Sikkim Information

The state of Sikkim has boundaries with Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and West Bengal.  It is a land of rich and varied scenic beauty, magnificent mountains, eternal shows, dark forests, green fertile valleys, raging torrents and calm placid lakes.  Two principal mountain ranges in Sikkim are the singilela and chola.   Between these ranges are the main rivers, the rangit and the Teesta, that are fed by the monsoon rains as well as by melting glaciers.
Sikkim was inhabited in pre-historic times by three tribes.  They were absorbed by a people known as the Lepcha who entered Sikkim sometime later. The credit for organizing them into some sort of society goes to a person called Turve pa no.  Buddhism, is the major religion of the state arrived from Tibet in the 13th century.  It looks its distinctive-sikkimese form four centuries later, when three Tibetan monks went to Gangtok looking for a certain person whom they crowned as the first chogyal or righteous king of Denzong in 1642. Being the secular and religious head, he was soon recognized by Tibet and brought sweeping reforms.
After India’s independence, Sikkim became a protectorate of India.  The role of India became increasingly crucial, with the Chinese military build-up along the Chinese military build-up along the northern borders that culminated in an actual invasion early in the 1960’s.  The king Palden Thondup Namgyal then gave into the demands of this people and Sikkim became the 22nd state of India in 1975.

 

Kanchenjunga

Kanchenjunga of the eatern Himalayas is situated on the border between Sikkim and eastern Nepal.
It is the third highest mountain in the world and soars to a height of 8586 metres.  Its name is derived from words of four Tibetan origins that can be translated into Sikkim language as ‘five treasuries of the great snow’.

Sikkim General Information

Tsomgo Lake
Tsomgo Lake is situated at an altitude of 3657 metres in Sikkim.  The lake is about 1km long, oval in shape, 15 metres deep and is considered sacred by the local people.
Capital
The capital of Sikkim is Gangtok.
Districts
There are 4 districts in this state.
Principal languages
The languages spoken by this people are Lepcha, Bhutia, Limbu, Nepali.
State Bird
This state’s bird is Blood pheasant.
State Animal
Red Panda is this state’s animal.
State flower
Noble orchid is this state’s flower.