RC holders will be chased away if Congress is back: Bhandari
source: iSikkim
Sikkim Subject Bachao Abhiyan reaches Singtam
Singtam, Jan. 21, 2011:
Under the ‘Sikkim Subject Bachao Abhiyan’ Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) organized a public meeting today at Singtam Bazaar.
Addressing the gathering Mr. Nar Bahadur Bhandari president, SPCC appealed the citizens not to accept Residential Certificate (RC). He said that if any citizen accepts RC and if the government of Congress comes into power then those RC holders will be chased away from the state of Sikkim and for that act the congress government will not at all be responsible.
Mr. Bhandari stated that RC is totally against the people of Sikkim as the benefit out of RC will be reaped by the influx population. Mr. Bhandari stressed that the RC distribution issue has disturbed the state and affected the special provision of Article 371F and Sikkim Subject.
Mr. Bhandari adding further informed that the issuance of notification on RC does not rest with the state government rather than the central government as the citizenship issue is very sensitive. During Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) government as well the RC was distributed state wide but only after central government’s verification.
Mr. Bhandari also said that SPCC is fighting for the rights of Sikkimese and their party is not against the business community rather 1975 should be accepted as cutoff year for RC distribution in the state. Congress party is ready to speak in center for Business community settled in state for their rights and privileges too. Alleging the CM Pawan Chamling he said that Mr. Chamling through RC is trying to increase influx rate in state but SPCC totally condemns this act of the CM.
On the issue of Pink Card Mr. Bhandari alleged that the Panchayats in the name of issuance of Pink Card have charged money from the innocent people. About Limboo’s, reservation of seat in the assembly Mr. Bhandari said that the CM till date is playing games and cheating the innocent Limboo citizens by reserving seat in the Assembly. CM Pawan Chamling has violated the Article 371F and even destroyed the natural resources of the state by introduction numerous Hydro Power Projects across the state. Mr. Bhandari concluded by alleging CM to be corrupt and communal leader. He saluted the movement of Gorkhaland saying the people of Darjeeling are fighting for their rights which needs to be learned, adopted by the Sikkimese people as well.
(Courtesy: Sikkim Mail)
THE OLD SETTLERS OF SIKKIM....................e.newsletter of the old settlers living in Sikkim prior to its merger with India who have a history of 130 years in Sikkim: .....Editor: S K Sarda
Friday, January 21, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
RC holders will get a ‘Green Card’ and Sikkim Subject holders will get a ‘Pink Card’: Pawan Chamling
CM inaugurates the Jorethang Maghey Sankrati Utsav, 2011
Chief Minister Pawan Chamling assured the people that the Residential Certificate will be issued keeping all the rules and regulations in mind and it will benefit the public as a whole.
The Residential Certificate holders will be issued with a ‘Green’ card and the Sikkim Subject holders will be issued a ‘Pink’ card. The process of issuing these certificates and cards will be done step by step in a proper way after careful inspection so that in future there will be no duplication of such certificates and cards in the State.
CM urged the people to support the State Government in the issuance of the Residential Certificates, pink and green cards. Adding further CM informed that RC and pink card is being issued to the Sikkimese for checking and controlling the influx in the state and those opposing the issue are anti Sikkim and the people at large. CM added that the opposition parties in the state are only creating propaganda and misleading the innocent people and are trying to disturb the peace, security of the state which the government and party have been maintaining and focusing upon.
CM asserted that those speaking against this issue needs to be asked as to how Sikkim Subject and Article 371F is being violated as on the basis of Sikkim subject only the Central Income Tax has been exempted in the state, he further added that rather the value of Sikkim Subject has increased.
Similarly countering Mr. NB Bhandari he said that he is very flexible in his speech and thought as he speaks one thing in Center (Delhi) and other in the State. He further said that sixteen years of SDF rule has been over successfully and this is the seventeenth of its glorious rule in Sikkim and during these sixteen years many visions have been fulfilled.
He assured that within 2015 Sikkim will be the first State in North East having 100% literacy rate and a model state which will set an example for all the other States of the country. Lambasting the opposition parties in the State, Mr Chamling said that opposition people are exploiting and misguiding the people. Directing the Police department he said that although Sikkim is a heavenly place for Police but still there are illegal drug peddling for which the Police Department should be vigilant and nab the peddlers and make Sikkim a drug free State.
He also assured to the State Police personnel of promotion and good service facilities for their hard work. Highlighting upon the Cooperative Societies which is one of the major step to solve the problem of unemployed educated youths where maximum work is done under this programme and the priority will be given to the young and educated youths.
Congratulating the organizing committee of the Jorethang Maghey Sankranti Utsav CM said that the committee is doing a remarkable job by organizing such mela here in Jorethang every year where people come together form every corner of the state and celebrate Sankranti festival with each other. Finally he added to make Sikkim a model State each and every citizen should take its own responsibility and do their work. Before inaugurating the Makar Sankranti Utsab, 2011 CM inaugurated the Green Park at S.N.T. Complex, Jorethang and a parking plaza. Similarly CM inaugurated and inspected the Paras Mela of Jorethang.
Similar to every year the much loved Jorethang Mela will last for three days. Along with the games, stalls and other extravaganzas the finals of the Inter Constituency Level Women’s Football Tournament was held today and the finals of Volley Ball and Men’s Football Tournament will be held on 16th and 17th January, simultaneously.
Courtesy: Sikkim Mail
Sikkim in Transition
Early Days:
When the era of Kingdom started and the many land came under the clout of kings, Sikkim still remained a tribaldom. Tribes were fragmented with different leaders heading them. Every tribe was far from contemporary development and led a very nomadic life. Amongst the various tribes constituting the inhabitants of the then Sikkim, the Lepcha tribe was solely led by the “Panu”. The Bhutia tribe was ruled by their religious head. The Tsongs were administered by their elected head, the Subba, while the Mangars leadership rested on the mighty and hardy of the tribe.
tribes
The Lepchas, even then, were considered as the original dwellers of Sikkim. Any tribe who came later to Sikkim had no penitence to consider “Panu”, the Lepcha leader as the supreme head. Though the day to day affairs were govern by the elected tribe leader.
All the tribes were governed democratically. This system survived until the end of the 14th century. Since, these tribes led the nomadic life, raising animals, mainly cattle and sheep, was the main occupation of the people. Agriculture was far from being accepted as a way of life to augment the economic well-being. The people of this land in those days, therefore, practiced and enjoyed a unique form of democracy and freedom where the concept of class was totally absent. There was no segregation between rich and poor, master and slave. Even the institution of marriage never existed as the moral and legal practice.
Even though the “Panu” and other leaders of the clan commanded unique status during the period of crisis that often led to physical combats based on strength. These leaders from Panu, in normal times of peace and tranquility, were always among equals. For this reason, the electing of a leader from Lepcha’s Panu downward was strictly based on physical strength and fighting ability.
Sikkim: The Kingdom
The Monarchy in Sikkim survived for 330 years. In the year 1642 Phuntso Namgyal, the fifth generation descendant of Guru Tashi, was enthroned as the Chogyal (King) by the Lamas. However, neighbour kingdom like Nepal and Tibet were already under the monarchy and witnessed the power struggle. Gradually, Sikkim also became the dome for supremacy, ending the absolute democracy.
This transition changed many things and especially the life style of Sikkimese. Animal raising, which till now accounted for the economic well being took the back seat. It paved way to agriculture which only helped the monarchy get stronger. Agriculture became the mainstay of earnings and animal farming augmented the side income. In order to scale up agricultural productivity the skilled labours were brought in from the neighbouring states. These men started marrying many women. But this was not accepted in the society and an institution of marriage was founded.
The king along with his kiths and kins began willfully to run the administration of the country. Dictatorial rule in its milder form came into being to ensure that the palace was the ultimate authority and that all power flowed from there. In the capital itself, some noblemen close to the palace became absolute masters to rule over those sections of the populace who came directly under their influence. The people under such feudal overlords were subjected to ruthless oppression and subjugation.
Many a times, due to conflicts and external attacks, King and his followers had to flee the palace, seeking safety elsewhere. In spite of such early uncertainties that plagued his rule, the Namgyal dynasty continued to rule over Sikkim for 330 years – in itself a unique record.
Sikkim under the British Raj
At the time when Nepal was flexing its muscles to expand its territory, Sikkim’s neighbor, India was already under the British control. That brought the conflict of interest between the Ghorka’s expansionist ambitions and the British tactical policies.
visit to India
The Sugauli Treaty of 1815-16 put a final stop to Nepal’s ambition of conquest and as per terms and conditions laid down in the said treaty, Nepal had to surrender whatever territories it won over and annexed of Sikkim back to the Sukhimpatti, the King. Despite the fact that the Treaty of Sugauli enabled Sikkim to retrieve its lost territories, the next two years saw the whole of Sikkim being annexed by the Raj under the Treaty of Tittalia, thus bringing the sovereignty of Sikkim under the hegemony of the British Raj. Even a territory like Darjeeling with its unique scenic beauty and salubrious mountain climate was annexed to the Raj in 1833.
It was during the reign of Dewan Namgyal (Pagla Dewan) that Sikkim had somehow attained its peak of power when the ruling monarch had made some determined gestures to assert his country’s independent status. In spite of this the Treaty of 1861 between Sikkim and the East India Company only served to make Sikkim all the more dependent on its giant neighbour to the south. When the Company Raj decided to establish a trading relation with Tibet, Sikkim was reduced to the status of a buffer state between China in the north and British India to the South.
Sikkim: Inroads to Democracy and the fall of Kingdom
Just after the India’s independence, the demand for political liberalization in Sikkim started.
The Sikkim State Congress (SSC) was formed in 1947. The party insisted on the abolition of feudal land holdings, formation of an interim government with the representation of popular leaders and eventually a merger with India. The Indian government convinced the King to introduce land reforms and install a government with two representative from Kings side and three nominees from SSC. India, at that point of time, was not keen on Sikkim’s merger with the Indian Union. That’s how India balanced the power centers in Sikkim for the sake of peace and stability.
members_of_first_sikkim_legislative_assembly_603
The inherent political contradictions between the Maharaja and the popular representatives, with Crown Prince working the popular ministry all the time, did not allow the compromise devised by India to function. The popular representatives threatened to resign from the government and to resume their agitation for democratization. The Indian Political Officer interveened in favour of the Maharaja by dismissing all the popular representatives.
To access the situation created by the agitation, Nehru had sent his Deputy Minister of External Affairs to Sikkim. He, it seems, went back with the impression that the Maharaja would be a better ally in strengthening India’s security interests in Sikkim than the democratic leaders. That is why, soon after the Minister’s departure, the Indian representative in Gantok dismissed the popular government and took the administration in his own hands. That was the end of struggle for democracy in Sikkim. Subsequently, India continued to strengthen Sikkim Monarchy in the interest of stability until the beginning of the seventies, when again, the larger interests of India’s perceived security, democratic movement was encouraged and Sikkim was eventually integrated into the Indian Uni
How Sikkim was won! The British Experience
By: Joydeep Hazarika
On 14th April, 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state of the Indian Union. Sikkim, regarded as one of the Seven Sister states of northeast India, has a stormy history when we look into its accession into the Indian Union. For centuries Sikkim had remained a Shangri-La for most outsiders. With its rich culture influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, Sikkim has always offered an oriental treat that is rarely seen in South Asia.
Sikkim’s first inhabitants were the Lepchas and Rongs. They were later absorbed into the later invading tribes and clans that overran the land in the coming centuries. Sikkim finds mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as Indrakil or “Garden of Lord Indra.” The spread of Buddhism in Sikkim is attributed to Guru Rinpoche who came to the land in the 9th century AD. According to legend the Guru blessed the land, introduced Buddhism to Sikkim and also foretold the era of the monarchy in the state, which would arrive centuries later.
In 1642, the fifth generation descendant of Guru Tashi, Phuntsog Namgyal was consecrated as the first Denjong Gyalpo or the Chogyal (king) of Sikkim by the three great Lamas who came from the north, west and south to Yuksom Norbugang in West Sikkim. The event, Naljor Chezhi, was as predicted by Guru Rinpoche some eight hundred years before. This historical gathering of the three virtuous lamas is called Yuksom, which in Lepcha means the ‘Three Superior Ones’. The Chogyal, along with the three lamas proselytised the Lepcha tribes into Buddhism and annexed the Chumbi Valley, the present-day Darjeeling district and parts of today’s eastern Nepal. For centuries, Sikkim was ruled by these Chogyal monarchs who had titular privileges from the Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Sikkim had always attracted attention from outsiders. More so, because of its strategic location due to which it was viewed as an easy passageway to Tibet. Sikkim’s first brush with trouble from the outside world started when it was invaded by Nepal in 1700 AD. Sikkim lost much of its territory to Nepal and continued sharing an uneasy relationship with it throughout the medieval period. The arrival of the British in India saw Sikkim allying itself with them as they had a common enemy- Nepal. The Nepalis used to carry out frequent raids into the British territories in India. British India successfully befriended Sikkim. They felt that by doing so the expanding powers of the Gorkhas would be curtailed. British also looked forward to establishing trade link with Tibet and it was felt that the route through Sikkim was the most feasible one.
Sikkim’s developing relations with the British invited the ire of Nepal and it attacked Sikkim again with vengeance. This prompted the British to intervene and thus started the Gurkha War in 1814. In this war, Nepal was defeated and as a result the Treaty of Sugauli was signed between them. As a direct spin-off, British India signed another treaty with Sikkim in 1817 known as the Treaty of Titalia in which former territories, which the Nepalis had captured, were restored to Sikkim. H. H. Risley had written in the Gazette of Sikkim in 1894, “By the Treaty of Titalia, British India has assumed the position of Lord’s paramount of Sikkim and a title to exercise a predominant influence in that State has remained undisputed.” And this paved the way for a curious relationship between the Sikkimese and the British.
Meanwhile, the British viewed Sikkim as a gateway to Tibet and possibilities to explore the ancient Silk Route lightened up. However ties between Sikkim and India grew sour with the taxation of the area of Morang by the British. In 1835, Sikkim was forced to cede the town of Darjeeling to the British on the condition that a compensation of Rs 35,000 is paid to them. The British however did not pay the compensation as had been stipulated and this led to a quick deterioration of relations between the two countries. There were also differences between the British Government and Sikkim over the status of people of Sikkim. Because of the increased importance of Darjeeling as a hill resort and a frontier outpost to Tibet and Sikkim, many citizens of Sikkim mostly of the labour class started to settle there as British subjects. The migration disturbed the feudal lords in Sikkim who resorted to forcibly getting the migrants back to Sikkim. This annoyed the British Government, which considered this as an act of kidnapping British citizens.
There were also occasional hiccups in the British-Sikkimese relationship. In 1849, Dr. Campbell, the Superintendent of Darjeeling, and Dr. Hooker, a visiting botanist, were captured and detained in Sikkim. The next year, a strong force was sent to rescue them and the subsequent uprising by the Sikkimese was suppressed. The settlement of a large number of Nepali migrants in Sikkim also caused tensions between the Chogyal and the British especially because the latter favoured their presence in the state. The presence of the British in Sikkim also worried the Tibetans who had always regarded Sikkim as their satellite state. The heavy inroads that the British made into Sikkim led the Tibetans into conflict with the British in 1888. But these were easily quelled away.
Throughout the British regime, Sikkim remained as a protectorate state of the British Empire with the Chogyal monarch as its head. The Britishers appointed Claude White as the first political officer in Sikkim in 1889 and the then Chogyal Thutob Namgyal was virtually under his supervision. Thutob Namgyal shifted the capital from Tumlong to Gangtok in 1894.
Although there were occasional skirmishes between the Sikkimese and the British expeditioners, relations between the two remained more or less peaceful throughout the period. And in 1947, Sikkim passed over as a protectorate state to independent India. Sikkim’s assimilation into India is a different affair altogether. And this shows how democratic aspirations got the better of monarchy afterall.
Read more about Sikkim merger in “How Sikkim was won! Tryst with India”
(Joydeep Hazarika belongs from Guwahati, Assam. He is currently based in Delhi as an Associate Producer with Doordarshan. He is an aspiring writer and takes keen interest in photography and cartooning
How Sikkim was won! Tryst with India
When India gained independence in 1947, the privileges that were enjoyed by the British Government in Sikkim passed over to the new independent regime of India. Sikkim, along with the other Princely states formed a great dilemma to the Indian leaders who had to bring in these states for the purpose of a united Indian Union. But compared to the other Princely states, the process applied for Sikkim was somewhat different and it was given up to gradual and slow assimilation in contrast to other Princley states such as Hyderabad and Kashmir.
During the time of independence, the then Chogyal Tashi Namgyal was successful in getting a special protectorate status for Sikkim. This was in face of stiff resistance from local parties like Sikkim State Congress who wanted a democratic setup and accession of Sikkim to the Union of India. These political parties which rose as a consequence of the rise of various political parties in India were to play a great role in Sikkim’s absorption into India. Most of these parties, like the Sikkim State Congress, were dominated by Nepali migrants who resented the domination of the Chogyal. And their best bet in this regard was the increasing Indian influence in the state machinery of Sikkim.
Sikkim had retained guarantees of independence from Britain when she became independent, and such guarantees were transferred to the Indian government when it gained independence in 1947. A popular vote for Sikkim to join the Indian Union failed and India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to a special protectorate status for Sikkim. Sikkim was to be a tributary of India, in which India controlled its external defence, diplomacy and communication. A state council was established in 1955 to allow for constitutional government for the Chogyal, which was sustained until 1973.
During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, Sikkim became one of the bones of contentions with the Chinese. As China regarded Sikkim as a part of Tibet because of its Buddhist affiliations, it refused to see it as a part of India or even status quo. Skirmishes occurred and this resulted in the old Nathula Pass being closed with it being finally reopened in 2006. Sikkim along with Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh form the trio who prefer Indian occupation to the Chinese after witnessing the Tibetan experience.
The old ruler Tashi Namgyal died in 1963 after suffering from cancer. The last hereditary ruler, the Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, ascended the throne in 1965. Trouble began to brew for the Chogyal even before he assumed the throne, as Prime Minister Nehru, who had carefully preserved Sikkim’s status as an independent protectorate, died in 1964. His daughter Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966, and being the authoritarian that she was, she had little patience for maintaining an independent Sikkim or its monarchy. The reigning Chogyal was viewed by India as politically dangerous, especially after his American wife, Hope Cooke, published a journal article advocating a return of certain former Sikkimese properties.
By the beginning of 1970, there were tremors in the political ranks and file of the State, which demanded the removal of Monarchy and the establishment of a democratic setup. This finally culminated in wide spread agitation against Sikkim Durbar in 1973.There was a complete collapse in the administration. The Indian Government tried to bring about a semblence of order in the state by appointing a Chief administrator Mr. B. S. Das. Cold relations between the Chogyal and the Kazi (Prime Minister) Lendup Dorji saw further events which resulted in elections in the state which finally paved way for the weakening of the institution of monarchy and Sikkim transformed from a protectorate state to an associate State. On 4th September 1974, Kazi Lendup Dorji, who was also the leader of the Sikkim Congress, was elected as the Chief Minister of the state. The Chogyal however still remained as the constitutional figure head monarch in the new setup. Mr. B. B. Lal was the first Governor of Sikkim. In this, the Kazi played a pivotal role in Sikkim’s assimilation into India as a full-fledged state and bringing about democratic aspirations among the Sikkimese youth who began to view the Chogyal monarch as a symbol of tyranny.
Matters came to a head in 1975 when the Kazi appealed to the Indian Parliament for representation and a change of status to statehood. On April 14, 1975, a referendum was held, in which Sikkim voted to merge with the union of India. Sikkim became the 22nd Indian State on April 26, 1975. On May 16, 1975, Sikkim officially became a state of the Indian Union and Lendup Dorji became head of State (Chief Minister). This was promptly recognised by the United Nations and all countries except China.
The 1979 assembly election saw Nar Bahadur Bhandari elected as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. Bhandhari held on to win again in 1984 and 1989. In 1994, Assembly politician Pawan Kumar Chamling became the Chief Minister of Sikkim. In 1999 and 2004, Chamling consolidated his position to sweep the polls. China’s attitude on Sikkim also changed over the period. In 2003, with the thawing of ties between the two nations, Sikkim was finally recognised to be a part of India by China. The two governments also proposed to open the Nathula and Jelepla Passes in 2005.
Sikkim’s assimilation into India is a curious blend of politics and strategy. The end of monarchy and the augmentation of democratic setup heralded a new era for Sikkim from where today it is one of the most peaceful states in India. The policies that were advocated for Sikkim show as to how the institution of monarchy was gradually weakened and the democratic aspirations resulted in the concrete entry of Indian power into Sikkim’s state machinery. The fear psychosis against China was also a major factor here. Personal politics and cult domination have played their part as well. Nobody can refute the contribution of Kazi Lendup Dorji in Sikkim’s assimilation into India. Many intellectuals wonder if the strategy of Sikkim’s assimilation process could have been used in other princely states such as Kashmir for better results. Though that is highly debatable, the fact remains that in Sikkim’s case the right policies were used to make it an integral part of India.
(Joydeep Hazarika belongs from Guwahati, Assam. He is currently based in Delhi as an Associate Producer with Doordarshan. He is an aspiring writer and takes keen interest in photography and cartooning
Sikkim: Where There’s Hope
isikkim.com will now bring its readers some selected articles published in foreign media on Sikkim. “Sikkim: Where There’s Hope” is from the TIME Magazine.
Guests in top hats and cutaways mingled with others in fur-flapped caps and knee-length yakskin boots last week outside the tiny Buddhist chapel in Sikkim’s dollhouse Himalayan capital of Gangtok. Wedding parcels from Tiffany’s were piled side by side with bundled gifts of rank-smelling tiger and leopard skins. Over 28,146-ft. Mount Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain and Sikkim’s “protecting deity,” hung a blue haze. It was an “auspicious sign,” said Gangtok astrologers, for the wedding of a quiet, blue-eyed New York girl, Hope Cooke, 22, and Gyalsay Rimpoche Maha-rajkumar Palden Thondup Namgyal, 39, crown prince of the Indian protectorate of Sikkim, a tiny territory the size of Delaware, which has 3,000 varieties of rhododendrons, and where, according to local legend, the devils always travel uphill.
The American Touch. The ward of former U.S. Ambassador to Iran Selden Chapin and a graduate in Oriental studies from Sarah Lawrence.* Hope met her widowed future husband four years ago while she was vacationing at the Indian resort of Darjeeling. But when the couple announced plans to marry last year, Sikkimese soothsayers forced the postponement of the wedding because of their forecast that 1962 was “a black year” for the marriage. Thus Hope had to wait until last week to become the first American girl to wed royalty since the daughter of a former Philadelphia bricklayer married Monaco’s Prince Rainier in 1956.
Hope’s wedding dress was a wraparound, frost-white brocade silk mokey, held in at the waist by a gold belt, from which hung a small dagger. To ward off evil spirits, Hope pressed her hand into a piece of dough. A pair of holy men conducted her to the chapel, where she was greeted by a fanfare of trumpeting, 10-ft.-long Himalayan horns, braying conch shells, and booming bass drums. Outside the chapel door was the only distinctively American touch in the $60,000 Buddhist rite—a mat on which was written in English, “Good Luck.”
Billions of Deities. During the 50-minute Buddhist ceremony, Hope sat on a throne slightly lower than that of the crown prince, who in turn was seated lower than his father, the 69-year-old Maharajah of Sikkim. After drinking tea laced with yak butter, a red-robed Buddhist lama in a flame-shaped hat invoked the blessings of the snow lions and billions of other Sikkimese deities. No wedding vows were spoken; the couple merely exchanged 12-ft.-long white silk scarves, which were hung around each other’s neck to seal their marriage contract.
The end of the ceremony set off a four-day celebration in Gangtok, whose normal population of 12,000 swelled to 15,000 for the event. Mountain tribesmen in blue pajamalike clothes danced in the streets. Mixing happily with the celebrators, Hope settled into her new role with aplomb. When a pigtailed Sikkimese girl asked for her autograph, the new crown princess signed without a moment’s hesitation: “Hope Namgyal.”
* Hope is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John J. Cooke. When her parents were divorced, custody of Hope was given to her mother. When her mother died, she became the ward of her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester Noyes. When they died, she became the ward of her uncle, Ambassador Chapin.
Courtesy: TIME Magazine
This article was published in TIME Magazine on March 29, 1963
Chogyal (Kings) of Sikkim
The Chogyal were the monarchs of the former kingdoms of Sikkim and Ladakh, which were ruled by separate branches of the Namgyal family. The Chogyal or divine ruler was the absolute potentate of Sikkim from 1642 to 1975, when its monarchy was abrogated and its people voted to make Sikkim India’s 22nd state.
However, Chogyal meaning “Dharma Raja” or “Religious King” is a title which was also conferred upon a special class of temporal and spiritual rulers. In Bhutan, the Chogyal were also known as the Dharmaraja, or Kings of Dharma, and Shabdrung. In this context, the Chogyal was a recognized reincarnation (or succession of reincarnations) of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the 17th Century Tibetan-born founder of Bhutan. A position of supreme importance, the Bhutanese Chogyal was above the highest monastic authority, the Je Khempo, and the highest temporal ruler, the Deb Raja or Druk Desi.
The Tibetan Dzogchen teacher Namkhai Norbu holds this title as a recognized reincarnation of Ngawang Namgyel, and there is also a line of claimed reincarnations in Bhutan and India. The remainder of this article deals with the Chogyal of Sikkim. Sikkim was ruled by the Namgyal Monarchy (also called the Chogyal Monarchy), founded by the fifth-generation descendants of Guru Tashi, a prince of the Minyak House who came to Sikkim from the Kham district of Tibet. Chogyal means ‘righteous ruler,’ and was the title conferred upon Sikkim’s Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.
The reign of the Chogyal was foretold by the patron saint of Sikkim, Guru Rinpoche. The 8th century saint had predicted the rule of the kings when he arrived in the state. In 1642, Chogyal Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned as Sikkim’s first ruler in Yuksom. The crowning of the king was a great event and he was crowned by three revered lamas who arrived there from three different directions, namely the north, west and south of Sikkim.
Ascended the throne and was consecrated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim and made Yuksom as the capital.
| No. | Reigning Period | Ruler | Events during Reign |
| 1 | 1642-1670 | Phuntsog Namgyal | Ascended the throne and was consecrated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim and made Yuksom as the capital. |
| 2 | 1670-1700 | Tensung Namgyal | Shifted capital to Rabdentse from Yuksom |
| 3 | 1700-1717 | Chakdor Namgyal | His half-sister Pendiongmu tried to dethrone Chakdor, who fled to Lhasa, but was reinstated as king with the help of Tibetans. |
| 4 | 1717-1733 | Gyurmed Namgyal | Sikkim was attacked by Nepalese. |
| 5 | 1733-1780 | Phuntsog Namgyal II | Nepalese raided Rabdentse, the then capital of Sikkim |
| 6 | 1780-1793 | Tenzing Namgyal Chogyal | Fled to Tibet, and later died there in exile. |
| 7 | 1793-1863 | Tsugphud Namgyal | Shifted the capital from Rabanste to Tumlong. Treaty of Titalia in 1817 between Sikkim and British India was signed in which territories lost to Nepal were appropriated to Sikkim. Darjeeling was gifted to British India in 1835. Two Britons, Dr. Campbell and Dr. Hooker were captured by the Sikkimese in 1849. Hostilities between British India and Sikkim continued and led to a treaty signed, in which Darjeeling was ceded to British India. |
| 8 | 1863-1874 | Sidkeong Namgyal | Sidkeong Namgyal (1819 – 1874) was king of Sikkim from 1863 to 1874. He was son of Tsugphud Namgyal and was succeeded by his half-brother Thutob Namgyal. |
| 9 | 1874-1914 | Thutob Namgyal | Claude White appointed as the first political officer of Sikkim in 1889. Capital shifted from Tumlong to Gangtok in 1894. |
| 10 | 1914 | Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal | Treaty between India and Sikkim was signed in 1950 giving India suzerainty over Sikkim. |
| 11 | 1914-1963 | Tashi Namgyal | Tashi Namgyal was the son of Thutob Namgyal. Namgyal was the 11th ruler of the Namgyal dynasty of Sikkim, succeeding his half brother Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal, who had ruled from February to December in 1914, till his death from heart failure. Born in Tibet and crowned by the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso, he was a strong advocate for closer links with India. He was married in October 1918 to Kunzang Dechen, and they had 3 sons and 3 daughters. On his death he was succeeded as Chogyal by his son Palden Thondup Namgyal. During his life, he favoured closer links between Sikkim, India and Tibet. Although some conspiracy theorists attribute his death to Indian agents, such theories are widely discounted by most historians due to his excellent relations with India. About a decade after his death, his son Palden Thondup Namgyal, the incumbent hereditary Chogyal was formally deposed by the people of Sikkim who voted in a referendum (by a majority of 97%) to join the Indian Union. Palden Thondup Namgyal was widely unpopular among his people and the then democratically elected Prime Minister Lendup Dorji appealed to India to change the status of Sikkim from protectorate to statehood. On May 16, 1975, Sikkim was officially made the 22nd state of the Indian Union, thus ending the era of the Chogyal monarchy. |
| 12 | 1963-1975 | Palden Thodup Namgyel | Forced to abdicate after illness and a plebiscite. Married Hope Cooke, a US citizen. Died in 1982. |
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