (1937) believed that early Srivijaya was located in Kelantan^[7] and K.A. Nilakanta Sastri (1949) supported the idea.^[8] The Kelantan theory may not be far-fetched, since Chinese Sui Dynasty annals of the 7th century describe an advanced kingdom called Chi Tu or Raktamrittika (as in Kelantanese history) as being in Kelantan, which the name was later changed to "Sri Wijaya Mala". The founding of Sri Wijaya Mala was 667 BC with its capital called "Valai", and it was situated along the upper Kelantan river of Pergau, known for its rich gold mines. It was until 570 BC that the kingdom changed its name to Sri Wijaya.^[9]

Songkhla vicinity theory[]

The inscription of the found in Kedah mentioned a Raktamaritika, the meaning is red earth land, to be the home town of a seafarer named Buddhagupta.

The old name of Songkhla is Singgora (City of Lions), which coincides with the fact that according to the Chinese chronicles the capital of Chitu was Sing-Ha (means lion) and also the nearby Singhanakhon district.

This name may also be related to Tambralinga because there is "Tam" (means red) in this name as same as Raktamaritika and Tampapanni. And this state has appeared in 642, the same area of the central Malay peninsula after Chitu has already faded away from the history. The best evidence supporting this theory is the mention that when the envoys left Chitu, the sailing took 10 days to reach Champa, which indicates the kingdom was located at the 'red earth' areas such as Rattaphum because Rattaphum means red earth as well.

See also[]

• Early History of Kedah
• Mahanavika Buddhagupta
• Pan Pan
• Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom (Ligor)
• Kelantan
• Sultanate of Kedah

References[]

Further reading[]

• Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman (1998), The ENCYCLOPEDIA of Malaysia: early history, Volume 4, Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-3018-42-9
• Stuart Munro-Hay (1998), Nakhon Sri Thammarat. The Archaeology, History and Legends of a Souther Thai Town, White Lotus, pp. 19–22, ISBN 974-7534-73-8

External links[]

Chinese Wikisource has original text related to this article: Chi Tu from Book of Sui (in Chinese)

• https://web.archive.org/web/20040810090708/http://mis-pattani.pn.psu.ac.th/registra/grade/temp/speech/panel16fullpaper/EvanescentKingdom1panel%2016.html
• Chinese Sui Dynasty annals
• India's Cultural Relations with South-East Asia
• 赤土国
• [1]