Monarchs of the former Kingdom of Sikkim
The
Chogyal
("
Dharma
Kings",
Tibetan
:
????????
,
Wylie
:
chos rgyal
) were the monarchs of the former
Kingdom of Sikkim
, which belonged to the Namgyal dynasty. The Chogyal was the
absolute monarch
of
Sikkim
from 1642 to 1973, and the
constitutional monarch
from 1973 to 1975, when the
monarchy was abolished
and the
Sikkimese people
voted in a
referendum
to make Sikkim the 22nd
state
of
India
.
[1]
[2]
History
[
edit
]
From 1642 to 1975, Sikkim was ruled by the Namgyal Monarchy (also called the Chogyal Monarchy), founded by
Phuntsog Namgyal
, the fifth-generation descendant of
Guru Tashi
, a prince of the
Minyak
House who came to Sikkim from the
Kham
province of
Tibet
.
[3]
Chogyal means 'righteous ruler', and was the title conferred upon Sikkim's Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.
[
citation needed
]
The reign of the Chogyal was foretold by the patron saint of Sikkim,
Guru Rinpoche
. The 8th-century saint had predicted the rule of the kings when he arrived in the state. In 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned as Sikkim's first Chogyal in
Yuksom
. The crowning of the king was a great event and he was crowned by three revered
lamas
who arrived there from three different directions, namely the north, west, and south.
Chogyal kings of Sikkim
[
edit
]
List of chogyals
[
edit
]
Name
| Lifespan
| Reign start
| Reign end
| Notes
| Family
| Image
|
---|
Phuntsog Namgyal
- 1st Chogyal
- ??????????????????
| 1604?1670
(aged 65?66)
| 1642
| 1670
| Ascended the throne and was consecrated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim. Made the capital at
Yuksom
in West Sikkim.
| Namgyal
| |
Tensung Namgyal
- 2nd Chogyal
- ???????????????????
| 1644?1700
(aged 55?56)
| 1670
| 1700
| Son of
Phuntsog Namgyal
.
Shifted capital from Yuksom to
Rabdentse
which was later destroyed by
Gurkhas
.
| Namgyal
| |
Chakdor Namgyal
- 3rd Chogyal
- ??????????????????
| 1686?1717
(aged 30?31)
| 1700
| 1716
| His half-sister Pendiongmu tried to dethrone Chakdor, who fled to
Lhasa
, but was reinstated as king with the help of
Tibetans
.
| Namgyal
| |
Gyurmed Namgyal
- 4th Chogyal
- ???????????????????
| 1707?1733
(aged 25?26)
| 1716
| 1733
| Sikkim was attacked by
Nepalis
.
| Namgyal
| |
Phuntsog Namgyal II
- 5th Chogyal
- ??????????????????
| 1733?1780
(aged 46?47)
| 1733
| 1780
| Nepalis raided Rabdentse, the then capital of Sikkim.
| Namgyal
| |
Tenzing Namgyal
- 6th Chogyal
- ???????????????????
| 1769?1793
(aged 23?24)
| 1780
| 1793
| Fled to
Tibet
, and later died there in exile.
| Namgyal
| |
Tsugphud Namgyal
- 7th Chogyal
- ??????????????????
| 1785?1863
(aged 77?78)
| 1793
| 1863
| Son of
Tenzing Namgyal
.
The longest-reigning Chogyal of Sikkim. Shifted the capital from Rabdentse to third capital
Tumlong
.
Treaty of Titalia
in 1817 between Sikkim and
British India
was signed in which territories lost to
Nepal
were appropriated to Sikkim.
Darjeeling
was gifted to British India in 1835. Two
Britons
, Dr.
Campbell
and Dr.
Hooker
were captured by the Sikkimese in 1849. Hostilities between
Britain
and Sikkim continued and led to the
Treaty of Tumlong
in 1861, making Sikkim a
de facto
British protectorate
.
| Namgyal
| |
Sidkyong Namgyal
- 8th Chogyal
- ????????????????????
| 1819?1874
(aged 54?55)
| 1863
| 1874
| Son of
Tsugphud Namgyal
.
| Namgyal
| |
Thutob Namgyal
- 9th Chogyal
- ???????????????????
| 1860 ? 11 February 1914
(aged 53?54)
| 1874
| 11 February 1914
| Half-brother of
Sidkeong Namgyal
.
John Claude White
appointed as the first
political officer
in Sikkim in 1889.
[4]
Capital shifted from Tumlong to fourth and last capital at
Gangtok
in 1894.
| Namgyal
| |
Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal
- 10th Chogyal
- ??????????????????????????????
| 1879 ? 5 December 1914
(aged 34?35)
| 11 February 1914
| 5 December 1914
| Son of
Thutob Namgyal
.
The shortest-reigning Chogyal of Sikkim. Died of
heart failure
, in most suspicious circumstances.
| Namgyal
| |
Tashi Namgyal
- 11th Chogyal
- ?????????????????
| (
1893-10-26
)
26 October 1893 ? 2 December 1963
(1963-12-02)
(aged 70)
| 5 December 1914
| 2 December 1963
| Half-brother of
Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal
.
The second longest-reigning Chogyal of Sikkim. Treaty between India and Sikkim was signed in 1950, giving India
suzerainty
over Sikkim.
| Namgyal
| |
Palden Thondup Namgyal
- 12th Chogyal
- ??????????????????????????
| (
1923-05-23
)
23 May 1923 ? 29 January 1982
(1982-01-29)
(aged 58)
| 2 December 1963
[a]
| 10 April 1975
| Son of
Tashi Namgyal
.
The last Chogyal of Sikkim. The country became a state of India, following the 1975 referendum.
| Namgyal
| |
Titular chogyals
[
edit
]
The son from the first marriage of
Palden Thondup Namgyal
,
Wangchuk Namgyal
(
Sikkimese
:
????????????????????????????
; born 1 April 1953), was named the 13th Chogyal after his father's death on 29 January 1982,
[6]
but the position no longer confers any official authority.
Family tree
[
edit
]
Namgyal dynasty and the Chogyals of Sikkim
|
|
Royal Flag
[
edit
]
Rulers of other Himalayan kingdoms
[
edit
]
Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan
[
edit
]
In Bhutan, "dharmaraja" or "Righteous King" is a title which was also conferred upon a special class of temporal and spiritual rulers. In Bhutan, the Chogyal were given the respectful title
Zhabdrung
. In this context, the Chogyal was a recognised reincarnation (or succession of reincarnations) of
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal
, the 17th century
Tibetan
-born founder of Bhutan. A position of supreme importance, the Bhutanese Chogyal was above both the highest monastic authority, the
Je Khenpo
, and the highest temporal ruler, the Deb Raja or
Druk Desi
.
[7]
There were two main lines of Zhabdrung incarnations in Bhutan.
Gyalpo of Ladakh
[
edit
]
The region of
Ladakh
was ruled by a separate line of the
Namgyal
dynasty that lasted from 1460 to 1842 and were titled the
Gyalpo
of Ladakh.
[8]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Crowned on 4 April 1965.
[5]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
G. T. (1 March 1975), "Trouble in Sikkim",
Index on Censorship
,
4
: 68?69,
doi
:
10.1080/03064227508532403
,
S2CID
220927214
- ^
"Sikkim Votes to End Monarchy, Merge With India"
.
The New York Times
. 16 April 1975.
Archived
from the original on 19 August 2017
. Retrieved
4 September
2020
.
- ^
Measuroo.com States and Territories of India series. Online:
[1]
(accessed: 14 May 2008)
- ^
"John Claude White ? career"
.
King's College London
.
Archived
from the original on 23 October 2017
. Retrieved
17 February
2021
.
- ^
"Maharaja and His U.S. Bride Crowned Amid Pomp in Sikkim"
.
The New York Times
. 5 April 1965.
Archived
from the original on 8 August 2020
. Retrieved
4 September
2020
.
- ^
"Palden Thondup Namgyal, Deposed Sikkim King, Dies"
.
The New York Times
. 30 January 1982.
Archived
from the original on 25 December 2017
. Retrieved
4 September
2020
.
The deposed King of Sikkim, Palden Thondup Namgyal, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer in
New York City
, died last night from complications following an operation at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
. He was 58 years old. A family spokesman said his body was to be flown home to Sikkim for the funeral. ...
- ^
Norbu, Namkhai (1988, 2000).
The Crystal and the Way of Light: The Teachings of Namkhai Norbu
. (Snow Lion Publications) pg.20 and Notes.
- ^
Teg Bahadur Kapur (1987).
Ladakh, the Wonderland A Geographical, Historical, and Sociological Study
. Mittal Publications. p. 57.
ISBN
9788170990116
.