Gyalshing district | |
|---|---|
District | |
| Geyzing district | |
 Rabdentse Palace inRabdentse in Gyalshing district, Sikkim | |
.svg) Location in Sikkim | |
| Coordinates:27°17′N88°15′E / 27.283°N 88.250°E /27.283; 88.250 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Sikkim |
| Headquarters | Gyalshing orGeyzing |
| Government | |
| • District Collector (DC) | Smt Yishey D. Yongda[1] |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 71,675 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-SK |
| Vehicle registration | SK-02, SK-06 |
| Website | gyalshing |
Gyalshing District orGeyzing District[3] is adistrict of theIndian state ofSikkim. Its headquarter isGeyzing, also known asGyalshing. The district is a favourite with trekkers due to the high elevations. Other important towns includePelling andYuksom. Local people also call it asPallo-Sikkim andSano-Sikkim commonly.
Gyalshing district is the site of the ancient state capitalYuksom. It served as Sikkim's capital beginning in 1642 for almost 50 years until it was shifted toRabdentse. The district was under the occupation of theNepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. AfterAnglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), the district was returned to Sikkim.
Gyalshing district covers an area of 1,166 square kilometres (450 sq mi). Attractions include theKhecheopalri Lake, where, according to legend, not a leaf is allowed to fall on the surface of the lake and theDubdi Monastery, the first monastery of the state.
The district was previously divided into 5assembly constituencies.
The economy is mainly agrarian, despite most of the land being unfit for cultivation owing to the precipitous and rocky slopes.
Roads are in poor condition owing to the frequent landslides.
According to the2011 census Gyalshing district has apopulation of 136,435,[2] roughly equal to the nation ofGrenada.[4] This gives it a ranking of 608th in India (out of a total of640).[2] The district has a population density of 117 inhabitants per square kilometre (300/sq mi) .[2] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 10.58%.[2] It has asex ratio of 941females for every 1000 males,[2] and aliteracy rate of 78.69%.[2]
After bifurcation the district had a population of 71,675. 5.60% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 3,391 (4.73%) and 31,847 (44.43%) of the population respectively.[2]: 59
The people are mainly ofLimbu descent. Other ethnic groups include theLepcha andBhutia communities.Nepali is the most widely spoken language in the district.
| Religion in Gyalshing district (2011)[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 60.07% | |||
| Buddhism | 25.99% | |||
| Other (mainlyKirat Mundhum) | 6.73% | |||
| Christianity | 6.06% | |||
| Islam | 0.94% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.21% | |||
Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the district.Buddhism followed by a considerable population.[6]
TheKirateshwar Mahadev Temple, a major Hindu pilgrimage centre in Sikkim, is situated inLegship in the district.[7]
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 51.85% of the population in the district spokeNepali, 22.61%Limbu, 8.68%Lepcha, 7.05%Bhotia, 2.69%Sherpa, 1.55%Rai and 1.48%Hindi as their first language.[8]
Gyalshing district houses a great diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are used by Indigenous and local communities.[9] Since most of the district is hilly it enjoys atemperate climate. Above 3,800 m (12,000 ft) the slopes are full ofrhododendron forests.
In 1977, the district became home toKhangchendzonga National Park, which has an area of 1,784 km2 (688.8 sq mi).[10] It shares the park withNorth Sikkim district.[11]
Gyalshing district is divided into two sub-divisions:[12]
| Name | Headquarters | Number of villages[13] | Location |
| Gyalshing | Gyalshing |  | |
| Soreng | Soreng |  |
Grenada 108,419 July 2011 est.
Places adjacent to Gyalshing district | |
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| State symbols | |
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| Topics | |
| Administration | |
| Districts | |
| Towns | |
| Rivers | |
| Lakes | |
| Glaciers | |
| See also | |
