The Chogyal ("Dharma Kings", Tibetan: ཆོས་རྒྱལ, 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]
| Chogyal of Sikkim | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Palden Thondup Namgyal | |
| Details | |
| First monarch | Phuntsog Namgyal |
| Last monarch | Palden Thondup Namgyal |
| Formation | 1642 |
| Abolition | 16 May 1975 |
| Residence | Tsuklakhang Palace, Gangtok |
| Pretender(s) | Wangchuk Namgyal |
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
editList of chogyals
edit| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phuntsog Namgyal
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 1707–1733 (aged 25–26) | 1716 | 1733 | Sikkim was attacked by Nepalis. | Namgyal | |
Phuntsog Namgyal II
| 1733–1780 (aged 46–47) | 1733 | 1780 | Nepalis raided Rabdentse, the then capital of Sikkim. | Namgyal | |
Tenzing Namgyal
| 1769–1793 (aged 23–24) | 1780 | 1793 | Fled to Tibet, and later died there in exile. | Namgyal | |
Tsugphud Namgyal
| 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
| 1819–1874 (aged 54–55) | 1863 | 1874 | Son of Tsugphud Namgyal. | Namgyal | |
Thutob Namgyal
| 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
| 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
| 26 October 1893 – 2 December 1963 (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
| 23 May 1923 – 29 January 1982 (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
editThe son from the first marriage of Palden Thondup Namgyal, Wangchuk Namgyal (Sikkimese: དབང་ཕྱུག་བསྟན་འཛིན་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་; 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.
| Titular (1975–present) | |||||||||
| Name | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palden Thondup Namgyal | 10 April 1975 | 29 January 1982 | Son of Tashi Namgyal | ||||||
| Wangchuk Namgyal | 29 January 1982 | Incumbent | Son of Palden Thondup Namgyal | ||||||
Family tree
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Royal Flag
edit-
Royal Flag of Sikkim 1877–1975
Rulers of other Himalayan kingdoms
editDruk 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
editThe 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
editNotes
editReferences
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.