Kingdom of Sikkim

Quick Facts: Who was Kingdom of Sikkim?

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Kingdom of Sikkim

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Himalayan kingdom in South Asia, ruled by Chogyals from 1642 until its annexation by India.

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Origins & Early Life

The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and Sikkimese: འབྲས་ལྗོངས།, Drenjong, Dzongkha: སི་ཀིམ་རྒྱལ་ཁབ།, Sikimr Gyalkhab), officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and Sikkimese: འབྲས་མོ་གཤོངས།) was a hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas which existed from 1642 to 16 May 1975, when it was annexed by India and became the state of Sikkim. It was ruled by Chogyals, or monarchs, of the Namgyal dynasty. At the time of its annexation into India, Sikkhim was about 7,096 km² (2,740 sq mi), and bordered Nepal to the west, Bhutan to the east, Tibet to the north, and India (West Bengal) to the south. According to legend, Khye Bumsa, a 14th-century prince from the Minyak House in Kham in eastern Tibet, received a divine revelation instructing him to travel south to seek his fortunes. A fifth-generation descendant of Khye Bumsa, Phuntsog Namgyal, became the founder of Sikkim's monarchy in 1642, when he was consecrated as the first Chogyal, or priest-king, of Sikkim by the three venerated lamas at Yuksom.

Career & Major Achievements

Phuntsog Namgyal was succeeded in 1670 by his son, Tensung Namgyal, who moved the capital from Yuksom to Rabdentse (near modern Pelling). By the time of its foundation, Sikkim became a protectorate of Tibet (which at the time was part of The Khoshut Khanate until 1717 when it became part of the Dzungar Khanate and later to The Qing Dynasty in 1720.) In the mid-18th century, Sikkim was invaded by both Nepal (the then Gorkha Kingdom) and Bhutan (then ruled by Gyalsey Tenzin Rabgye) and was under both the Gorkha and the Bhutanese rule for more than 40 years. Between 1775 and 1815, almost 180,000 ethnic Nepalis from Eastern and Central Nepal migrated to Sikkim. After the British colonisation of India, however, Sikkim allied itself with the British India in order to fight Nepal, their common enemy at the time. The Nepalese then attacked Sikkim, overrunning most of the region including the Terai.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

This prompted the British East India Company to attack Nepal in 1814, resulting in the Anglo-Nepalese War. The Sugauli Treaty between Britain and Nepal and the Treaty of Titalia between Sikkim and British India resulted in territorial concessions by Nepal, which ceded Sikkim to British India. Under the 1861 Treaty of Tumlong, Sikkim became a British protectorate. Thutob Namgyal, the 9th Chogyal of Sikkim, looked to the Dalai Lama for spiritual leadership and during his reign the Tibetan government started to regain political influence over Sikkim. In 1888 the British sent a military expedition to expel Tibetan forces from Sikkim.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1642: 1642 Milestone — The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and Sikkimese: འབྲས་ལྗོངས།, Drenjong, Dzongkha: སི་ཀིམ་རྒྱལ་ཁབ།, Sikimr Gyalkhab), officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and Sikkimese: འབྲས་མོ་གཤོངས།) was a hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas which existed from 1642 to 16 May 1975, when it was annexed by India and became the state of Sikkim.
2. 1670: 1670 Milestone — Phuntsog Namgyal was succeeded in 1670 by his son, Tensung Namgyal, who moved the capital from Yuksom to Rabdentse (near modern Pelling).
3. 1717: 1717 Milestone — By the time of its foundation, Sikkim became a protectorate of Tibet (which at the time was part of The Khoshut Khanate until 1717 when it became part of the Dzungar Khanate and later to The Qing Dynasty in 1720.
4. 1775: 1775 Milestone — Between 1775 and 1815, almost 180,000 ethnic Nepalis from Eastern and Central Nepal migrated to Sikkim.
5. 1814: 1814 Milestone — This prompted the British East India Company to attack Nepal in 1814, resulting in the Anglo-Nepalese War.
6. 1861: 1861 Milestone — Under the 1861 Treaty of Tumlong, Sikkim became a British protectorate.
7. 1888: 1888 Milestone — In 1888 the British sent a military expedition to expel Tibetan forces from Sikkim.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Kingdom of Sikkim

True or False: “The Kingdom of Sikkim was recognized as a fully sovereign, independent state by all major world powers immediately following the British Raj's withdrawal.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): China and Taiwan continued to depict it as sovereign, but its status was contested, and India eventually annexed it in 1975.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Kingdom of Sikkim