Kalewa - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Tahan is a town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

at the confluence of the Chindwin River

Chindwin River

The Chindwin River is a river in Burma , and the largest tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady . It flows entirely within Burma and is known as Ning-thi to the Manipuris.-Source:...

and the Myittha River

Myittha River

Myittha River is a river of western Burma. It originates in the Chin Hills and flows into the Chindwin River just below the town of Kalewa.-See also:*List of rivers of Burma...

in Kale District

Kale District

Kale District is the western-most district in Sagaing Division of Burma . Its administrative center is the city of Kalaymyo...

, Sagaing Division

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...

of northwestern Burma (Myanmar). It is the administrative seat of Kalewa Township

Kalewa Township

Kalewa Township is a township of Kale District in Sagaing Division of Burma . The principal town and administrative seat is Kalewa. The Paluzawa coal mines are located in Kalewa township.-Borders:Kalewa Township is bordered by:...

.

The Indo-Myanmar Friendship Bridge across the Tio River between Zokhuthar, Mizoram State

Mizoram

Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, and Rih, Chin State

Chin State

Chin State is a state located in western Burma . The Chin State is bordered by Rakhine State in the south, Bangladesh in south-west, Sagaing Division and Magway Division in the east, Indian state of Manipur in the north and Indian state of Mizoram in the west. The Chin ethnic group make up the...

, Burma, ultimately links Tahan to India

India

's Manipur State's

Manipur

Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...

town of Moreh

Moreh, India

Moreh is a ethnic Kuki inhabited town in Chandel district in the Indian state of Manipur. It is a small town in India on the border with Myanmar, with the town of Tamu being close to the border....

Economy

Upstream from 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 ....

and Monywa

Monywa

Monywa is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 136 km northwest of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin.-Transport:...

on the Chindwin River

Chindwin River

The Chindwin River is a river in Burma , and the largest tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady . It flows entirely within Burma and is known as Ning-thi to the Manipuris.-Source:...

, =Tahan is gaining importance as a staging point for trade between Burma and India

India

(Tahan is about 150 km from the Burma-India border at Tamu).

Tahan Bazaar (market) is well known for its variety of goods from India, Burma as well as China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

and Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

Education

Tahan is facilitated with theological colleges, high school, market, clinics (private and church based) and many churches.

Tahan has one high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

, a few English speaking hostel

Hostel

Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...

s, a few Theological Colleges as well as clinics. Since majority of people are Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

, they are more adapted to western culture

Western culture

Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...

than most Burmese. Young Christians wear western cloths and listen to western music in Tahan. Tahan also has a University

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

located on the border of Chin State

Chin State

, about six miles from downtown Tahan.

Religion

99% of inhabitants in Tahan are Christian

Christian

even though Burma is a Budhhist

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

country and 90% of population are Buddhist. Only 4% of Burmese population are Christian. There are over 50 Churches in Tahan. This is the only place in Burma that you can see a church on every street corner and where Christmas is celebrated.

Many Mizos from Tahan migrated to United States and established two churches in the Washington D.C. area. They are Mizo United Methodist Fellowship (www.mizoumfellowship.org) and Mizo Presbyterian Church (USA). Some of the Mizos believe that they are Bnei Menashe

Bnei Menashe

The Bnei Menashe are a group of more than 9,000 people from India's North-Eastern border states of Manipur and Mizoram who claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. The claim appeared after a Pentecostalist dreamt in 1951 that his people's pre-Christian religion was Judaism and that...

one of the Lost Tribes of Israel and thousands of them from Mizoram

Mizoram

migrated to Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

and thousands more are planning to migrate.