Kingdom of Sikkim
Kingdom of Sikkim | ||||||||
Protectorate of the British Empire in India (1861–1947) Protectorate of India (1947-1975) |
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Capital | Yuksom Gangtok |
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Languages | Sikkimese, Nepali | |||||||
Religion | Buddhism | |||||||
Government | Monarchy | |||||||
History | ||||||||
• | Established | 1642 | ||||||
• | Phuntsog Namgyal ascended the throne | 1642 | ||||||
• | Palden Thondup Namgyal forced to abdicate | 1975 | ||||||
• | Disestablished | 16 May 1975 | ||||||
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Today part of | India |
The Kingdom of Sikkim was a hereditary monarchy from 1642 to 16 May 1975 in the Eastern Himalayas. It was ruled by a hereditary Chogyal (Kings). In the mid-18th century, Sikkim was invaded by Nepal (then the Gorkha Kingdom) and was under the Gorkha rule for more than 25 years. Between 1785 and 1815, almost 100,000 ethnic Nepali people from Eastern and Central Nepal migrated to Sikkim and settled down after pledging allegiance to the Chogyal. However, with the arrival of the British in neighbouring India, Sikkim allied itself with them as they had a common enemy – Nepal. The infuriated Nepalese attacked Sikkim with vengeance, overrunning most of the region including the Terai. This prompted the British East India Company to attack Nepal resulting in the Gurkha War in 1814. The Sugauli Treaty between Britain and Nepal and the Treaty of Titalia between Sikkim and British India returned territory annexed by the Nepalese to Sikkim in 1817. Under the 1861 Treaty of Tumlong it became a British protectorate, then an Indian protectorate in 1950. Sikkim was formally annexed by India in 1975 and it became one of the states of India. In culture and religion, it was linked closely with Tibet, from which its first king migrated, and Bhutan, with which it shares borders. The presence of a large ethnic Nepali population, mainly from the Eastern and Central Nepal, also leads to cultural linkages with Nepal.
List of Chogyals of Sikkim (1642–1975)
# | Reign | Portrait | Ruler | Events during reign |
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1 | 1642–1670 | Phuntsog Namgyal | Ascended the throne and was consecrated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim. Made Yuksom 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 Nepal. | |
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 | Tshudpud Namgyal | The longest-reigning Chogyal of Sikkim. Shifted the capital from Rabdentse to Tumlong. The 1817 Treaty of Titalia between Sikkim and British India was signed under which territories lost to Nepal were returned to Sikkim. Darjeeling was gifted to British India in 1835. Two Britons, Dr. Arthur Campbell and Dr. Joseph 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 | ||
9 | 1874–1914 | Thutob Namgyal | John 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 | The shortest-reigning Chogyal of Sikkim, ruled from 10 February to 5 December 1914. Died of heart failure, aged 35, in suspicious circumstances. | |
11 | 1914–1963 | Tashi Namgyal | Treaty between India and Sikkim was signed in 1950, giving India suzerainty over Sikkim. | |
12 | 1963–1975 | Palden Thondup Namgyal | The 12th Chogyal, Indian sovereignty post plebiscite. |
The son from the first marriage of Palden Thondup Namgyal, Wangchuk Namgyal, was named the 13th Chogyal after his father's death on 29 January 1982, but the position no longer confers any official authority.
See also
External links
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