Gangtok District | |
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   Changu Lake, view of Gangtok, Nathang Valley, Sikkim | |
 Gangtok district Location in Sikkim | |
| Coordinates:27°19′N88°36′E / 27.317°N 88.600°E /27.317; 88.600 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Sikkim |
| Headquarters | Gangtok |
| Government | |
| • District magistrate | Tushar Gajanan Nikhare[1] |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Sikkim Constituency |
| • Vidhan Sabha constituencies | |
| Area | |
• Total | 964 km2 (372 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 610 m (2,000 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 283,583 |
| • Density | 290/km2 (760/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-SK |
| Vehicle registration | SK-01, SK-08 |
| Major Highways | |
| Largest Stadium | Paljor Stadium, Gangtok |
| Website | gangtokdistrict |
Gangtok District[2] is an administrative district of theIndianstate ofSikkim. It was renamed in 2021 as a result of administrative reorganisation of the state, which also saw three subdivisions of the East Sikkim district spawned off as a separatePakyong district.[3]
The headquarters of the Gangtok district isGangtok, which is also the state capital. Gangtok is the hub of all administrative activity in the state. The district is bounded by the Pakyong district in the south and southeast,Bhutan in the east, thePeople's Republic of China in the northeast,Mangan District in the north andNamchi District in the west.
The civilian region is administered by adistrict collector, appointed by the state government. Amajor general is assigned to administer military forces in the district. As of 2011 it is the most populous of the sixdistricts of Sikkim.[4]
East Sikkim was part of the kingdom of Sikkim for most of its history. In the 19th century, the district was under the rule of theBhutanese. After the AngloBhutan War, the territory was virtually under the command of the British forces. AfterIndia's independence in 1947, the area was part of the kingdom of Sikkim under the protection of India. During theSino-Indian War of 1962, theNathula Pass witnessed a few skirmishes between India and China. In 1975, the Sikkim formally became part of the Indian Union as India's 22nd state. The district was under the occupation of the Nepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The district occupies an area of 560 km2 (220 sq mi).
The two important Mountain Passes of East Sikkim areNathula andJelepla, both passes connects Sikkim with China.
Military-wise, the district is a very sensitive area with theIndian army having control over most areas east of Gangtok and near its borders withPeople's Republic of China andBhutan. Visitors to this region are restricted and just a few areas are open to tourists in the areas east of Gangtok.
Popular tourist locales of East Sikkim andPakyong districts are theTsongmo Lake,Lake Menmecho,Dzuluk, Baba Mandir, Gnathang Valley,Elephant Lake Kupup, Lungthung View Point, Tukla Valley, Thambi View Point and theNathu La pass. The pass was first opened during the 1904Younghusband Expedition to Tibet.[5] It saw a tremendous boom in trade during 1950–1959 when the Chinese troops occupying Tibet were supplied through the pass.[6] The pass and Baba Mandir are open to Indian nationals only. To enter this region a special permit is required; theInner Line Permit has to be obtained one day prior to departure. This permit is made through local tourist offices. Other tourist areas include the town of Gangtok, thePhodong Monastery north of Gangtok and theRumtek Monastery.
Other special attractions in the Capital City Gangtok are M G Marg,Hanuman Tok, Ranka Monastery, Himalayan Zoological Park,Palzor Stadium, Tashi View Point, Pakyong Airport view Point. Zuluk And Gnathang Valley are famous attractions in East Sikkim.
Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary, andFambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary two famous wildlife sanctuaries lies in the East Sikkim district.
River Teesta, the largest river of state flows in East district fromDikchu toSingtam.
River Jaldhaka originates fromKupup and flows south east towardsBhutan,West Bengal andBangladesh.
Other major rivers of east sikkim areRanikhola,Ratey River,Roro River, Rangchang Khola etc.
List of important lakes of Gangtok district andPakyong District are:
Variety of plants and wildlife are found in the East Sikkim andPakyong District. The important ones areRed panda the state animal,Blood pheasant, the state bird,Dendrobium nobile the state flower andRhododendron the state tree are found in the wildlife sanctuaries of East sikkim. Other important wild animals includeSnow Leopard,Himalayan black bear,Clouded leopard,Large Indian civet etc.[7]Forest Department, Government of Sikkim has also confirmed the presence ofRoyal Bengal Tiger in thePangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary ofPakyong District in January 2019.[8]
According to the2011 census East Sikkim district along withPakyong District has apopulation of 283,583,[4] roughly equal to the nation ofBarbados.[9] This gives it a ranking of 574th in India (out of a total of640).[4] The district has a population density of 295 inhabitants per square kilometre (760/sq mi) .[4] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 14.79%.[4] East Sikkim has asex ratio of 872females for every 1000 males,[4] and aliteracy rate of 84.67%.[4]
| Religion in Gangtok district (2011)[10] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 62.74% | |||
| Buddhism | 25.55% | |||
| Christianity | 8.25% | |||
| Islam | 2.19% | |||
| Other or not stated | 1.35% | |||
Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the Gangtok district. Buddhism followed by a considerable minority, while Christianity is the third largest religion, 40% of its adherents live in Gangtok. Islam is the fourth-largest religion and is mainly found in migrants in urban centres, mainly Gangtok.[10]
At the time of the2011 census, 65.59% of the population in the district spokeNepali, 8.63%Hindi, 8.16%Sikkimese, 3.41%Lepcha, 2.25% Bhojpuri, 1.68%Bengali, 1.55%Limbu, 1.49%Tamang, 1.14%Sherpa, 0.75%Rai and 0.51%Tibetan as their first language.[11]
The district is divided into 7assembly constituencies.
East Sikkim is divided into three sub-divisions till June 2021. In June 2021, the two subdivisions ofPakyong andRongli were constituted asPakyong District:[12]
The major towns and cities of Gangtok District are
East Sikkim is connected with wide road network managed byBorder Road Organization,National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and State PWD.
East Sikkim has the followingNational Highways:
Pakyong Airport lies on the town ofPakyong inPakyong District is the nearest airport from East Sikkim. The airport has daily direct flight services fromNew Delhi,Guwahati andKolkata.
Rangpo Railway Station an under construction railway station ofNortheast Frontier Railway zone is the nearest railway station that lies onRangpo Town ofPakyong District.
Barbados 286,705 July 2011 est.
East Sikkim travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Gangtok district | |
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| State symbols | |
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| Topics | |
| Administration | |
| Districts | |
| Towns | |
| Rivers | |
| Lakes | |
| Glaciers | |
| See also | |
