A brief history of Sikkim

THE CHOGYALS OF SIKKIM
The most notable Chogyal was the third Chogyal Namgyal. He was born of a Tibetan mother and ascended the throne in 1700 when he was only fourteen. His coronation was bitterly opposed by his half-sister, Pedi Wangmo, whose mother came from Bhutan. She conspired to have him assassinated with the help of Bhutanese troops. Anticipating this, a loyal minister spirited the King away to Lhasa andput him in the care of the Dalia Lama. The young King grew up in an atmosphere of learning and religion and distinguishes himself as a brilliant scholar.
Meanwhile, Bhutanese troops occupied the palace at Rabdentse from the Dalia lama, that they withdrew. Chador Namgyal returned and began ruling from Rabdentse. Founding the monastery at Pemayangtse, he ordered that the second of every three sons in a Bhutia family take monastic orders. The Lepchas scripts,and the warrior dance performed to this day during the worship of the mountains are both said to be his creations.
All along, Chador Namgyal,s half –sister was busy with her evil machinations. She finally succeeded in having the chogyal assassinated by a Tibetan surgeon during a royal bath in the hot springs. The murderous doctor was executed soon after; and in a manner befitting royalty, the princess was dispatched as well by strangling her with a scarf made of the finest silk . The namgyal dynasty continued to rule.
By the end of the cighteenth century, the Namgyal were firmly established as the uncontested rulers of Sikkim . Not surprisingly, the aristocracy in Sikkim was striongy influnced by the court culture of Tibet, and most Chogyals chose their wives from Tibet. Over time, Lepchas increased adopted Buddhism and the two groups became more and more integrated. There was no racial conflict between them and when, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Bhutanese and Nepalese forays into Sikkim greatly increased in frequency, Lepchas and Bhutia joined forces against these common enemies. The ties between the two groups were thereby further cemented.

 ENTER, THE BRITISH
 The extensive infringement upon Sikkim’s territorial borders by the Bhutanese and the Nepalese led to the loss of Limbuana to the Nepalese in the early eighteenth century and Kalimpong to the Bhutanese in the latter part of the same century. It also provided the British aid against the Gurkha invasions from Nepal. The British obliged .The Gurkhas were driven out of the Terai and the territories restored to Sikkim under the Treaty of Titaliya in 1817. Under this treaty, however, the British assumed the role of lords paramount in Sikkim.
Inexorably, Sikkim lost more and more Territory to the British, including the beautiful hill-station of Darjeeling. But the biggest blow came in 1861 when the British government was given the power to build a road through Sikkim and the Jelep La to the Chumbi and Lhasa. This was done to facilitate British trade.
Along with territorial acquisition, the British consolidate their position in Sikkim by encouraging a huge influx of Nepalese people, despite the Chogyal’s opposition to this policy. Small numbers of Nepalese had been migrating to Sikkim from about the fifteenth century, but it was only the British that the Nepalese began to entering in great numbers, entirely upsetting the traditional ethnic balance of Sikkim. This social engineering was done by the British imperial interests required a weakening of Lepchas –Bhutia strength. The British could also rest with the certainty that if that aristocracy of Sikkim showed any sign of protest, they could count on Gurkha support to quell rebellion.

 

LEPCHA  LANGUAGE:The origins of the Lepchas language remain shrouded in mystery  as philologist’s debate whether it belongs to the Tibeto-Burman groups or the Austro-Asiatic family. The language is monosyllabic in character and possesses an inexhaustible capacity for derivatives and suffixes. Two striking aspects of the language are the wealth of vocabulary devoted to nature making it possible to verbalize complex subtleties of the

Natural world; and the allusive characteristics of the idiom, so that the language appears to revolve around innuendo and a verbal statement is almost always a suggestion rather then an explicit observation. Not surprisingly, this has made the Lepcha language rich in metaphors, poetic. It is now generally accepted in the eighteenth the third Chogyal Chador Namgyal created a script for the Lepchas based on the Tibetans alphabet.

 At the turn of the century a Sikkim secretariat was established. Sidkeong tulkur was now the chogyal .he was a powerful personality, highly intelligent, and with an Oxford education. He assumed a number of ministerial positions of the Sikkim government Even before he became the Chogyal in 1914, he had it clear that he intended to introduce large-scale reforms, including the abolition of the landlord system. Not surprisingly, this made him quite a few formidable enemies and his untimely death, within a few months of his having being crowned Chogyal, is widely regarded as an assassination.
Tashi Namgyal succeeded his brother his brother Sidkeong and the fifty years of his reigh saw many political and economic reforms. He was an excellent diplomat and established friendly working relations with the British .As a result, the British gave him .considerable support in implementing various developmental programmes. The most spectacular of these was Tashi Namgyal’s literacy drive which led to schools being opened in even the most remote areas of Sikkim and education becoming freely available to all. He ushered in an era of Sikkim and education becoming freely available to all. He ushered in an era of welfare and broad- based progress in which there were great emphases on the development of human resources.
Meanwhile, his, son, Palden thondup Namgyal, having completed his training with the Indian administrative service, emerged as the Chogyal’s main advisor in the judicial and executive affaires of Sikkim. Consequently, when Tashi Namgyal died in 1963, and palden ascended the throne, he was already a seasoned minister with twenty years of administrative experience behind him. Under his direction the programme for development gained momentum- there were new roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, government institution and housing, more transport and hydroelectric power.

ENTER, INDIA
With the departure of the brutish from the sub- continent in 1947, the newly formed Republic of India inherited Sikkim as a protectorate. Chogyal Tashi Namgyal and later ,Chogyal Palden Thondup continued to maintain friendly relations with the newly formed Indian Government .but trouble was brewing in Sikkim as various political groups, perhaps influenced by the political euphoria and excitement prevalent in India, began agitating for democratic progress to be institute in the state . Political parties started springing up and the demand for people’s looked to threaten the monarchy.
On 1 may 1949, Sikkim’s first popular ministry was formed under the chief Minister of Tashi Tshering. This five-member council was assigned executive powers but soon there was a feeling of dissatisfaction about the ministers’ ability to actually exercise their power. This led to more unrest and finally to large scale riots in front of the palace gates in June 1949. The Chogyal had to take the help of Indian forces to quell the riots and this ultimately led to the Indo-Sikkim Treaty being signed on 5 December 1949. According to this agreement India assumed total responsibility of Sikkim’s defence. Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim and the country’s arms imports, foreign policy and passport matters were to be regulated by the Indian government .Roads and communications in Sikkim also came under the exclusive purview of India.
Meanwhile as the demands for greater people’s power continued ,the Chogyal and representatives of two of Sikkim’s largest parties, the Sikkim state Congress and the Sikkim national party, held discussion and as a result , in may 1951,the parity formula was evolved. According to this formula, the seats in the proposed state council were to be divided equally between the Bhutia-Lepcha group, and the Nepalese. The Sikkim State Council was then institute in 1953.
Even as internal instability continued with the Nepalese and the Bhutia- Lepcha nexus persisting in their battle to gain the upper –hand in the country’s politics, Indian forces clashed with china on the kingdom’s northern border in October 1962 and the Chogyal Tashi Namgyal died. The crown prince, Palden Thondup was crowned the twelfth Chogyal and his American wife .Hoop Cook, the Gyalmo.
In April 1973, the trouble which had been brewing between the Lecpha-bhutia factions and the majority Nepalese group erupted into a political furore of riots. The Nepalese were demanding an election format of “one –man, one –vote”. Once more, the Choygal had to seek the help of India to restore order and thereafter an agreement was signed whereby the Choygal’s status was father reduced .he now became virtually a titular head, real power having shifting into the hands of India and to the majority group.Kaji Lhendup Dorji, a man well-known for his anti-monarchist sentiments and his pro-India bias, was elected to the council of Ministers.
After this, it was only a matter of time before Sikkim ceased to exist as an independent nation. it formally became a part of the Indian parliament for representation, and for Sikkim to become an Indian state .India accepted .the three- hundred year –old institution of the Choygal was declared abolished by a resolution passed in the sikkim Assembly. On 16 may 1975, Sikkim became the twenty-second state of India with the Kazi as chief Minister.
Sikkim absorption into the Indian Union has remained a sensitive and controversial issue among the native Sikkimese population .at the time of the merger India had promised that Sikkim’s integration with mainstream India would not threaten Sikkim’s unique identity .However ,many Sikkimese believe that the decades tiny state is now overrun by a disproportionately large bureaucracy which has ,to quote a journalist, sullied this beautiful Himalayas region with “paan –stained babudam”. The corruption afflicting the political machinery of the other Indian states is.in. Sikkim, magnified many times over and it is popularly alleged that the so- called ‘planned development’ that the Indian government and heritage by problems would be far greater power in the hands of the Lepchas, Bhutias and the authentic Nepalese population of Sikkim so that the state uppermost in their minds. Among the natives population there is an agitation for far greater representation in the state’s government and a more active role in administration and policy matters.

ECONOMY

Sikkim was part of the ancient trade route between Tibet and India with Gangtok a busy trade post. Yaks, mules and donkey would come from Tibet laden with wool and return carrying precious stone ,tobacco, dried fruit, sugar, molasses and many domestic items like needles and soaps. This ancient form of livelihood has not survived, because of the sealing of the border with Tibet, but the other traditional economic sustenance of the people-agriculture- still dominates .over seventy percent of Sikkim’s workforce is employed in agriculture –related activity .the terrace farms and plantations of Sikkim, lying in steps all along mountain sides are fragrant with cash crops like cardamom, ginger, apricots, peaches and mandarin oranges. Both mandarins and cardamom are exported, Sikkim being one of the world’s largest exporter of the spice .the Temi tea Estate is the spectacularly beautiful garden located near Singtam fletch some of the highest prices in the auctions the world over.
In the alpine region, large numbers of bhutia are yak herdsmen by profession. This is an ancient occupation and even today the herdsmen follow the Tran migratory patterns of their villages during winter. Yaks are ideal beasts of burden for rugged mountainous terrain. Their thick coats provide wool and the meat is dried u and eaten. The rich and nutritious milk from yaks is used to make churpi,a cheese, and butter.
Less pastoral pursuits include assorted fruit preservation factories, mines, and breweries. Danny Dengzongpa, once a popular “bollyhood”villan whom Indian audience loved to hate, producers Dansberg, a beer much consumed in India. Colorful, gimmicky time- pieces under the brand name “Hi- Funda” are manufacture as well. The government institute of cottage industries, set up in 1957 by Chogyal Palden Thondup, develops handicrafts like sliversmithing, carpet weaving, woodcarving and hand-made paper. But in recent years, it is floriculture -given Sikkim’s incredible rang of orchids and other flower-and tourism that have emerged as the two major sources of income for the state.
Sikkim is suffering the usual consequences of this rapid development. Large tracts of hill –side have been carved out for roads and mines; deforestation is extensive. This has led to severe reduction in the forest cover as well as soil erosion and, consequently, landslides are now a frequent hazard.

CHAMPAGNE OF TEAS
Temi tea Estate located in south Sikkim is not only breathtaking beautiful, the garden is also a producer of some of the worlds best tea. The Chogyal had intiated tea growing in Sikkim with a small plantation in Kew zing to provide employment for the Tibetan refugees escaping Chinese aggression in their homeland. This was later moved to Temi and a proper processing plant construction. This government –owned Estate producers about 100,000kg of tea annually which fetches premium prices at world auctions.
The hour –long drive from Singtam up to the Estate takes you through mountainsides lush with ferns and numerous waterfalls ranging from musical rills to roaring cascades cross your path as they rush downwards. Temi is planted on steep hillsides from 1200 meters to 1800 meters and the road up to the factory, situated at 1500 meters is linked with cherry blossoms trees which come into bloom in November. All of this verdant natural beauty seems to feed into the tea, giving it a uniquely subtle, multi-layered fragrance.