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It is on record that Khye-Bumsa, a Namgyal
Prince, helped in the construction of the great Sa-Kya
Monastery (1268 A.D.). Khye-Bumsa married the daughter of
the Sa-Kya hierarch and settled in the nearby Chumbi Valley
which became the nucleus of the later kingdom of Sikkim.
Khye-Bumsa came in contact with the Lepchas and a deep
friendship between the newcomers and the Lepchas grew; a
blood brotherhood was sworn between Khye-Bumsa and
Thekongtek, the Lepcha Chief, at Kabi Longtsok.
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Khye-Bumsa was succeeded by his third son Mipon Rab and the latter by his fourth son Guru Tashi who
moved to Gangtok. The Lepchas after the death of their Chief
Thekongtek started breaking up into small clans and turned
to Guru Tashi for leadership and protection. He became the
first ruler of Sikkim and paved the way for a regular
monarchy. |
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Erstwhile Flag of Sikkim
Prior to Merger |
Phuntsog Namgyal who was the first
consecrated Chogyal was born at Gangtok in 1604 and was
consecrated as King (Chogyal) by three Lamas in 1642. He
moved his capital to Yuksam and instituted the first
centralised administration. He divided the kingdom into
twelve Dzongs (Districts), placed each under a Lepcha
Dzongpon (Governor), and had a council of twelve
ministers. During his time Buddhism was consolidated as the
established religion in Sikkim.
 Tensung Namgyal (born 1644 A.D.) who was
consecrated in 1670 moved the capital to Rabdentse. Chador
Namgyal (born 1686 A.D.) succeeded his father Tensung Namgyal in 1700 A.D.
But the succession was opposed by his half-sister, Pedi
Wangmo, whose mother was a Bhutanese and who invited a force
from Bhutan to assassinate the boy king. A loyal minister
Yugthing Tishey carried off the minor to Lhasa where, during
his asylum, he distinguished himself in Buddhist learning
and Tibetan literature. Meanwhile Rabdentse Palace had been
captured by Bhutanese forces and after eight years of
occupation the Deb Raja of Bhutan eventually withdrew the
Bhutanese expedition upon the mediation of the Tibetan
Government. Chador Namgyal then returned and started to
consolidate his kingdom, driving out the Bhutanese forces.
Bhutan made another invasion and though many of the areas
under Bhutanese occupation were cleared, what are today
Kalimpong and Rhenock were lost. Chador Namgyal founded the
great monastery of Pemayangtse and commanded that the second
of every three sons of a Bhutia family must be ordained a
monk of the Pemayangtse Monastery which was also open to the
Tsong community. He also built the Guru Lhakhang in
Tashiding (1715 A.D.) and invented an alphabet for the
Lepchas. Pedi Wangmo, the king's half-sister was, however,
not reconciled and while the king was at Ralung hot springs
in 1716, she conspired with a Tibetan doctor to arrange
blood-letting from a main artery and thus caused the king's
death. The doctor was eventually executed at Namchi and Pedi
Wangmo strangled to death with a silk scarf. Gyurmed Namgyal, who was born in 1707,
succeeded his father Chador in 1717. During his infancy Lama
Jigmed Pao became regent. This reign saw the loss of
Limbuana-now in Eastern Nepal. The Kargyud Sect (Mahayana)
was firmly established during this reign. Gyurmed had no
heirs but gave out on the eve of his death (1733 A.D.) that
a nun in Sangnakcholing was carrying his son.
Namgyal Phuntsog, posthumous son of
Gyurmed, succeeded (1733) but the Royal Treasurer Tamding
opposed this on plea of illegitimacy and declared himself
king. The Lepchas backed the baby and fought the pretender
who eventually fled to Tibet. During the minority of the boy
king, Rabden Sharpa was sent by the Tibetan Government, on requests from Sikkim, to
act as regent. This reign saw the threat of the expanding
Gurkha kingdom under Raja Prithwinarayan Shah of Nepal.
Bhutan also invaded and occupied all land east of Teesta, but
suffered a defeat at Phodong and withdrew to the present
boundaries after negotiations at Rhenock. The Gurkha
invasion was beaten back seventeen times at Bichapur and
Topzong under the leadership of Chuthup (Satrajit). After
this a peace treaty was signed (1775 A.D.) with Nepal; the
Gurkhas pro mised to abstain from all armed raids. But the
Gurkhas broke the treaty and occupied Elam and Topzong.
Namgyal Phuntsog was succeeded by his son
Tenzing Namgyal born in 1769 A.D. of his third Queen.
Tenzing Namgyal ascended in 1780 as the Sixth Consecrated
Chogyal. In 1780 the Sikkimese regrouped to expel the
Nepalese and formed two forces, one of Bhutias and another
of Lepchas. Though they achieved many victories and cap-
tured eight dzongs, there was no decisive victory . In 1788
the Gurkhas again invaded through Elam and reoccupied
Southern Sikkim. Rabdentse was also captured by a surprise
attack and the entire lower Teesta was devastated and
occupied. Tenzing Namgyal retired to Khabi and thence to
Lhasa. The Nepalese pressure relaxed somewhat due to
Nepalese involvement in Tibet, while. three forces, Tsong,
Lepcha and Bhutia, combined against the Gurkhas to expel the
aggressors with considerable success. Sikkim was involved in
the Sino- Tibetan invasion of Nepal but Sikkim's claims were
ignored in the Sino-Nepalese Treaty. Tenzing Namgyal died in
Lhasa in 1793 and was succeeded by his son Tsugphud Namgyal.
Tsugphud Namgyal (born 1785 A.D.) was the
Seventh Consecrated Chogyal and had a long reign 1793-1864.
He accompanied his father to Lhasa (1790 A.D.) and returned
on his death in 1793. His reign witnessed the penetration of
British power into the Himalayas and of British efforts to
trade with Tibet across the Himalayas. Sikkim was involved
in the British diplomacy and was considered an ally of the
British in the Anglo- Nepalese War. Nagridzong was
recaptured about 1814 and in 1815 the British helped to
drive out the Gurkhas from many parts of South West Sikkim.
In 1817 the Treaty of Titalia was signed between the British
and Nepal whereby the boun dary between Sikkim and Nepal was
laid along the Mahanadi and Mechi rivers and the Singalila
range. This however, was not in conformity with Sikkimese
wishes and left large tracts of land still in the hands of Nepal and did not
restore the Sikkim Territories around Titalia which the
British acquired from the Gurkhas but kept to themselves. In 1814, Rabdentse being considered too
close to the Nepalese frontier, the capital was shifted to
Tumlong. The British first noticed Darjeeling in 1828 and
Tsugphud Namgyal gave Captain Lloyd a deed giving the hill
of Darjeeling to the East India Company for a sanatorium,
out of friendship to the Governor General but, at the same
time, on the consideration that the boundary dispute would
be favourably concluded, and that an equivalent amount of
land would be given in exchange (Deb- gong). The Company,
however, insisted on a rent against the wishes of the Ruler.
Relations with the Deputy Commissioner of Darjeeling
(Campbell) deteriorated over the question of extraditing
slaves and criminals and also over the illegal collection of
tax in the Sikkim Morang by the Deputy Commissioner. This
estrangement led to the detention of Doctors Campbell and
Hooker during their unauthorised exploration inside Sikkim (
1859 A.D. ) which, in its turn, resulted in a punitive
expedition after their return and the whole of Darjeeling
and Morang being annexed (1860 A.D.). After another
expedition the Treaty of 1861 was forced on Sikkim and the
annexation of Darjeeling con- firmed. The Treaty was signed
by Sidkeong Namgyal while Tsugphud was still in Chumbi.
Tsugphud died in 1863 and was succeeded by Sidkeong Namgyal,
his son from his second marriage. Sidkeong Namgyal (born 1819 A.D.) succeeded as the Eighth
Consecrated Chogyal in 1863. During his reign a growing dispute
between Sikkim and Tibet was successfully resolved as well
as two minor disputes with Bhutan. His attempts at improving
relations with the British included a State Visit to
Darjeeling in 1873 to meet the Governor of Bengal. He wanted
to reorganise the Sikkim Army which he wished to be trained
by the British but was unsuccessful in the negotiations. He
was succeeded by his step-brother Thutob Namgyal who was the
son of Tsugphud Namgyal from his Fifth Consort. Thutob Namgyal (born 1860 A.D.) succeeded
as the Ninth Consecrated Chogyal in 1874 and ruled till his
death in 1914. At the time of his succession the British
Empire in Asia was paramount and Sikkim was already feeling
the bywinds of British diplomacy. His reign witnessed the
large scale colonization of families from Nepal in spite of
the prohibition imposed by the Seventh Chogyal Tsugpud
Namgyal against the settlement of Nepa- lese in Sikkim.
Tseepa Lama, a powerful local magnate, in clear defiance of
the ban, settled Nepalese in Chakung for personal gain. This
example was soon followed by Lasso Athing and the brothers
Khangsa Dewan and Phodong Lama. A counter-movement was
started to eject the immigrants and Dalam Athing Densapa and
Pemayangtse Tatshang Lamas thrice ejected the Nepalese along
the Teesta. The Khangsapa brothers, however, worked
their way into the favour of the young ruler and virtually
became the Prime Ministers but the policy of settling people
from Nepal, which supported by the British Deputy
Commissioner (Darjeeling), was resisted by the Chogyal. The
Khangsapa brothers had meanwhile made a deal with the Newar
traders, Laxmidas Brothers. An embezzlement charge was laid
against Lasso Athing and all his lands were attached, which
were then settled by the Newar brothers. This incensed all
the leading men and an exasperated Sikkim made an appeal to
Ashley Eden, British Governor of Bengal. A meeting was held
at Kalimpong between Thutob Namgyal and Ashley Eden and the
latter agreed on the policy of prohibiting the settlement of
immigrants should never and even advised that if the waste
lands were to be settled, the immigrants should never be
allowed to hold any office or village headship. The Sikkim
Assembly (Lhade Midhe then drew up a document prohibiting
such settlement but the Khangsapa brothers obtained Thutob
consent with the outer seal and added in Tibetan these
words: "according to the Governor's desire I promise to
abide by the Policy of allowing the Gurkhalese to settle in
uninhabited and waste lands of Sikkim". The Khangsapa
brothers in collusion with the Darjeeling Deputy
Commissioner the started settling Nepalese in Rhenock. This
resulted in opposition from the Tatshang Lamas who led a body of
Sikkimese to Rhenock to turn out the new settlers. Phodong
Lama also built a small force and marched on Rhenock. The
Khangsapa Dewan, however, had the dispute settled in favour
of his brother Phodong Lama with the support of the British
officers at Darjeeling. This led to an increasing settlement
of Nepalese. The young Chogyal, frustrated, chose Chumbi for
his summer retreats.
Terracing
An important feature of Sikkimese agriculture introduced
into Sikkim by settlers from Nepal
Chumbi Palace: Located in the Chumbi Valley, the seat of the first Capital
of Sikkim
Even before the accession of Thutob, the
British were looking for trade marts in Tibet. In 1886
Colman Macaulay, leading a mission for the purpose, entered
Sikkim en route to Tibet. The Tibetans occupied Lungthu. On
Thutob's mediation the mission was withdrawn and the
Tibetans were evicted from Lungthu. The British were not
reconciled and brought reinforcements into Sikkim while the
Tibetans reinforced themselves in Chumbi which was until
then a part of Sikkim. Armed clashes took place at Gnatang,
Rinchen- gang and Chumbi (1888). Neither side scored any
decisive point.
The arrival of Claude White at Sikkim in
1887 as the leader of a British expedition saw the complete
usurpation of Governmental power in collaboration with the
Khangsapa brothers, and the virtual arrest of the Chogyal.
The Chogyal and Queen were taken to Kalimpong and detained
there. During their detention at Kalimpong, Claude White,
with his Sikkimese proteges, embarked upon a policy of
destroying the ancient economy of Sikkim. A number of lessee
landlords were created and settlement of Nepalese en bloc in
different areas was made. After several months of detention
at Kalimpong the Chogyal and Queen were allowed to return. But the pressure and excesses of Claude
White did not cease and while Thutob was at Rabdentse on a
pilgrimage in 1891, White accused him of having used forced
labour, and threatened action. Thutob addressed the British
Governor at Calcutta detailing White's maltreatment and
preposterous charges. White became incensed and wanted to
bring Thutob back to Gangtok by threats and in- ducements,
but the Chogyal planned a retreat to Doptah, an enclave of
Sikkim near Khampadzong in Tibet. The Nepalese stopped him
at Walong Valley and handed him over to the British. Thutob
was detained for two years at Kurseong.
In 1895 Chogyal Thutob was removed to
Darjeeling and after six months of confinement was released
to return to rule Sikkim. In spite of the Ten-Clauses
Agreement for restoration of the usurped authority, which
was proclaimed before Thutob's return, White transferred
only the judiciary to the Chogyal. Only in 1905, when the
Chogyal and Queen went to Calcutta on invitation to meet the
British heir-apparent, the Prince of Wales, they brought to
the notice of the British Viceroy the question of
restoration of administrative powers; on their return the
Political Officer handed over the Council and part of the
administration but retained the power to review any
transaction. Thutob distributed the responsibility of
administration among several ministers and set up a
Secretariat. It was during his reign, in 1906, that the
first English School was set up.
Thutob passed away in 1914 and was
succeeded by his second son, Sidkeong Tulku from his first
wife.
Sidkeong Tulku (born 1879 A.D.) succeeded
as the Tenth Consecrated Chogyal in February, 1914. The
Tulku was indeed an extraordinary man and while yet a boy he had developed a high
intelligence and a forceful personality. He was admitted to
Oxford in 1906 and during his two years' stay there he
distinguished himself in the corporate life of the
University. On his return in 1908 he was given charge of
Forests, Monasteries and Schools. During the last two years
of Chogyal Thutob's rule Sidkeong Tulku was at the helm and
it was during this time, in 1913, the abolition of
imprisonment as a penalty for non-payment of debts and the
ban on settlement of plainsmen were introduced. On becoming the Chogyal of Sikkim,
Sidkeong Tulku made no secret of his desire to remove vested
interests. and his proposal to liquidate the system of
landlords created staunch enemies among a large number of
landlords. In addition his spirit of independence and his
assertive nature strained relations with the Political
Officer, Charles Bell.
In December 1914, while Sidkeong was
some- what indisposed, a British physician from Bengal
administered a heavy transfusion of brandy and put him under
a number of blankets; at the same time a fire was kept
beneath the bed. Death came in the hour. Thus ended
prematurely a promising career in most suspicious
circumstances.
Sidkeong Tulku was succeeded by Tashi
Namgyal, born on 26th October, 1893, as the Eleventh
Consecrated Chogyal of Sikkim. The long and enlightened rule
of fifty years saw many social and economic reforms and all
round development of the country. Far reaching changes were effected in the
judiciary in Sikkim. A modern type of court designated Chief
Court, was set up and a full time judge appointed (1916)
thereby bringing the judicial functions of the landlord;s
under the supervision of a superior court. By a Charter in
April, 1955 a High Court was set up and separation of higher
judiciary from executive completed. The judicial and
magisterial functions of the landlords were completely
abolished by 1948.
In 1918 complete restoration .of
Governmental authority was obtained and the Chogyal was in-
vested with full ruling authority. Measures to eradicate
social evils and inequity followed. Public gambling was made
illegal in 1921, and in 1924 the use of unpaid labour was
prohibited. The use of Jharlangi, a form of paid conscripted
labour for Governmental work, was curtailed in 1945 and in
1946 the landlords were forbidden the use of Jharlangi from
the peasants. Another form of obliged labour known as Kurwas
was abolished in 1947.
At the end of the Second World War land
reforms were taken in hand. The period of lessee landlordism
expired in 1940 and it was decided to terminate it when the
war was over. But the land- lords were not forthcoming in
relinquishing their estates and therefore the Chogyal
started clipping their powers and functions. The landlords'
courts and' their powers of registration of lands and deeds
were abolished in 1948. The lessee system was dropped and
the people were given the right to pay
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Thangla Pass: The
Northern Border of ancient Sikkim |
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