{{{royal_title}}} of Sikkim
Former Monarchy
[[File:{{{coatofarms}}}|120px]]
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Last Monarch: Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal
Style	{{{his/her}}} Majesty
First monarch	Chogyal Phuntsog Namgyal
Last monarch	Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal
Style	His Royal Highness
Official residence	Gangtok, Sikkim
Appointer	crowned by three revered lamas who arrived there from three different directions, namely the north, west and south
Monarchy started	1642
Monarchy ended	May 16, 1975

The Chogyal (Tibetan: "ཆོས་རྒྱལ; Wylie: chos rgyal") were the monarchs of the former kingdom of Sikkim. The Chogyal or divine ruler was the absolute potentate of the nation from 1642 to 1975, when the monarchy was abrogated and the people voted to make Sikkim India's 22nd state.

However, 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.^[1] 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 Mi-nyak House who came to Sikkim from the Kham district of Tibet.^[2] Chogyal means 'righteous ruler,' and was the title conferred upon Sikkim's Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.^[3]

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.

Chogyals of Sikkim

SNO	Year	Ruler	Events during reign
1	1642	Phuntsog Namgyal	Ascended the throne and was consecrated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim. Made the capital Yuksom.
2	1670	Tensung Namgyal	Shifted capital to Rabdentse from Yuksom
3	1700	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	Gyurmed Namgyal	Sikkim was attacked by Nepalese.
5	1733	Phuntsog Namgyal II	Nepalese raided Rabdentse, the then capital of Sikkim
6	1780	Tenzing Namgyal	Chogyal fled to Tibet, and later died there in exile.
7	1793	Tsugphud 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	Sidkeong Namgyal	-
9	1874	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	-
11	1914	Tashi Namgyal	Treaty between India and Sikkim was signed in 1950 giving India suzerainty over Sikkim.
12	1963	Palden Thondup Namgyal	Forced to abdicate after illness and a plebiscite. Married Hope Cooke, a US citizen. Died in 1982.
13	1982	Wangchuk Namgyal	Claimant to the throne has no official authority

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• History of the Namgyal Dynasty