Htantlang Township

Thantlang Township ( also Htantlang Township) is one of nine townships in Chin State. Thantlang is the administrative town of inclusive eight circles (also called mountain ranges) attributed to the geographical and dialectical arrangements of the area. They are Vanzang Tlang (Vanzang circle), Zahnak Tlang (Zahnak circle), Bual Tlang (Bual circle), Lautu Tlang (Lautu circle), Mara Tlang (Mara circle), Vailam Tlang (Vailam circle), Zophei Tlang (Zophei circle)and Bawipa Tlang (Bawipa circle). The name Bawipa is attributed to famous mount Bawipa although villages in the circle majorly speak Zophei dialect .

A variety of languages are spoken in Thantlang township, including Lautu, Zophei, Senthang, Lai and Mara. The western border of the township that separates it from India is formed by the Tyao River from the north, and the Kaladan River (known locally as the Boinu River) from the south which flow together at 22°47′10″N 93°05′45″E.

History of Htantlang

"Thlantlang" means cemetery mountain. Prior to 1995, there were many old cemeteries on the south side of the mountain above the main town, where subsequently the Burmese military build a camp and a pagoda. Briefly, in the early 2000s, a small piece of northeastern Thantlang Township, namely the village tracts of: Lungding, Tikhuangtum, Tlangkhua, Tlangpi, Tlangte, northern Vanzang (Farrawn), and Zangtlang, was transferred to Falam Township. However, in 2008, in the reorganization of Chin State townships, these village tracts were restored.