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The Chogyal were the monarchs of the former kingdoms of Sikkim and Ladakh, which
were ruled by separate branches of the Namgyal family. The Chogyal or divine ruler
was the absolute potentate of Sikkim from 1642 to 1975, when its monarchy was abrogated
and its people voted to make Sikkim India's 22nd state.
However, Chogyal meHowever, Chogyal meaning "Dharma Raja" or "Religious King" is a title which was
also conferred upon a special class of temporal and spiritual rulers. In Bhutan,
the Chogyal were also known as the Dharmaraja, or Kings of Dharma, and
Shabdrung. In this context, the Chogyal was a recognized reincarnation (or
succession of reincarnations) of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, 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 Khempo, and the
highest temporal ruler, the Deb Raja or Druk Desi. The Tibetan Dzogchen teacher
Namkhai Norbu holds this title as a recognized reincarnation of Ngawang Namgyel,
and there is also a line of claimed reincarnations in Bhutan and India. The
remainder of this article deals with the Chogyal of Sikkim. For Bhutan, see
Shabdrung.From 1642 to 1975, Sikkim was ruled by the Namgyal Monarchy (also
called the Chogyal Monarchy), founded by the fifth-generation descendants of
Guru Tashi, a prince of the Minyak House who came to Sikkim from the Kham
district of Tibet. Chogyal means 'righteous ruler,' and was the title conferred
upon Sikkim's Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.
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, Chogyal Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned as Sikkim's
first ruler 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.of Sikkim
|
SI no. |
Reign
|
Ruler
|
Events during reign |
|
1. |
1642-1670 |
Phuntsog Namgyal |
Ascended the throne and was consecrated as the first Chogyal
of Sikkim. Made the capital Yuksom. |
|
2. |
1670-1700 |
Tensung Namgyal |
Shifted capital to Rabdentse from Yuksom |
|
3. |
1700-1717
|
Chakdor Namgyal |
His half-sister Pendiongmu tried to dethrone Chakdor, who
fled to Lhasa, but was reinstated as king with the help of Tibetans. |
|
4. |
1717-1733 |
Gyurmed Namgyal |
Sikkim was attacked by Nepalese. |
|
5. |
1733-1780
|
Phuntsog Namgyal II |
Nepalese raided Rabdentse, the then capital of Sikkim |
|
6. |
1780-1793 |
Tenzing Namgyal Chogyal |
fled to Tibet, and later died there in exile. |
|
7. |
1793-1863 |
Tshudpud Namgyal |
Shifted the capital from Rabanste to 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 British India and Sikkim continued and led to a treaty
signed, in which Darjeeling was ceded to British India. |
|
8. |
1863-1874 |
Sidkeong Namgyal |
Sidkeong Namgyal (1819 - 1874) was king of Sikkim from
1863 to 1874. He was son of Tsugphud Namgyal and was succeeded by his half-brother
Thutob Namgyal. |
|
9. |
1874-1914
|
Thutob Namgyal |
Claude White appointed as the first political officer of
Sikkim in 1889. Capital shifted from Tumlong to Gangtok in 1894. |
|
10. |
1914
|
Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal |
Treaty between India and Sikkim was signed in 1950 giving
India suzerainty over Sikkim. |
|
11. |
1914-1963 |
Tashi Namgyal |
Tashi Namgyal (October 26 1893 – December 2 1963) was the
ruling Chogyal (King) of Sikkim from 1914 to 1963. He was the son of Thutob Namgyal.
Namgyal was the 11th ruler of the Namgyal dynasty of Sikkim, succeeding his half
brother Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal, who had ruled from February to December in 1914,
till his death from heart failure. Born in Tibet and crowned by the 13th Dalai Lama,
Thubten Gyatso, he was a strong advocate for closer links with India. He was married
in October 1918 to Kunzang Dechen, and they had 3 sons and 3 daughters. On his death
he was succeeded as Chogyal by his son Palden Thondup Namgyal. During his life,
he favoured closer links between Sikkim, India and Tibet. Although some conspiracy
theorists attribute his death to Indian agents[1], such theories are widely discounted
by most historians due to his excellent relations with India. About a decade after
his death, his son Palden Thondup Namgyal, the incumbent hereditary Chogyal was
formally deposed by the people of Sikkim who voted in a referendum (by a majority
of 97%) to join the Indian Union. Palden Thondup Namgyal was widely unpopular among
his people and the then democratically elected Prime Minister Lendup Dorji appealed
to India to change the status of Sikkim from protectorate to statehood. On May 16,
1975, Sikkim was officially made the 22nd state of the Indian Union, thus ending
the era of the Chogyal monarchy.
|
|
12. |
1963-1975 |
Palden Thondup Namgyal |
Forced to abdicate after illness and a plebiscite. Married
Hope Cooke, a US citizen. Died in 1982.
|
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