The history of theBengali Hindus in Myanmar dates back to the Middle Ages, when theArakanese kings broughtBrahmins fromBengal as astrologers andDoms as cleaners of thepagoda compounds inArakan.[1] After the annexation of Burmese kingdom by the British, the Bengali Hindus arrived inBritish Burma in various capacities. A large section came as white collared executives in the administration, while a smaller proportion came as labourers in various projects. By the 1920s, the Bengali Hindus constituted a thriving community in the urban centres like Rangoon,Mandalay,Mawlamyine, Bassein andSittwe. Starting with theanti-Indian movements in the late 1930s, the Bengali Hindus began to leave British Burma in hundreds. After the independence and especially the 1962 coup, large numbers of Bengali Hindus left for India.
At present, theBengali Hindu population is concentrated in the cities ofYangon andSittwe and in some of the semi-urban and rural areas ofRakhine State. The estimated population quoted in various source range between 10,000 and 56,000. TheBengali Hindus are not recognized as full citizens as per the 1982 law, but are entitled to hold the ID Card for National Verification.
InMyanmar, the citizenship issue of theRohingyas has led to identity crisis among the Bengali Hindu population. While the Rohingyas prefer to use the term Rohingya to identify themselves, the Myanmar authorities insist on using the term Bengalis for the Rohingyas. As the Rohingyas are considered as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, the Bengali Hindus in Rakhine State shun the usage of the term Bengali to identify themselves. They prefer to identify themselves asBurmese Hindus.
In the recent times, theBengali Hindus have started wearing small armbands to distinguish themselves from the Rohingya.[2] The Bengali Hindu women have started wearing bindis to distinguish themselves from theRohingyas.[3]
In 1962, after the coup, an estimated 300,000 Indians were forced to leave Burma. The repatriates included a significant number of Bengali Hindus of East Bengal origin. The Bengali Hindu returnees were settled in four camps inKamarhati,Barasat,Bongaon andHasnabad, in the 24 Parganas district ofWest Bengal.[4]