| History
of Sikkim
 Sikkim,
the independent kingdom in Himalayas, was originally home to
the Lepchas, a tribal people
believed to have migrated from the hills of Assam, or possibly
even from South-east Asia, around the 13th century.
The Tibetans started to immigrate into Sikkim
during the 15th century to escape religious strife between various
Buddhist orders. In Tibet itself, the Gelukpa order (of which
Dalai Lama is the head) gradually gained the upper hand. In
Sikkim three Tibetan Lamas, Lhatsun Chempo, Kathok Rikzin Chempo
and Ngadak Sempa Chempo, introduced the Nyingma-pa. It was these
lamas who consecrated the first chogyal or king, Phuntsong Namgyal,
at Yuksom, which became the capital
of the kingdom (it was later moved to Rabdentse, near Pelling).
In the face of the waves of Tibetan immigrants,
the Lepchas retreated to the more remote regions. A blood brotherhood
was eventually forged between their leader, Thekong Tek and
Bhutia leader Khye-Bumsa, and spiritual and temporal authority
was imposed on the anarchistic Lepchas.
When the kingdom was founded, the country included the area
encompassed by the present state as well as the part of the
Eastern Nepal, the Chumbi Valley (Tibet), Ha Valley (Bhutan)
and the Terai foothills down to the plains of India, including
Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
Between 1717 and 1734 during the reign of
Sikkim's fourth Chogyal, a series of wars was fought with the
Bhutanese resulted in the loss of much territory on the southern
foothills, including Kalimpong,
then a very important bazaar town on the trade route between
Tibet and India. More territory was lost after 1780 following
the Gurkha invasion from Nepal, though the invaders was eventually
checked by a Chinese army with Bhutanese and Lepcha assistance.
Unable to advance into Tibet the Gurkhas turned into Tibet,
where they came into conflict with the British East India Company.
The wars between the two parties ended in the treaty of 1817,
which delineated the borders of the Nepal. The Gurkhas also
ceded to the British all the Sikkimese territory they had taken
a substantial part was returned to the Chogyal of Sikkim in
return for British control of all disputes between Sikkim and
its neighbors. The country thus became a buffer state between
Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
In 1835, the British, seeking a hill station
as a rest and recreation center for their troops and officials,
persuaded the Chogyal to cede the Darjeeling
area in return for an annual stipend. The Tibetans objected
to this transfer of territory. They continued to regard Sikkim
as a vassal state, and Darjeeling's rapid growth as a trade
center has began to make a considerable impact on the fortunes
of Sikkim's leading lamas and merchants.
 Tensions
rose and, in 1849, a high ranking British official and a botanist,
who were exploring the Lachen regions
with the permission of both the Sikkim Chogyal and the British
Government, were arrested. Although these two prisoners were
unconditionally released a month later following threats of
intervention, the British annexed the entire area between the
present Sikkimese border and the Indian plains and withdrew
the Chogyal stipend.
Further British interference in the affairs of this area leads
to the declaration of a protectorate over Sikkim in 1861 and
the delineation of its borders. The Tibetans, however, continued
to regard these actions as illegal and, in 1886, invaded Sikkim
to reassert their authority. The British who sent a punitive
military expedition to Lhasa in 1888 in retaliation repulsed
the attack. The powers were further reduced.
Keen to develop Sikkim, the British encouraged
emigration from Nepal as they had done in Darjeeling, and a
considerable amount of land was brought under rice and cardamom
cultivation. The influx of labor continued right up until the
1960s, when the Chogyal was constrained to prohibit further
immigration.
The British treaties with Sikkim passed to
India at independence. Demands within Sikkim for a democratic
form of Government as opposed to rule by the Chogyal were growing.
The Indian Government supported these moves- it did not want
to be seen as propping up an autocratic regime while doing its
best to sweep away the last traces of princely rule in India
itself.
The last Chogyal, Palden Thondup Namgyal,
came to the throne in 1963 and was not popular. He was married
to an American, Hope Cook, who is chiefly remembered for having
introduced 'crème de menthe' to Gangtok Society. The
Chogyal resisted demands for a change in the method of Government
until demonstrations threatened to get out of control. He was
eventually forced to ask India to take over the country's administrations.
In 1975 referendum, 97% of the electorate voted the union with
India. |
East-Sikkim
West-Sikkim
South-Sikkim
North-Sikkim
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