Chi Tu

Chi Tu (Malay: Tanah Merah) is an ancient kingdom mentioned in the history of China. The Sui Dynasty (581-618) annals describe an advanced kingdom called Chi Tu. The location of Chi Tu was disputed to be around Kelantan or Pahang state in Malay Peninsula, or in Songkhla and Pattani Province of southern Thailand. The best evidence to support the Kelantan theory was when the envoys left Chi Tu, the sail took 10 days to reach Champa, this indicates the kingdom was located somewhere ‘red earth’ around the main river of Kelantan. The inscribed Buddhagupta Stone found in Kedah mentioned a Raktamrttika, the meaning is red earth land.