Thehistory of Sikkim begins with the indigenous Lepcha's contact with earlyTibetan settlers.[1][2] Historically,Sikkim was a sovereignmonarchical State in the easternHimalayas. Later a protectorate of India followed by a merger with India and official recognition as a state of India. Lepchas were the main inhabitants as well as the Rulers of the land up to 1641.[3] Lepchas are generally considered to be the first people, Indigenous to Sikkim also includes Darjeeling.
The establishment of the Buddhist kingdom under theChogyal in the 17th century was followed byBritish rule in Sikkim and thereafter inclusion in India as an official state of the nation post- independence.Sikkim emerged as a polity in its own right against a backdrop of incursions from Tibet and Bhutan, during which the kingdom enjoyed varying degrees of independence. In the early 18th century, theBritish Empire sought to establish trade routes withTibet, leading Sikkim to fall underBritish suzerainty until independence in 1947. Initially, Sikkim remained an independent country, until itmerged with India in 1975. Many provisions of theIndian constitution had to be altered to accommodate the international treaties and between Sikkim and India.
According to one of the legendary accounts, theKirati people are ancient tribes ofSikkim. The Kiratis came out of the shackles of primitive living and slowly and gradually marched towards civilization.[4] Dr A. C. Singh (1983) stated that "Sikkim is known as the home of the Kirati tribesmen from the pre-historic times".[5] When theKirat KingYalambar captured outerNepal in 1,500 B.C his kingdom extended from the riverTrisuli in the west to the riverTeesta in the east.[6][7] According to Hindu mythology, LordShiva is said to have appeared in the form of hunterKirateshwar orLord of the Kiratas toArjuna in the very spot where the ancientKirateshwar temple lies inLegship,West Sikkim.[8][9] By the 6th century theLepchas occupied the Lapchan area ofNepal (presentIlam region), presentSikkim,Har Chu Valley andAmmo Chu Valley (present South WesternBhutan) and most of Eastern part of Greater Sikkim up to theChumbi Valley. Meanwhile, theLimbu inhabited the Western part of Greater Sikkim (presentLimbuwan region).[citation needed] A part of Limbuwan is still retained in presentSikkim in theWest district,South district and a part ofNorth district.[10]The Lepchas spoke theHimalayish languageLepcha, and were believers ofBoongthism andMunism orAnimism by faith. The Limbus spoke theLimbu language and were believers of Yumaism orYuma Sammang, a form ofKirat Mundhum.[citation needed]
In the 7th century, Thekung Adek consolidated theLepcha tribes and declared himself aPanu, a Tribal Religious and Administrative chief or king. Similarly, theLimbu tribes were ruled by 10 elected chiefs orHangs from each of their clans to form a social and administrative body calledThibong Yakthum Tumyanghang (tribal republic council or Ten Limbus Council).[citation needed] Around 870 A.D. Na Hang, the chief ofDaramdin,West Sikkim was incited by the Chilikchom people to fight against theKiratiLimbu king ofLimbuwan, Mabo Hang. Na Hang was defeated and the Chilikchom were banished from Limbuwan.[11] Sikkim also finds mention in many Hindu texts because theBuddhist saintGuru Rinpoche orPadmasambhava is said to have passed through the land in the 9th century.[citation needed] According to legend, the Guru blessed the land, introducedBuddhism to Sikkim and also foretold the era of the monarchy in the state, which would arrive centuries later.[citation needed] There are numerous stories regarding the migration of Tibetans into Sikkim and the establishment of the Sikkimese monarchy. The most popular states that in the 13th century,Guru Tashi, a prince from the Minyak House inKham in EasternTibet, had a divine revelation one night instructing him to travel south to seek his fortunes. Guru Tashi settled down in theChumbi Valley.[12][13] The population and linguistic survey were not held during this period but the region was certainly inhabited by theLepchas, theLimbus, theMagars and someBhutias in the later periods.[citation needed]
By 1641 theLepchas, theLimbus and theMagars were ruling in different villages independently.[14] The Limbu and the Magar tribes lived in the remote Western and Southern regions.[15] In the early 17th century Tibetan migrants (called "Bhutias" locally) were forced to take refuge in Sikkim due to the conflict between followers of theYellow hat and theRed hats in Tibet. The Bhutias tried to convert the Sikkimeseworshippers of nature to Buddhism and succeeded to an extent.[16] The Tibetan Lamas sought to establish Sikkim as a Buddhist Kingdom thereby electing a Lhopa King of Tibetan origin.[14]
In 1642, the fifth generation descendant of Guru Tashi,Phuntsog Namgyal was consecrated as the first Denjong Gyalpo or theChogyal (king) of Sikkim by Lhatsun Chhenpo, Nga-dag Lama and Kathhog Lama, three great Lamas who came from the north, west and south toYuksom Norbugang inWest Sikkim.[17][18] The event,Naljor Chezhi, was as predicted byGuru Rinpoche some eight hundred years before. TheDalai Lama sent the new Chogyal a silk scarf, the mitre of Guru Rinpoche and asand image of him as a coronation present.[17] However, the Magar chiefs refused to accept the rule of the Chogyal who had to bring in Tibetan soldiers to subdue them.[14][19]
This historical gathering of the three virtuous lamas is called Yuksom, which inLepcha means 'The Place where the Three monks met' as in Lepcha a lama is called a "Yukmun" and the word for three is "Som". The Chogyal, along with the three lamas proselytised the Lepcha tribes into Buddhism and annexed the Chumbi Valley, the present-dayDarjeeling district and parts of today's easternNepal.[citation needed]
Shortly after his coronation the new Chogyal appointed 12kalon or ministers from theBhutia community and split his kingdom into 12Dzongs or administrative units, which each contained a fort. Individual Dzongs were headed by aDzonga drawn from amongst the Lepchas. The lands of Sikkim were leased as gifts toKazis andthikadars who in turn leased sub-plots to peasants at high rents.Mandals (headmen) andkarbaris (assistants to the mandals) were employed by the kazis and thikadars as rent collectors and dispute mediators. Out of Sikkim's 104 revenue estates, 61 were leased to Kazis and thikadars for fixed sums, five were given to monasteries and fifteen were retained by the Chogyal for his private use.[20][21] The Limbu chiefs or theSubbas were also given full autonomy of their districts under the King.[14]
ThusPhuntsog Namgyal became the first King of theKingdom of Sikkim and all theKirat chiefs agreed to regard him as the supreme ruler. However, theMagars did not get along with theBhutia and left Sikkim after they were defeated in a battle. The King called all the Kirat chiefs and proclaimed thatBhutias or Lhopsas, Tsongs or theLimbus and the Mempas or theLepchas were all part of one family known as theLho-Mehn-Tsong with the King as the father, the Lepchas as the mother and the Limbus as the sons and they were forbidden to fight amongst themselves.[14] The signing of this tripartite treaty ofLho-Mehn-Tsong Tsum was overseen by eightBhutia tribal leaders, twelveLimbu tribal leaders and fourLepcha tribal leaders in presentWest Sikkim.[citation needed]
Phuntsog Namgyal was succeeded by his son,Tensung Namgyal in 1670. The reign of this Chogyal was peaceful and saw the capital move from Yuksom toRabdentse.Chakdor Namgyal, the king's second wife's son, took over the throne from him in 1700. This outraged his elder half-sister Pendiongmu, who ousted him with the help of theBhutanese. From 1700 to 1706, when Chakdor Namgyal was a minor, most parts of it were occupied by Deb Naku Zidar, the king of Bhutan. Chakdor Namgyal went into exile in Tibet. The Tibetan people subsequently expelled the Bhutanese army, and called Chakdor Namgyal back to Sikkim.[22] Chakdor's sonGyurmed Namgyal succeeded him in 1717. Gyurmed's reign saw many skirmishes between the Nepalese and Sikkimese.Phuntsog Namgyal II, the illegitimate child of Gyurmed, succeeded his father in 1733. His reign was tumultuous in the face of attacks by the Bhutanese and the Nepalese who managed to capture the capital Rabdentse.
Tenzing Namgyal, Chogyal from 1780 to 1793, was a weak ruler, and his sovereignty saw most of Sikkim being appropriated by Nepal. In 1788, the NepaliGorkha Army invaded Sikkim and tookLimbuana and the former capital Rabdentse by storm. The king of Sikkim went into exile in Tibet for a second time. In 1788, the8th Dalai Lama stationed him in Chumbi Valley in Rènàzong (also "Rèrì," today'sYadong County).[22][23]His sonTshudpud Namgyal, returned to Sikkim in 1793 to reclaim the throne with the help of Tibet. Finding Rabdentse too close to the Nepalese border, he shifted the capital toTumlong.
With the arrival of theBritish in neighbouring India, Sikkim allied itself with them as they had a common enemy – theGorkha Kingdom of Nepal. The infuriated Nepalese attacked Sikkim with vengeance, overrunning most of the region including theTerai. This prompted theBritish East India Company to attack Nepal resulting in theAnglo-Nepalese War, which began in 1814. Treaties signed between the British and Nepal – theSugauli Treaty and Sikkim and British India –Treaty of Titalia, returned the territory annexed by the Nepalese to Sikkim in 1817.
However, ties between Sikkim and India grew sour with the taxation of the area ofMorang by the British. An internal disturbance, which began in 1825, gave the British the opportunity to secure the 1835 cession ofDarjeeling to British Sikkim given its perceived advantages as asanitorium. Unhappy with this development, Sikkim'sDewan often frustrated the cessation by denying aid to the British in capturing escaped criminals and offering amnesty for escaped slaves. As compensation for the loss, the British Government paid the Sikkim Raja Rs. 3,000 from 1841 onwards, a sum that was later increased to Rs. 12,000.[24]
In 1849, British doctorArchibald Campbell, then superintendent of Darjeeling, and botanistJoseph Hooker, ventured into the mountains of Sikkim with the permission of the British and theChogyal of Sikkim but strayed across theCho La into Tibet. They were detained by the Sikkim government at the instigation of the pro-Tibetan "mad Dewan" T. Namguey, which led to a punitive British expedition against the Himalayan kingdom.[25][24] Although subsequent bloodshed was avoided, the British annexed the whole of the Darjeeling district and theTerai in 1861. In the same year, the signature of theTreaty of Tumlong effectively made Sikkim ade facto protectorate of the British.[26]
Alongside "British Sikkim", "Independent Sikkim" continued to exist as a rump state centred around the capital at Gangtok ruling over 2,500 square miles (6,500 km2) of territory.[27][failed verification] The former Chogyal was forced to abdicate in favour of his son,Sidkeong Namgyal in 1863.
The Chogyals endeavoured to modernize Sikkim in the succeeding decades, along with their army. A state visit to Darjeeling by Sidekong's half-brother, ChogyalThutob Namgyal in 1873 failed to yield such results, and he returned to Tumlong disappointed. In 1886, the British, interested in trade with Tibet, launched a brief expedition into Sikkim. The Tibetans occupied several of Sikkim's northern border forts, and the Chogyal and his wife were held prisoner by the British when they came to negotiate atCalcutta. In 1888, theTibetans were defeated and northern Sikkim came under the rule of British India. The British established new landholdings in Sikkim but released the Chogyal only to have him captured again in 1891. These land estates were given toKazis, Thikadars and Lamas. In 1894, the capital was shifted toGangtok.
In 1895, the Chogyal was released, but the British governors in India reneged on an agreement – theTen Clauses Agreement – which returned sovereignty to Sikkim. The Political Officer in Sikkim,John Claude White, refused to return any sovereignty, and only let the Chogyal retain the judiciary of Sikkim.
In 1905, thePrince of Wales – the future KingGeorge V – arrived in Calcutta on a state visit during which he met the Chogyal. The two made an excellent acquaintance and the Crown Prince of Sikkim, Sidkeong Tulku was sent to study atOxford University. When Sidkeong came to power, he arranged widened sovereignty for Sikkim from King George's government and endorsed sweeping reforms in his short rule as Chogyal, which ended in 1914. In 1918, Sikkim's independence in all domestic affairs was restored, and in the next decade, the kingdom embarked on a policy to end social ills, outlawinggambling,child labour, and indentured service.
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Sikkim had retained guarantees of independence from Britain when it 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 Indian Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru agreed to a special protectorate status for Sikkim. Sikkim was to be atributary of India, in which India controlled its external defence, diplomacy and communication. A state council was established in 1953 to allow for the constitutional government of the Chogyal, which was sustained until 1973.[citation needed]
In 1949,Sikkim State Congress led a state-wide agitation for democracy leading to the formation of Sikkim's first interim government led by Chief MinisterTashi Tshering and his popular ministry. However, the government was dismissed within 29 days.
In the 1950s, Sikkim was used by the American CIA as a base for secret operations supporting Tibetan guerillas opposed to Chinese control of Tibet.[28] The dramatic 1959 escape of theDalai Lama demonstrated Sikkim's value to both India and China. Nehru said the Chumbi Valley, controlled by China, was a "dagger pointed at the heart of India." During the 1962Sino-Indian War, Indian troops arrived to block a possible Chinese invasion; there were some skirmishes between Indian and Chinese forces. After the war, India closed the ancient pass; it reopened in 2006. The 50s and 60s marked the emergence of political parties in Sikkim includingSikkim State Congress,Sikkim National Party,Sikkim Swatantra Dal,Sikkim Janata Party andSikkim National Congress.[29]
The old rulerTashi Namgyal died in 1963 from cancer. The last hereditary ruler, ChogyalPalden Thondup Namgyal, ascended to the throne in 1965. Trouble began to brew for the crown even before the Chogyal assumed the throne, as Nehru, who had carefully preserved Sikkim's status as an independent protectorate, died in 1964. His daughterIndira Gandhi, who became Prime Minister in 1966, had little patience for maintaining an independent Sikkim or its monarchy. The Chogyal, who responded to the increased pressure by drinking, was viewed by India as politically dangerous, especially after his wife, the American socialiteHope Cooke, advocated a return of certain former Sikkimese properties.
In December 1950, by signing the "India - Sikkim Peace Treaty", Sikkim became India's protectorate. India took control of Sikkim in April 1973 and overthrew the monarchy. On April 9, 1975, the Sikkim Parliament announced the king was deposed and declared Sikkim had become part of India through areferendum. On May 16, the Indian parliament announced that Sikkim officially became a state of India.[30] Sikkim is a state in India, which currently has 6 districts. Gangtok is the largest district in terms of population, but Mangan is the largest district in terms of area.[citation needed]
The 1979 assembly election sawNar Bahadur Bhandari elected Chief Minister of Sikkim. Bhandari held on to win again in 1984 and 1989. In 1994, Assembly politicianPawan Kumar Chamling became theChief Minister of Sikkim. In 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 Chamling consolidated his position to sweep the polls. Sikkim voted for its one delegate to the All India Lok Sabha on 3 January 1980. The voters strongly favoured a local listing party, rejecting the candidates from the Janata and Congress.[31][32]
Sino-Indian relations were somewhat bruised in 2000 by an event in Sikkim that challenged China's longstanding claim of Sikkim as an independent country. The unusual event was the escape ofOgyen Trinley Dorje from Tibet toDharamsala, India. Ogyen Trinley Dorje is one of the two rival claimants who seek recognition as the 17thKarmapa, the head of theBlack Hat branch ofTibetan Buddhism (seeKarmapa controversy). The two claimants did battle in the Indian court system for control of the considerable funds collected by the 16th Karmapa for the restoration and maintenance ofRumtek Monastery, located inGangtok, Sikkim. The Chinese, who recogniseOgyen Trinley Dorje as the true Karmapa, were unhappy about the court outcome which awarded the monastery funds to the other rival. However, the Chinese government was in a quandary as to what to do about it, as any protest to India would mean an explicit endorsement that the high court of India holds jurisdiction over Sikkim.
In 2003, with the thawing of relations between the two nations, Indian sovereignty over Sikkim was finally recognised by China. The two governments also proposed to open the Nathula andJelepla Passes in 2005.
On 18 September 2011,a magnitude 6.9Mw earthquake struck Sikkim, killing at least 116 people in the state and Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Tibet, China.[33] More than 60 people died in Sikkim alone, and the city of Gangtok suffered significant damage.[34]
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