Sikkim
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Sikkim, state of India, located in the northeastern part of the country, in the eastern Himalayas. It is one of the smallest states in India. Sikkim is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and northeast, by Bhutan to the southeast, by the Indian state of West Bengal to the south, and by Nepal to the west. The capital is Gangtok, in the southeastern part of the state.
Long a sovereign political entity, Sikkim became a protectorate of India in 1950 and an Indian state in 1975. Its small size notwithstanding, Sikkim is of great political and strategic importance for India because of its location along several international boundaries. Area 2,740 square miles (7,096 square km). Pop. (2011) 607,688.
Land
Relief
Sikkim is a basin surrounded on three sides by precipitous mountain walls. There is little lowland, and the variation in relief is extreme. Within a stretch of roughly 50 miles (80 km), the land rises from an elevation of about 750 feet (225 metres) in the Tista River valley to nearly 28,200 feet (8,600 metres) at Kanchenjunga, India’s highest peak and the world’s third highest mountain. The Singalila Range separates Sikkim from Nepal in the west, while the Dongkya Range forms the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the east. Several passes across this range afford easy access to the Chumbi valley in Tibet and, beyond the valley, to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.
Some two-thirds of Sikkim consists of perpetually snow-covered mountains, dominated by the Kanchenjunga massif. The residents of Sikkim have traditionally viewed the mountain as both a god and the abode of gods. The legendary Abominable Snowman, or yeti, called Nee-gued in Sikkim, is believed to roam its slopes. Other major peaks—all above 23,000 feet (7,000 metres)—include Tent, Kabru, and Pauhunri.
Drainage
The Sikkim basin is drained by the Tista River and its tributaries, such as the Rangit, Lhonak, Talung, and Lachung, which have cut deep valleys into the mountains. Originating in the northeast from a glacier near the Tibetan border, the Tista River descends steeply, dropping about 15,700 feet (4,800 metres) to Rangpo (Rongphu), on the border with West Bengal, where it has cut a gorge through the Darjiling Ridge (7,000–8,000 feet [2,100–2,400 metres]) before emerging onto the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Climate
Sikkim exhibits a variety of climatic types, from almost tropical conditions in the south to severe mountain climates in the north. In Gangtok, temperatures in January (the coldest month) drop into the low 30s F (about 0 °C); in August (the warmest month), temperatures may reach the low 80s F (about 28 °C). Depending on elevation and exposure, annual precipitation varies from 50 to 200 inches (1,270 to 5,080 mm), most occurring during the months of the southwest monsoon (May through October). The heavy rains and snows often trigger destructive landslides and avalanches.
Plant and animal life
More than two-fifths of Sikkim is forested. Sal (a type of hardwood), pandanus, palms, bamboos, ferns, and orchids are common in the subtropical forests found below about 5,000 feet (1,500 metres). In the temperate forests (5,000 to 13,000 feet [1,500 to 4,000 metres]), oak, laurel, maple, chestnut, magnolia, alder, birch, rhododendron, fir, hemlock, and spruce predominate. Alpine tundra replaces forest at the higher elevations.
Sikkim has a rich and varied animal life, including black bears, brown bears, red pandas, numerous species of deer, blue sheep, gorals (small goatlike mammals), and Tibetan antelope. Tigers, leopards, and lesser cats are also found. Birdlife includes pheasants, partridges, quail, eagles, barbets, Himalayan cuckoos, Tibetan black crows, and minivets. Sikkim has several national parks and a number of wildlife sanctuaries, which provide a protected environment for the state’s diverse flora and fauna. The Kanchenjunga National Park (established in 1977), near the peak from which it draws its name, is among the largest of India’s high-elevation conservation areas.
People
Population composition
Roughly three-fourths of Sikkim’s residents are Nepalese in origin; most speak a Nepali (Gorkhali) dialect and are Hindu in religion and culture. About one-fifth of the population consists of Scheduled Tribes (an official category embracing indigenous peoples who fall outside the predominant Indian social hierarchy). The most prominent of these tribal groups are the Bhutia, the Lepcha, and the Limbu; they all speak Tibeto-Burman languages and practice Mahayana Buddhism as well as the indigenous Bon religion. There is a notable Christian minority in Sikkim, as well as a tiny community of Muslims. A small fraction of Sikkim’s people belong to the Scheduled Castes (an official term designating those peoples who traditionally have occupied a low position within the Indian caste system).
Settlement patterns
The great majority of Sikkim’s population is rural, living in scattered hamlets and villages. Gangtok is Sikkim’s largest settlement. Other notable towns include Singtam, Rangpo, Jorethang, Naya Bazar, Mangan, Gyalshing, and Namchi.
Economy
Agriculture
Sikkim’s economy is based predominantly on agriculture, with the sector engaging more than half of the working population. Corn (maize), rice, buckwheat, wheat, and barley are produced in terraced fields along the valley flanks. Beans, ginger, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and tea also are grown. Sikkim is one of the world’s principal producers of cardamom. Many of Sikkim’s farmers also raise livestock, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and poultry. Cattle and buffalo are limited mainly to the subtropical humid belt, while yaks and sheep are herded in the higher elevations in the north.
Resources and power
Copper, lead, and zinc are mined in Sikkim. The state also has deposits of other minerals, including coal, graphite, and limestone. Only a fraction of Sikkim’s mineral resources are commercially exploited.
The hydroelectric potential of Sikkim’s Tista River system is considerable. There are a few large hydroelectric stations and many smaller plants that provide energy to Gangtok, Rangpo, Singtam, and Mangan. Rural electrification has remained a government priority.
Manufacturing
Until the early 1970s, Sikkim had only cottage industries—producing handwoven textiles, carpets, and blankets—as well as traditional handicrafts, such as embroidery, scroll paintings, and wood carving. Since that time, several small-scale industries have developed. These produce, most notably, processed foods (including liquor), watches and watch jewels, and small electronics parts.
Transportation
Roads, though not extensive, are the primary mode of travel. Ropeways, which are similar to ski lifts, also have been provided at many points. The capital of Gangtok is nearly 75 miles (120 km) from the nearest airport, at Baghdogra, and 70 miles (110 km) from the railhead at Shiliguri, both in West Bengal.
Government and society
Constitutional framework
The constitution of Sikkim provides for a governor—appointed by the president of India—as the head of state. The governor is aided by the state Council of Ministers, which is led by a chief minister. The Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) is a unicameral elected body, with a portion of the seats allocated to the combined Lepcha and Bhutia populations. One Lepcha-Bhutia seat is reserved for the nominee of the lamas (Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders); some seats also are reserved for representatives of the Scheduled Castes. The final court in the judiciary system is the High Court at Gangtok, from which appeals may be made to the Supreme Court of India. Lower courts include district courts, which handle both criminal and civil cases, and sessions courts, which generally handle civil cases; judicial magistrates rule on criminal offenses.
The state is divided into a handful of districts. Within each district, local headmen serve as liaisons between the people and the district administration. Panchayats (village councils) administer the villages and implement welfare programs.
Health
Sikkim has several hospitals and, in each district, at least one community health centre. Rural regions are served by primary health centres and subcentres. The state participates in national programs to control tuberculosis, blindness, and other diseases. Diarrheal diseases (including cholera), respiratory infections of various sorts, hepatitis, and family-planning issues remain among Sikkim’s principal health concerns.
Education
Primary and secondary education in Sikkim is offered free of charge through hundreds of government schools. However, there also are many private schools operating within the state. Higher education is available at a number of institutions, including the Sikkim Manipal University of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences (1995) in Gangtok, as well as smaller colleges offering degrees in law, engineering, teaching, religious studies, and other fields.
Cultural life
Sikkim’s cultural life, though showing strong Tibetan influences, retains a character derived from the various tribes of Sikkim and their pre-Buddhist customs. The most important festival of the year is the two-day Phanglhapsol festival in August or September, in which masked dancers perform in honour of Kanchenjunga, the presiding deity. The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (1958), in Gangtok, has one of the largest collections of Tibetan books in the world. Many monasteries are repositories of wall paintings, thang-kas (religious paintings mounted on brocade), bronze images, and other artworks.
History
Little is known of Sikkim’s history prior to the 17th century. The state’s name is derived from the Limbu words su him, meaning “new house.” The Lepcha were early inhabitants of the region, apparently assimilating the Naong, Chang, Mon, and other tribes. The Bhutia began entering the area from Tibet in the 14th century. When the kingdom of Sikkim was established in 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal, the first chogyal (temporal and spiritual king), came from the Bhutia community. The Namgyal dynasty ruled Sikkim until 1975.
Sikkim fought a series of territorial wars with both Bhutan and Nepal beginning in the mid-18th century, and Nepal subsequently came to occupy parts of western Sikkim and the submontane Tarai region to the south. It was during this period that the largest migration of Nepalese to Sikkim began. In 1816 these territories were restored to Sikkim by the British in return for its support during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), but by 1817 Sikkim had become a de facto protectorate of Britain.
The British East India Company obtained the city of Darjiling from Sikkim in 1835. Incidents between the British and Sikkim led to the annexation in 1849 of the submontane regions and the subsequent military defeat of Sikkim, culminating in the Anglo-Sikkimese Treaty of 1861. The treaty established Sikkim as a princely state under British paramountcy (though leaving the issue of sovereignty undefined), and the British were given rights of free trade and of road making through Sikkim to Tibet. In 1890 an agreement was concluded between the British and the Tibetans that defined the border between Sikkim and Tibet. Tibet also acknowledged the special relationship of British India with the kingdom of Sikkim. A British political officer was subsequently appointed to assist the chogyal in the administration of Sikkim’s domestic and foreign affairs, in effect becoming the virtual ruler of the state.
After India attained independence in 1947, political parties began to be formed in Sikkim for the first time. Among their aims were the abolition of feudalism, the establishment of popularly elected government, and accession of Sikkim to India—all demands resisted by the chogyal and his supporters. The chogyal was unable to hold his ground, however. The bulwark of the feudal system was dismantled in 1949, with the abolition of noncultivating rent-collecting landowners. In 1950 the Indo-Sikkimese Treaty made Sikkim an Indian protectorate, with India assuming responsibility for the external relations, defense, and strategic communications of Sikkim. The terms of the treaty also included increased popular participation in government, and five general elections based on adult suffrage were held between 1952 and 1974. In the last of these elections, two rival parties merged to form the Sikkim Congress, which swept the polls. The party subsequently launched a campaign to obtain greater political liberties and rights, and the chogyal attempted to suppress the movement. When the situation got out of control, the chogyal asked the government of India to take over the administration. India prepared a constitution for Sikkim that was approved by its national assembly in 1974. In a special referendum held in 1975, more than 97 percent of the electorate voted for the merger of Sikkim with India. Sikkim became the 22nd state of India on May 16, 1975.
Sukhdev Singh Chib Deryck O. Lodrick