Panduranga (Champa)

On 22 March 1471, after the loss of the capital Vijaya to the Vietnamese force under Le Thanh Tong, a Cham general, Bố Trì Trì (T'chai Ya Ma Fou Ngan in Chinese annals), had fled to Phan Rang and set up his own rule. On 29 March, he submitted to Thanh Tong as vassal. Thanh Tong agreed, but he divided the Cham remnants into three smaller polities: Kauthara, Panduranga, and the northern part of Central Highlands.[1] Champa was reduced in six regions: Aia Ru (Phú Yên), Aia Trang (Khánh Hòa), Panrang (Phan Rang), Kraong (Long Hương), Parik (Phan Rí Cửa) and Pajai (Phú Hài). Panduranga continued to send tribute to the Dai Viet court until Mac Dang Dung usurped power from the Le in 1526.[2]

The last diplomatic mission between Champa and China was arranged in 1543.[3][4]

During the sixteenth century, as Dai Viet fragmented in the north, Panduranga Champa again gained prosper from the rise of the international trade. Throughout the seventeenth century, Cham merchants traded actively in Siam, Manila, Macao, Malacca, Johor, Pahang, Patani, and Makassar. A Spanish record reported that "many Muslims live in Champa, whose Hindu king wanted Islam to be spoken and taught, resulted in many mosques existed along with Hindu temples.[5] The Bani Cham religion was formed as a combination of Chamic-Hindu traditions and Shi'a faiths.

In 1578, Panduranga assaulted Nguyen lord's domain near Đà Rằng River.[6] In 1594, Champa sent its troops to aid the Johor Sultanate in struggles against the Portuguese.[7] Governor of Malina, Luis Pérez Dasmariñas (fl. 1593–96) sent a letter to the court of king Philip II in late 1595, antagonizing the Cham king as "a vicious dangerous tyrant who was treacherous and full of evil deeds," while his second letter suggested that just around 200–300 Spanish soldiers and 500 local mercenaries would be needed to conquer Champa.

In 1611, in an attempt to retake land from the Nguyen lord, Champa mounted an attack in Phu Yen, but gained no success, and the Kauthara principality was lost to the Nguyen after a counterattack. Albeit had been reduced to a small insignificant power 100 years ago, the Cham polity was making its last successes in late 16th-early 17th century along the rising Islamic faith in Southeast Asia.[8]

With the rise of nearby Hội An, most foreign traders now were leaving Champa. Japanese seal trade ships ceased to trade with Champa in 1623.[9] In 1611, lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen sent an army led by Văn Phong attacked Panduranga, annexed entire the Kauthara Principality. Nguyen lord then resettled 30,000 Trinh POWs in Phu Yen.[10]

During the reign of Po Rome (r. 1627–1651), Dutch merchants were allowed to freely trade in the country.[11] Po Rome was known for his sojourn study in Kelantan, Malay Peninsula, and the conversion to Islam by his people. King Po Rome is an important deity that is still venerated by the Cham today. The lunisolar sakawi calendar, was likely Po Rome's best combination of previous Cham Śaka era with the Islamic lunar calendar. In 1653 or 1655, Po Nraup raided Phu Yen. Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần responded by sent an army of 3,000 under Hùng Lộc attacked Panduranga, arrested Po Nraup in front of French missionary Joseph Tissanier (1618–1688). The Vietnamese then annexed Cam Ranh, set up Khánh Hòa Province.[12]

The Nguyen and Mạc lords from Dai Viet, who had heavily influenced on Cambodian politics since the sixteenth century, have claimed Bien Hoa in 1658. Panduranga was surrounded by Nguyen lord in both north and south.[13] In 1692, lord Nguyễn Phúc Chu invaded Panduranga, arrested King Po Sout and renamed Champa to Trấn Thuận Thành (Principality of Thuận Thành). The lord established Bình Thuận District inside the Principality as free lands for ethnic Viet settler colonialism.[14] In December 1693, Cham people revolted against Nguyen lord, called for independence. Because of the movement's pressures, Nguyễn Phúc Chu decided to abolish the Bình Thuận District in 1695, and agreed to grant the Cham rulers autonomy.[15]