The Bay of Bengal forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, located between the Indian subcontinent and the Indochinese peninsula, south of the Bengal region. Spread across an area of , it is bordered by many of the countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Geopolitically, the bay is bound by mainland India on the west and northwest, Bangladesh in the north, Myanmar in the northeast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India in the east. Its southern limit is a line between Sangaman Kanda in Sri Lanka, and the northwesternmost point of Sumatra in Indonesia.
Major river systems of the Indian subcontinent such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Godavari, Krishna, Brahmani, Baitarani, Rushikulya, Mahanadi, and Kaveri flow into the Bay of Bengal. The coast consist of many beaches including some of the world's longest natural beaches, such as Cox's Bazar and Marina, and varied ecosytems such as the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world.
Background Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bay of Bengal as follows:
On the east: A line running from Cape Negrais (16°03'N) in Burma through the larger islands of the Andaman group, in such a way that all the narrow waters between the islands lie Eastward of the line and are excluded from the Bay of Bengal, as far as a point in Little Andaman Island in latitude 10°48'N, longitude 92°24'E and thence along the Southwest limit of the Burma Sea [A line running from "Oedjong Raja" ["Ujung Raja" or "Point Raja"] () in Sumatra to Poeloe Bras (Breuëh) and on through the Western Islands of the Nicobar Group to Sandy Point in Little Andaman Island, in such a way that all the narrow waters appertain to the Burma Sea].
On the south: Adam's Bridge (between India and Ceylon) and from the Southern extreme of Dondra Head (South point of Ceylon) to the North point of Poeloe Bras ().
Note: Oedjong means "cape" in Dutch on maps of the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia).Glossary of Terms Appearing on Maps of the Netherlands East Indies , United States Army Map Service, page 115.
Etymology The bay gets its name from the historical Bengal region (modern-day Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and the Barak Valley of Southern Assam). In Ancient Indian scriptures, this water body may have been referred to as Mahodadhi. Ancient Romans called it Sinus Gangeticus or Gangeticus Sinus whilst Ancient Greeks called it in , meaning "Gulf of the Ganges", and old European maps continued to use this name.1794, Orbis Veteribus Notus by Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville
History
The Bay of Bengal was historically known by several names reflecting the significant maritime kingdoms that bordered it. In the region corresponding to modern Odisha and parts of Andhra Pradesh, it was widely referred to as Kalinga Sagar (Kalinga Sea), derived from the ancient kingdom of Kalinga.
In ancient Classical India, the Bay of Bengal was known as Vaṅgasāgara (Vanga Sea). Another name used mainly in ancient Tamil literature was Vanga Kadal (Vanga Sea or Ocean).
Northern Circars occupied the western coast of the Bay of Bengal and is now considered to be India's Odisha and Andhra Pradesh state. Chola dynasty (9th century to 12th century) when ruled by Rajaraja Chola I and Rajendra Chola I occupied and controlled the Bay of Bengal with Chola Navy circa AD 1014, the Bay of Bengal was also called the Chola Sea or Chola Lake.
The Kakatiya dynasty reached the western coastline of the Bay of Bengal between the Godavari and the Krishna River. Kushanas about the middle of the 1st century AD invaded northern India perhaps extending as far as the Bay of Bengal. Chandragupta Maurya extended the Maurya Dynasty across northern India to the Bay of Bengal. Hajipur was a stronghold for Portuguese Pirates. In the 16th century, the Portuguese built trading posts in the north of the Bay of Bengal at Chittagong (Porto Grande) and Satgaon (Porto Pequeno).The Portuguese in Bengal. History of Ugolim (Hoogli), Meliapore ... URL accessed 21 January 2007
The earliest sign of Muslims in the region came from the textile trade routes where one targeted the east Arabian Sea influencing migration of Arabs and Persians and another to the west causing Buddhist Bengalis to culturally mix with Islam.
Historic sites
In alphabetical order: Antarvedi is a popular place of worship Southern India, in Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh devoted to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple. This is the place where one of the distributaries of Godavari River meets the Bay of Bengal. Arikamedu is an archaeological site in Southern India, in Kakkayanthope, Ariyankuppam Commune, Puducherry. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the capital, Pondicherry of the Indian territory of Puducherry British penal colony: Cellular Jail or "Black Waters" built in 1896 on Ross Island, a part of the Andaman Island Chain. As early as 1858, this island was used as a British penal colony for political prisoners facing life imprisonment. Buddhist heritage sites of Pavurallakonda, Thotlakonda and Bavikonda lie along the coast of Bay of Bengal at Visakhapatnam in India. Konark is the home of the Sun Temple or Black Pagoda. This Brahman sanctuary was built of black granite mid-1200 AD and has been declared a World Heritage Site. Jagannath Temple at Puri is one of the four sacred places in Hindu pilgrimage along with Puri beach on the banks of Bay of Bengal. Mahodadhi was named after Lord Jagannath. Ramanathaswamy Temple is at Dhanushkodi, where the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar come together. Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram is the name for Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram's Shore Temple, a World Heritage Site was constructed in the 8th century AD and myth has it that six other temples were built here. Sri Vaisakheswara Swamy temple lies two kilometers from the Visakhapatnam coast under the Bay of Bengal's sea bed. Spokespeople from Andhra University Centre for Marine Archaeology say the temple may be opposite the Coastal Battery.Morien Institute – underwater discoveries news archive, January–June 2006, "Sri Vaisakheswara still lies underwater" ; accessed 22 January 2007 Vivekanandar Illam was constructed in 1842 by the American "Ice King" Frederic Tudor to store and market ice year round. In 1897, Swami Vivekananda's famous lectures were recorded here at Castle Kernan. The site is an exhibition devoted to Swami Vivekananda and his legacy.
Marine archaeology Maritime archaeology or marine archaeology is the study of how ancient peoples interacted with the sea and waterways. A specialized branch, archaeology of shipwrecks, studies the salvaged artifacts of ancient ships. Stone anchors, amphorae shards, elephant tusks, hippopotamus teeth, ceramic pottery, a rare wood mast and lead ingots are examples which may survive submerged for centuries for archaeologists to discover, study, and place their salvaged findings into the timeline of history. Coral reefs, tsunamis, cyclones, mangrove swamps, battles, and a criss-cross of sea routes in a high trading area combined with piracy have all contributed to shipwrecks in the Bay of Bengal.Marine Archaeology in India URL accessed 22 January 2007
Shipwrecks and important shipping incidences In chronological order: 1778 to 1783: The Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War or American War of Independence ranged as far as the Bay of Bengal. : Mornington ship burned in the Bay of Bengal.Shipwrecks 1816–1818 URL accessed 10 January 2015 1850: American clipper brig Eagle is supposed to have sunk in the Bay of Bengal.The Maritime Heritage Project: Gold Rush Ships, Passengers, Captains URL accessed 23 January 2007 American Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson died 12 April 1850 and was buried at sea in the Bay of Bengal. 1855: The Bark "Incredible" struck on a sunken rock in the Bay of Bengal.Shipping Notes from the 1800s – P.E.I. URL accessed 23 January 2007 1865: a gale dismasted the Euterpe while traversing the Bay of Bengal typhoon. 1875: Veleda - 76 m (250 ft) long and 15 m (50 ft) wide. It is part of a current salvage operation.Diving-News.com » Wrecks URL accessed 23 January 2007 1914: September 10 - SS Indus: A steamship that was captured and scuttled by SMS Emden. 1942: Japanese cruiser Yura of the Second Expeditionary Fleet, Malay Force, attacked merchant ships in the Bay of Bengal. April 7 - SS Selma City: Attacked by Japanese bombers in the Bay of Bengal, about 25 miles (40 km) offshore from Vizagapatam, India. April 9 - HMS Hermes: The world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier, which sunk after receiving 40 direct hits from 70 Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter/bombers off the coast of Sri Lanka. 1971: December 3 – Pakistan Navy submarine PNS Ghazi sunk under mysterious circumstances, near Visakhapatnam, in the Bay of Bengal.
Significance
Economic importance
One of the first trading ventures along the Bay of Bengal was The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies, more commonly referred to as the British East India Company. Gopalpur-on-Sea was one of their main trading centers. Other trading companies along the Bay of Bengal shorelines were the English East India Company and the French East India Company.Nabataea: Trade on the Bay of Bengal URL accessed 21 January 2007
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) supports free trade internationally around the Bay of Bengal between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project is a new venture proposed which would create a channel for a shipping route to link the Gulf of Mannar with the Bay of Bengal. This would connect India from east to west without the necessity of going around Sri Lanka.
Thoni and catamaran fishing boats of fishing villages thrive along the Bay of Bengal shorelines. Fishermen can catch between 26 and 44 species of marine fish. In one year, the average catch is two million tons of fish from the Bay of Bengal alone. Approximately 31% of the world's coastal fishermen live and work on the bay.
Geostrategic importance
The Bay of Bengal is centrally located in South and Southeast Asia. It lies at the center of two huge economic blocks, the SAARC and ASEAN. It influences China's southern landlocked region in the north and major sea ports of Bangladesh and India. China, India, and Bangladesh have forged naval cooperation agreements with Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia to increase cooperation in checking terrorism in the high seas. The Bay of Bengal's connection of South Asia to East Asia has aided in Bangladesh's efficiency of distributing natural gas to the Asia Pacific.
Its outlying islands (the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and, most importantly, major ports such as Chittagong, Mongla, Payra, Paradip, Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Tuticorin, along its coast with the Bay of Bengal added to its importance.
China has made efforts to project influence into the region through tie-ups with Myanmar and Bangladesh. The United States has held major exercises with Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and recently India. The largest ever wargame in Bay of Bengal, known as Malabar 2007, was held in 2007 and naval warships from the United States, India, Singapore, Japan and Australia took part.
Large deposits of natural gas in the areas within Bangladesh's sea zone incited a serious urgency by India and Myanmar into a territorial dispute. Disputes over rights of some oil and gas blocks have caused brief diplomatic spats between Myanmar and India with Bangladesh.