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Sikkim is a small constitutional monarchy in the Himalayan mountains, inhabited mostly by a Tibetan people. It is a member of the Himalayan Confederacy and of the Commission on Very Small States.

Administration

Government

Sikkim is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. The monarch is known as a raja, and the monarchy as a rajadom.

The parliament of the Republic is known as the Khurul, and is a unicameral legislature-executive dominated by a strong presidency.

Toponymy

The most widely accepted origin of the name Sikkim is that it is a combination of two words in the Limbu language, su, meaning "new", and khyim, meaning "palace" or "house". This refers to the palace built by the rajadom's first ruler, Phuntsog Namgyal. The name for Sikkim in Tibetan is Denjong, which means the "valley of rice". The name in Lepcha is Nye-mae-el, meaning "paradise", and in Bhutia it is Beymul Demazong, meaning the hidden valley of rice".

Geography

• Sikkim is geographically diverse due to its location in the Himalayas.
• The rajadom is characterized by mountainous terrain in the northern four prefectures. Elevations range from 280 metres (920 ft) to 8,585 metres (28,000 ft). Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, is located on the border of Sikkim with Nepal. For the most part, the land is unfit for agriculture because of the precipitous and rocky slopes. However, certain hill slopes have been converted into farm lands using terrace farming techniques.
• The Tista River, known as the "lifeline of Sikkim", originates at Cholamo Lake, the most sacred lake in Tibet, at an altitude of 5,330 m. The river is then fed by numerous snow-fed streams which have carved out river valleys in the west and south of the rajadom. The river then flows past the village of Rangpo where it forms part of the the border between ??? and ???. At Kalimpong the river is met by its main tributary, the Rangit River. At this point, it changes course southwards flowing entirely into Bangal. The river meets the plains at Sevok and finally merges with the mighty Brahmaputra.
• About a third of the land is heavily forested. The Himalayan ranges surround the northern, eastern and western borders of Sikkim in a crescent. The Lower Himalayas in the southern reaches of the rajadom are the most densely populated. The rajadom has 28 mountain peaks, more than 80 glaciers, a number of hot springs, and more than 100 rivers and streams. Eight mountain passes connect the rajadom to Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal.
• Sikkim's hot springs are known for medicinal and therapeutic values. They have a high sulphur content and are located near river banks. Some also emit hydrogen. The average temperature of the water in these hot springs is 50°C (122°F).

Borders

Sikkim is bordered by on the:

North: Tibet
East: Tibet, Bhutan, Bangal
South: Bangal
West: Bangal, Nepal.

The episode surrounding the sale of Darjeeling to the British East India Company in 1835 did not take place *there* so that Darjeeling remains a part of the Rajahdom of Sikkim. Thus, the rajadom is contiguous with *here's* Indian state of Sikkim and the Darjeeling District of the State of West Bengal.

Prefectures

• Sikkim has seven prefectures (the smallest adminstrative unit), each overseen by an elected official, the ???, who is in charge of the administration of the prefecture. There are seven towns and numerous villages.
• The seven districts are Gangtok, Geyzing, Kalimpang, Kansigung, Mangan, Namachi, and Siliguri. These prefectures are named after the town which is the administrative center of the prefecture.

History

• The earliest recorded event in the history of Sikkim is the passage of the Buddhist saint (known as Padmasabhavana in Tibet) through the land in the eighth century. The Guru is reported to have blessed the land, introduced Buddhism to the country, and foretold the era of monarchy that would arrive centuries later.
• In the 14th century, according to legend, Guru Tashi, a Bhutia prince from the Minyak House in Kham in eastern Tibet, had a divine revelation one night instructing him to travel south to seek his fortunes. He traveled south with his five sons and settled down in the Chumbi Valley in Sikkim. His descendants were later to become the royal Chogyal family of Sikkim.
  • During their journey the family came across the Sakya Kingdom in which a monastery was being built at that time. The workers had not been successful in erecting pillars for the monastery. The elder son of Guru Tashi raised the pillar single handedly and thereby came to be known as Kheye Bumsa, meaning the superior of ten thousand heroes.
  • The Sakya King offered his daughter in marriage to Khye Bumsa. When his father died Khye Bumsa settled in Chumbi Valley and it was here that he established contacts in Gangtok with the Lepcha Chieftain Thekong Tek who rules Sikkim south of the Chumbi Valley. Khye Bumsa being childless went to Sikkim to seek the blessing of the priest king Thekong Tek. Not only was he blessed with three sons but Thekong Tek also prophesied that his successors would be the rulers of Sikkim. In due course the friendship resulted in a treaty between the two Chieftains at a place called Kabi Longtsok. This treaty brought about new ties of brotherhood between the Lepchas and the Bhutias.
• Mipon Rab, the third son of Khye Bumsa, assumed the chieftainship after the death of his father. He had sons and the four principal clans of Sikkim are said to have sprung from these four sons.
• The fourth son, Guru Tashi, succeeded Mipon Rab and moved to Gangtok. The Lepchas, after the death of Thekong Tek, broke into minor clans. They also gradually turned to Guru Tashi for protection and leadership. Guru Tashi appointed Sambre, a Lepcha, as his chief adviser and lieutenant. Guru Tashi's rule marked the absorption of the foreign Bhutia ruling house into the native soil and also paved a way for a regular monarchy. This way Guru Tashi became the first ruler of Sikkim and was crowned as such. He was followed by Jowo Nagpo, Jowo Apha and Guru Tenzing, all of whom pursued a policy of amicable relations with the Lepchas.
• In 1642, the fifth-generation descendant of Guru Tashi, Phuntsog Namgyal, was consecrated as the first chogyal (king) of Sikkim by the three virtuous lamas who had come from the north, west and south in search for the chosen person. Near present day Gangtok, at Norbugang near Yoksom in western Sikkim they found a man churning milk. He offered them some refreshments and gave them shelter. So impressed were they by his deeds that they realised that he was a chosen one and immediately crowned him king.
  • The crowning took place Norbughang near Yuksom on a stone slab in a pine covered hill, and he was anointed by sprinkling water from a sacred urn. This marked the beginning of the monarchy as had been predicted by Guru Rinpoche some eight hundred years before. He was given the name Namgyal and the title chogyal, or religious king. This historical gathering of the three virtuous lamas is called Yuksom, which means the 'Three Superior Ones'.
  • He was persuaded by the three lamas to seek recognition from the Dalai Lama of Tibet. The Dalai Lama recognized Phuntsok Namgyal as the ruler of the southern slopes of the Himalayas (Sikkim) and sent him the ceremonial presents of a silken scarf bearing Dalai Lama's seal, the mitre(hat) of the Guru Rimpoche, the devil dagger (phurpa) and the most precious sand image of the Guru. Consequently, the newly established Bhutia principality of the Namgyal Dynasty was tied to Tibetan theocracy and he declared Mahayana Buddhism to be the state religion.
  • The chogyal, along with the three lamas converted the local Lepcha tribes to Buddhism and tactfully kept the Lepchas, Bhutias and Limbus together. He annexed the Chumbi Valley, the present-day Darjeeling district, and parts of eastern Nepal. The new chogyal divided his new kingdom into twelve dzongs (districts) and established his capital at Yoksom. At this time Sikkim’s territory included the Chumbi Valley in the north, up to Ha Dzong in Bhutan, as far as the Arun River in Nepal, and much of the Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal.
• In 1670, Phuntsog Namgyal was succeeded by his son, Tensung Namgyal, the second chogyal. The reign of the chogyal was peaceful and he moved the capital from Yuksom to Rabdentse, near Geyzing. He had three wives, a Bhutanese, a Tibetan, and a Limbu, and was succeeded by his son Chador Namgyal, borne by his second wife.
• In 1700, Chador Namgyal, seized the throne after his father’s death; he was a minor at that time. This outraged his elder half-sister Pendiongmu, daughter of the first wife, who ousted him with the help of the Bhutanese. Chador fled to Tibet where he remained in exile for ten years before returning and reclaiming his lost territory with the help of the Tibetans.
  • While in Lhasa, Chador Namgyal became very proficient in Buddhism and Tibetan literature, and became the state astrologer to the Sixth Dalai Lama. The sixth Dalai Lama, pleased with the erudition of Chador Namgyal, conferred on him exclusive rights to an estate in Tibet.
  • During this time, the son of Yugthing Yeshe (the minister who had saved Chador and taken him to Tibet) was imprisoned by the Bhutanese in Rabdentse. Tibet intervened in the matter and the Dalai Lama prevailed on King Deb of Bhutan to withdraw from Sikkim. Chakdor Namgyal then returned to Rebdantse. The small forces of Bhutan which remained were forced to withdraw in 1706, although Sikkim lost Kalimpong and all territories east of it to Bhutan because Bhutan had colonized the area.
  • He commanded that the second of every three sons of a Bhutia family must be ordained a monk of the Pemiongchi Monastery. He also adapted the religious dances (mystery plays) to keep alive the martial and native traditions and invented an alphabet for the Lepchas.
  • Pendiongmu, the Chogyal’s half sister, had not forgiven her half brother. With the help of a medicinal man from Tibet she had Chakdor murdered in 1716 by means of a blood letting from a main artery while the king was on a holiday at the Ralang hot water spring. Immediately, the royal armed forces executed the Tibetan doctor and put Pendiogmu to death by strangling her with a silk scarf.
• In 1717, his son Gurmed Namgyal, the fourth chogyal, succeeded him. During his reign there were many skirmishes between the Nepalese and the Sikkimese, which prompted him to fortify Rabdentese. Since he did not have any legitimate children, on his death bed he said that a nun at the monastery of Sanga Cheoling was carrying his child (according to a story concocted by the lamas to continue the Namgyal Dynasty). Subsequently, the nun gave birth to a male child who was accepted as heir to Gurmed.
• In 1733, Phunstok Namgyal II, the fifth chogyal, the illegitimate child of Gurmed, succeeded his father. His father’s treasurer, Tamdang, not only opposed the succession but assumed the powers of the ruler and continued to rule Sikkim for three years despite the opposition by the pro-king faction. The Lepchas backed the baby king and fought the pretender under the leadership of Chandzod Karwang. Tamdang was defeated and fled to Tibet to seek guidance and help. But in order to keep Sikkim under their supervision, the Tibetan authorities favoured the minority of the king.
  • A convention representing all levels of the Sikkimese people was held which defined the functions, powers and responsibilities of the government. A system of annual taxation was also introduced to augment the state treasury.
  • The rise of the Gurkhas also posed a threat for Sikkim. During the later years of Phuntsok II they invaded Sikkim under the leadership of Raja Prithvi Narayan Shah of Nepal. Bhutan also invaded Sikkim and captured the land east of the river Tista. They later withdrew to the previous borders after negotiations at Rhenock. The Gurkhas were beaten back seventeen times. A peace treaty with Nepal was signed in 1775 and the Gurkhas promised to abstain from further attacks and collaboration with Bhutanese. Later, however, they violated the treaty and occupied the land in western Sikkim. Phuntsok II had three queens but had a son Tenzing Namgyal from his second queen in 1769.
• In 1780, Tenzing Namgyal, the sixth chogyal, the son of Phuntsok’s second queen, succeeded his father. He was a weak ruler, and during his reign, Gurkha forces occupied large parts of Sikkim. They attacked Rabdentse and he had to flee to Tibet where he died. The Gurkha excursions emboldened them to penetrate even into Tibet. This led to Chinese intervention and Nepal was defeated. In the Sino-Nepal treaty, Sikkim lost some of its land to Nepal, but the monarchy was allowed to be restored in the country.
• In 1791, China sent troops to support Sikkim and defend Tibet against the Gurkhas. Following Nepal's subsequent defeat, the Qing Dynasty established control over Sikkim.
• In 1793, Tenzing’s son Tshudpud Namgyal, the seventh chogyal, returned to Sikkim to reclaim the throne with the help of China. Rabdantse was now, considered too insecure because of its proximity to the Nepal border and Tshudphund Namgyal shifted the capital to a place called Tumlong.
• In 1863, Sedkeong Namgyal, the eight chogyal, succeeded his father Tshudpud.
• In 1874, Thutob Namgyal, the ninth chogyal, succeeded his half-brother. In 1894, he moved the capital from Tumlong to Gangtok, building a new palace and government buildings.
• In 1914, Sedkegong Tukul Namgyal, the tenth chogyal, succeeded his father. He only reigned eleven months, from February 10th to December 5th, dying of heart failure.
• In 1914, Tashi Namgyal, the eleventh chogyal, succeeded his half-brother. He was crowned by the 13th Dalai Lama. He died in 1963.
• In 1965, Palden Thondup Namgyal, the twelfth chogyal, succeeded his father. The coronation was delayed for two years after his father’s death in order to find an auspicious date.

In 1982, Wangchuk Namgyal, the 13th chogyal, his father’s second son, succeeded to the throne. His elder brother Tenzing was killed in a road accident.

Economy

The economy of Tannu-Tuva is mostly centred around mining. Economically-important mineral resources include coal, iron ore, gold, and cobalt. Formerly, the large asbestos deposits below ground were extensively tapped, leading to chronic health issues in some parts of the territory. The modern state has made the environmental clean-up of these areas a main priority in the years following the abolition of the SNOR, and only two cities have lingering problems.

Forestry is another source of income, particularly in the upland east of the country, as are the sawmills and wood-crafting trades that go along with it.

The other main source of income for the Republic is tourism. The Ubsunur wilderness area on the border with Mongolia is home to many rare species including the regionally iconic Snow Leopard, and several local ecotourism firms capitalise on this. The Ubsunur wilderness area actually crosses the border with Mongolia, and is administered as an ecotopic condominium area under joint Tuvan-Mongolian authority.

Tourists to Tannu-Tuva come mostly from Turkestan, and many Tannu-Tuvans now speak reasonable Qazaq or Üzbek in addition to their own languages.

Population

Tannu-Tuva is over 75% ethnically Tuvin, the other 24.4% of the population being mostly ethnic Russians, but also some Mongols, Buryats and Qazaqs, as well as Ketic and Samoyedic peoples and a scattering of Slavs and other Europeans brought in by the Snorists – Czechs, Volga Germans and others. These last have mostly emigrated to other parts of the Russian Federation, either to their own republics or to autonomous districts within other federal republics. A linguistic distinction is made between "Tuvin" (pertaining to the eponymous ethnic group of the Republic) and "Tannu-Tuvan" (pertaining to all the inhabitants of the Republic, regardless of ethnicity). This last is derived from the ancient Mongol-Chinese name for the region, Tannu Uriankhai. "Tuvin" is also sometimes written "Tuvan". The government of Tannu-Tuva does not seem to exhibit a clear preference.

In addition to the almost 250,000 Tuvans in Tannu-Tuva itself, there are another 200,000 Tuvins in other parts of the world. The main diaspora populations are in the United States of Siberia (120,000), Mongolia (20,000), Khakassia (15,000), and Uyguristan (around 8,000).

Culture

File:Tuvans Horse riding.jpg

A group of Tuvans riding horses

Modern Tannu-Tuva is dominated by the Tuvan ethnic group, and their culture prevails in the Republic. This was not always the case, however, and in the Snorist era, Russian language and culture were fostered and promoted to the exclusion of the majority Tuvan culture. The Tuvin language is thus full of Russian loan-words, many of them Turkicised by exposure to the Tuvan majority, but just as many not. In addition, many more educated older Tuvans speak Russian as a first language, and had to re-learn their official mother tongue in order to maintain their social standing in the current order.

The Tuvin people are Turkic in origin, belonging to the Northern linguistic family which also included Khakas and Altai. Unlike their Altai neighbours, who are some of the most sedentary of all the Turkic peoples, the Tuvans were historically nomadic. Most Tuvans are now completely settled, with only a few continuing to practise semi-nomadism, but their nomadic roots run very close to the surface, and the cultural practices of nomadism are still very evident in their society.

Tuvins are famous for their throat singing, horsemanship and skill in hunting. Of old, the Tuvan people typically got a significant amount of their meat from hunting, as well as from herding, and many keep up the ancient traditions.

Religion

Tuvans are likely to be either (in order of likelihood): Tengriist, Buddhist (after the Mongolian tradition), or Christian (after the Assyrian tradition). A few are converts to Russian Orthodoxy or practise Burxanism, but this number is not large.

Tannu-Tuva is one of only a few places in the world where numbers of Buddhists and Christians rub shoulders with each other on more or less friendly terms. The two groups are both minorities compared to the Tengriist majority, and Tengriist thinking colours a lot of both Christian and Buddhist local religious expression.

Sports

Tannu-Tuva competes in most of the events of the Central Asian Games, and typically does well at the equestrian events, particularly the Three Day Race and Kökbörü, in Küräş (wrestling), and in the mounted shooting events.