SIKKIM

Namgyal Dynasty

Mipon Rab,the youngest son of the Khey Bumsa, moved to Sikkim from Chumbi and became a local chieftain and his son, Guru Tashi moved to Gangtok. Tashi’s son was Jowas Apha, whose son was Guru Tenzing and Tenzing’s son was was Phuntsog Namgyal, the first Chogyal of Sikkim.

Phuntsog Namgyal’s crowning is charged with all the vivid fantasy and miraculous phenomenon that is befitting to so important an occasion.

Back in the 8th century, the legendary Buddhist monk Guru Padmasambhava or Guru Rimpoche prophesied that Sikkim would be overrun by - Buddhism. This prophecy came to pass in the 17th century, when the great Lama Lhatsun Chempo decided that he must go and “open the northern gate of Beyul Demozong”. He led his disciples to the mountain wall, beyond which lay Sikkim but could find no way to cross the mountain until a vision of Khangchendzonga showed him the way.

When Lhatsun Chempo entered the new country from the north, he found two other lamas, Sempa CI “Y c.] the west and south. They met at Yoksam, meaning place of the three wise ones and began a debate on the desirability of having a temporal and religious head to rule over Sikkim. Two of the lamas furthered their own claims but the third lama reminded them of the prophecy of Guru Padamasambhava that a man coming from east and Phuntsog by name would rule Sikkim. Messengers were sent to seek Phuntsog. Near Gangtok the desired young man was found and was duly crowned Chogyal or Great Religious King. He was given one of Lhatsun Chempo’s(the Lama who told about prophesy) names, Namgyal, and the title of Chogyal. It happened in year 1642. Phuntsog Namgyal, is credited not only with the political consolidation of Sikkim, but also with the establishment of monasteries and encouraging the spread of Buddhism by proclaiming it the State religion.

The concept of Kingship in Sikkim was charged, thus, with religious leadership. He divided the kingdom into 12 Dzongs and appointed twelve Dzongpens and Kazis to help him administer the Kingdom. These were drawn from leading Lepcha and Bhutia families, and had the status of local Governors. The kingdom was many times in its size today. In the north it reached Thangla near Phari { Tibet}, in the East Tagongla near Paro { Bhutan}, in the South Titalia near the borders of Bengal and Bihar and in the West Tamar Chorten {Tamar river, Nepal}.

In the eighteenth century Sikkim lost considerable territories first to Bhutan and then to Nepal due to internal feuds and foreign aggressions. The Gorkha expansionism under Raja Prithivin Narayan Shah led to loss of all Lepcha and Tsong lands in what was then Western Sikkim.

There were border disputes with Tibet also. In 1817 and in 1834-35 territories constituting Darjeeling district and southern borders were acquired by the British East India Company.

In 1880s Sikkims’ rights to Chumbi Valley were surrendered to Tibeto- Chinese authorities by the British authorities in India.

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