Sikkim (also Sikhim) is a landlocked Indian state
nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous
state in India, and the second smallest in area
after Goa. Sikkim was an independent state ruled by
the Namgyal monarchy, but following administrative
problems and the public's sentiment for union with
India, a referendum was held in 1975 in which the
people of Sikkim chose union with India. Also in
1975, the referendum brought about an end to the
absolute monarchy and ushered in a democratic
government within the Constitution of India. The
thumb-shaped state borders Nepal in the west, the
Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and
east, and Bhutan in the south-east. The Indian state
of West Bengal borders Sikkim to its south. The
official languages are English, Bhutia, Nepali,
Lepcha, Limbu, and Hindi. The language of almost all
written transactions is English. The predominant
religions are Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism.
Gangtok is the capital and largest town.
Despite its tiny size, Sikkim is geographically
diverse, owing to its location on the Himalaya. The
climate ranges from subtropical to high alpine.
Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak, is
located in the north western part of the state on
the boundary with Nepal, and can be seen from most
parts of the state. Sikkim has become one of India's
most visited states, owing to its reputation of
cleanliness, scenic beauty and political stability.
Origin of name
The most widely accepted origin of the name Sikkim
is that it is a combination of two words in the
Limbu Su, which means "new", and Khyim, which means
"palace" or house, in reference to the palace built
by the state's first ruler, Phuntsok Namgyal. The
Tibetan name for Sikkim is 'Denjong', which
means the "valley of rice".
History
Statue of Guru Rinpoche, the patron
saint of Sikkim. The statue in Namchi is the tallest
statue of the saint in the world at 118 feet.
The earliest recorded event related to Sikkim is the
passage of the Buddhist saint Guru Rinpoche through
the land in the 8th century. The Guru is reported to
have blessed the land, introduced Buddhism to Sikkim,
and foretold the era of monarchy in the state that
would arrive centuries later. In the 14th century,
according to legend, Khye Bumsa, a prince from the
Minyak House in Kham in Eastern Tibet, had a divine
revelation one night instructing him to travel south
to seek his fortunes. His descendants were later to
form the royal family of Sikkim. In 1642, the fifth
generation descendant of Khye Bumsa, Phuntsog
Namgyal, was consecrated as the first Chogyal (king)
of Sikkim by the three venerated Lamas who came from
the north, west and south to Yuksom, marking the
beginning of the monarchy.
Phuntsog Namgyal was succeeded in 1670 by his son,
Tensung Namgyal, who moved the capital from Yuksom
to Rabdentse. In 1700, Sikkim was invaded by the
Bhutanese with the help of the half-sister of the
Chogyal, who had been denied the throne. The
Bhutanese were driven away by the Tibetans, who
restored the throne to the Chogyal ten years later.
Between 1717 and 1733, the kingdom faced many raids
by the Nepalese in the west and Bhutanese in the
east, culminating with the destruction of the
capital Rabdentse by the Nepalese.
Flag of the former monarchy of Sikkim.
In 1791, China sent troops to support Sikkim and
defend Tibet against the Gurkhas. Following Nepal's
subsequent defeat, Sikkim became a suzerainty of
Qing Dynasty. Following the arrival of the British
Raj in neighbouring India, Sikkim allied with them
against their common enemy, Nepal. The Nepalese
attacked Sikkim, overrunning most of the region
including the Terai. This prompted the British East
India Company to attack Nepal, resulting in the
Gurkha War of 1814. Treaties signed between Sikkim
and Nepal � the Sugauli Treaty � and Sikkim and
British India � Titalia Treaty � returned the
territory annexed by the Nepalese to Sikkim in 1817.
Ties between Sikkim and the British administrators
of India grew sour, however, with the beginning of
British taxation of the Morang region. In 1849 two
British doctors, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker and Dr.
Archibald Campbell, the latter being in charge of
relations between the British and Sikkim Government,
ventured into the mountains of Sikkim unannounced
and unauthorised. The doctors were detained by the
Sikkim government, leading to a punitive British
expedition against the Himalayan kingdom, after
which the Darjeeling district and Morang were
annexed to India in 1835. The invasion led to the
chogyal's becoming a puppet king under the directive
of the British governor.
The Dro-dul Chorten Stupa is a famous stupa in
Gangtok.
In 1947, a popular vote rejected Sikkim's joining
the Indian Union and 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. Meanwhile trouble was brewing in the state
after the Sikkim National Congress demanded fresh
elections and greater representation for the
Nepalese. In 1973, riots in front of the palace led
to a formal request for protection from India. The
chogyal was proving to be extremely unpopular with
the people. Sikkim was closed and little was known
until American climber Caril Ridley happened into
Gangtok and was able to smuggle photos and legal
documentation out. When confirmed by China, India�s
actions were brought into the spotlight of world
awareness, However history had already been written
and matters came to a head in 1975, when the Kazi
(Prime Minister) appealed to the Indian Parliament
for representation and change of Sikkim's status to
a state of India. In April, the Indian Army moved in
Sikkim, seizing the city of Gangtok, disarming the
Palace Guards. Within two days the entire nation was
in Indian hands. A referendum was held in which
97.5% of the people voted to join the Indian Union.
A few weeks later on May 16, 1975, Sikkim officially
became the 22nd state of the Indian Union, and
monarchy was abolished. In 2000, in a major
embarrassment for China, the seventeenth Karmapa
Urgyen Trinley Dorje, who had been proclaimed a Lama
by China, made a dramatic escape from Tibet to the
Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. Chinese officials were
in a quandary on this issue as any protests to India
on the issue would mean an explicit endorsement of
India's governance of Sikkim, which the Chinese
still regarded as an independent state occupied by
India. China eventually recognised Sikkim as an
Indian state in 2003, which led to a thaw in
Sino-Indian relations. In return, India announced
its official recognition of Tibet as an integrated
part of China. As part of a significant pact between
India and China signed by the prime ministers of the
two countries, Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao, China
released an official map clearly showing Sikkim as
part of the Republic of India. On July 6, 2006 the
Himalayan pass of Nathula was opened to cross-border
trade, a further evidence of improving sentiment
over the region.
Geography
The thumb-shaped state of Sikkim is characterised by
wholly mountainous terrain. Almost the entire state
is hilly, with the elevation ranging from 280 metres
(920 feet) to 8,585 metres (28,000 feet). The summit
of the Kanchenjunga is the highest point. For the
most part, the land is unfit for agriculture because
of the precipitous and rocky slopes. However,
certain hill slopes have been converted into farm
lands using terrace farming techniques and is used
for cultivation. Numerous snow-fed streams in Sikkim
have carved out river valleys in the west and south
of the state. These streams combine into the Teesta
and its tributary, the Rangeet. The Teesta,
described as the "lifeline of Sikkim", flows through
the state from north to south. About a third of the
land is heavily forested.
The lofty Himalayan ranges surround the northern,
eastern and western borders of Sikkim in a crescent.
The populated areas lie in the southern reaches of
the state, in the Lower Himalayas. The state has
twenty-eight mountain peaks, twenty-one glaciers,
227 high altitude lakes, including the Tsongmo Lake,
Gurudongmar and Khecheopalri Lakes, five hot
springs, and over 100 rivers and streams. Eight
mountain passes connect the state to Tibet, Bhutan
and Nepal.[4]
Hot Springs
Sikkim has many hot springs known for medicinal and
therapeutic values. The most important hot-springs
are at Phurchachu(Reshi), Yumthang, Borang, Ralang,
Taram-chu and Yumey Samdong. All these hotsprings
have high sulphur content and are located near the
river banks. The average temperature of the water in
these hot springs is 50�C.
Sub-divisions
Sikkim has four districts, each overseen by a
Central Government appointee, the district
collector, who is in-charge of the administration of
the civilian areas of the districts. The Indian army
has control of a large territory, as the state is a
sensitive border area. Many areas are restricted and
permits are needed to visit them. There are a
total of eight towns and nine sub-divisions in
Sikkim. The four districts are East Sikkim, West
Sikkim, North Sikkim and South Sikkim. The district
capitals are Gangtok, Geyzing, Mangan and Namchi
respectively. These Four Districts are further
divided into Sub-Divisions. "Pakyong" is the
sub-division of East District. "Soreng" is the
sub-division of West District. "Chungthang" is the
sub-division of North District. "Ravongla" is the
sub-division of South District.
Flora and fauna
The Rhododendron is the state tree.
Sikkim is situated in an ecological hotspot of the
lower Himalayas, one of only three among the
Ecoregions of India. The forested regions of the
state exhibit a diverse range of fauna and flora.
Owing to its altitudinal gradiation, the state has a
wide variety of plants, from tropical to temperate
to alpine and tundra, and is perhaps one of the few
regions to exhibit such a diversity within such a
small area.
The flora of Sikkim includes the rhododendron, the
state tree, with a huge range of species occurring
from subtropical to alpine regions. Orchids, figs,
laurel, bananas, sal trees and bamboo in the lower
altitudes of Sikkim, which enjoy a sub-tropical type
climate. In the temperate elevations above 1,500
metres, oaks, chestnuts, maples, birchs, alders, and
magnolias grow in large numbers. The alpine type
vegetation includes juniper, pine, firs, cypresses
and rhododendrons, and is typically found between an
altitude of 3,500 metres to 5,000 m. Sikkim boasts
around 5,000 flowering plants, 515 rare orchids, 60
primulas species, 36 rhododendrons species, 11 oaks
varieties, 23 bamboos varieties, 16 conifer species,
362 types of ferns and ferns allies, 8 tree ferns,
and over 424 medicinal plants. The orchid Dendrobium
nobile is the official flower of Sikkim.
The fauna includes the snow leopard, the musk deer,
the Bhoral, the Himalayan Tahr, the red panda, the
Himalayan marmot, the serow, the goral, the barking
deer, the common langur, the Himalayan Black Bear,
the clouded leopard, the Marbled Cat, the leopard
cat, the wild dog, the Tibetan wolf, the hog badger,
the binturong, the jungle cat and the civet cat.
Among the animals more commonly found in the alpine
zone are yaks, mainly reared for their milk, meat,
and as a beast of burden.
The avifauna of Sikkim is comprised of the Impeyan
pheasant, the crimson horned pheasant, the snow
partridge, the snow cock, the lammergeyer and
griffon vultures, as well as golden eagles, quail,
plovers, woodcock, sandpipers, pigeons, Old World
flycatchers, babblers and robins. A total of 550
species of birds have been recorded in Sikkim, some
of which have been declared endangered
Culture
Sikkim residents celebrate all major Indian
festivals such as Diwali and Dussera, the popular
Hindu festivals. Losar, Loosong, Saga Dawa, Lhabab
Duechen, Drupka Teshi and Bhumchu are Buddhist
festivals that are also celebrated. During the Losar
� the Tibetan New Year in mid-December � most
government offices and tourist centres are closed
for a week. Christmas has also recently been
promoted in Gangtok to attract tourists during the
off-season.
It is common to hear Western rock music being played
in homes and in restaurants even in the countryside.
Hindi songs have gained wide acceptance among the
masses. Indigenous Nepali rock, music suffused with
a Western rock beat and Nepali lyrics, is also
particularly popular. Football and cricket are the
two most popular sports.
Noodle-based dishes such as the thukpa, chowmein,
thanthuk, fakthu, gyathuk and wonton are common in
Sikkim. Momos, steamed dumplings filled with
vegetable, buff (buffalo's meat) or pork and served
with a soup is a popular snack. The mountainous
peoples have a diet rich in beef, pork and other
meats. Alcohol is cheap owing to the low excise duty
in Sikkim and beer, whiskey, rum and brandy are
consumed by many Sikkimese.
Almost all dwellings in Sikkim are rustic,
consisting of a bamboo frame, woven with pliable
bamboo and coated with cow dung, providing a warm
interior. In the higher elevations, houses are made
of wood. |