Gyalshing district

Gyalshing district is the site of the ancient state capital Yuksom. It served as Sikkim's capital beginning in 1642 for almost 50 years until it was shifted to Rabdentse. The district was under the occupation of the Nepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. After Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), the district was returned to Sikkim.

Gyalshing district covers an area of {{convert|1166|km2}}. Attractions include the Khecheopalri Lake, where, according to legend, not a leaf is allowed to fall on the surface of the lake and the Dubdi Monastery, the first monastery of the state.

The district was previously divided into 5 assembly constituencies.

• Yoksam-Tashiding (BL)
• Yangthang
• Maneybung-Dentam
• Gyalshing-Barnyak
• Rinchenpong (BL)

• Khangchendzonga National Park (Part)

The economy is mainly agrarian, despite most of the land being unfit for cultivation owing to the precipitous and rocky slopes.

Roads are in poor condition owing to the frequent landslides.

According to the 2011 census Gyalshing district has a population of 136,435,{{cite web |title=District Census Hand Book – Sikkim |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/13990/download/17113/DH_2011_1100_PART_A_DCHB_SIKKIM.PDF |website=Census of India |publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}} roughly equal to the nation of Grenada.{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070613004507/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 June 2007 | access-date = 1 October 2011 | quote = Grenada 108,419 July 2011 est.

}} This gives it a ranking of 608th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of {{convert| 117 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}} . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 10.58%. It has a sex ratio of 941 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 78.69%.

After bifurcation the district had a population of 71,675. 5.60% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 3,391 (4.73%) and 31,847 (44.43%) of the population respectively.{{cite web |title=District Census Hand Book – Sikkim |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/13990/download/17113/DH_2011_1100_PART_A_DCHB_SIKKIM.PDF |website=Census of India |publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}}{{rp|59}}

The people are mainly of Limbu descent. Other ethnic groups include the Lepcha and Bhutia communities. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in the district.

{{bar box

|title = Religion in Gyalshing district (2011){{Cite web|url=https://www.census2011.com/census/district/462-west-sikkim.html|title=East Sikkim District Religion Census 2011|access-date=24 April 2021|archive-date=14 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514153424/https://www.census2011.com/census/district/462-west-sikkim.html|url-status=live}}

|titlebar=#Fcd116

|float=left

|bars=

{{bar percent|Hinduism|darkorange|60.07}}

{{bar percent|Buddhism|yellow|25.99}}

{{bar percent|Other (mainly Kirat Mundhum)|red|6.73}}

{{bar percent|Christianity|dodgerblue|6.06}}

{{bar percent|Islam|green|0.94}}

{{bar percent|Other or not stated|black|0.21}}

}}

File:Legship_shiva_temple.jpg|left]]

Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the district. Buddhism followed by a considerable population. {{Cite web|date=2011|title=Table C-01 Population by Religion: Sikkim |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11391/download/14504/DDW11C-01%20MDDS.XLS |website=censusindia.gov.in|publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}}

The Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple, a major Hindu pilgrimage centre in Sikkim, is situated in Legship in the district. {{cite web | url = http://www.sikkim-culture.gov.in/Cultural%20Festivals/Religious%20Places.aspx | title = Some of the Religious Places of Sikkim | access-date = 2021-04-24 | work = Cultural Affairs & Heritage Department | publisher = Government of Sikkim | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426051856/http://www.sikkim-culture.gov.in/Cultural%20Festivals/Religious%20Places.aspx | archive-date = 2012-04-26 }}

{{Pie chart

|caption = Languages of Gyalshing district (2011)

|label1 = Nepali |value1 = 51.85 |color1 = lightcoral

|label2 = Limbu |value2 = 22.61 |color2 = lavender

|label3 = Lepcha |value3 = 8.68 |color3 = darkblue

|label4 = Bhotia |value4 = 7.05 |color4 = deepskyblue

|label5 = Sherpa |value5 = 2.69 |color5 = purple

|label6 = Rai |value6 = 1.55 |color6 = limegreen

|label7 = Hindi |value7 = 1.48 |color7 = orange

|label8 = Others |value8 = 4.09 |color8 = grey

}}

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 51.85% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 22.61% Limbu, 8.68% Lepcha, 7.05% Bhotia, 2.69% Sherpa, 1.55% Rai and 1.48% Hindi as their first language.{{cite web |title=Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Sikkim |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10221/download/13333/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1100.XLSX |website=censusindia.gov.in|publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}}

File:A natural view of West Sikkim, photo taken from hilltop.jpg

Gyalshing district houses a great diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are used by Indigenous and local communities.{{cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=Alexander |display-authors=etal |date=2017-03-29 |title=Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=13 |issue=21 |page=21 |doi=10.1186/s13002-017-0148-9 |pmc=5372287 |pmid=28356115 |url= |doi-access=free }} Since most of the district is hilly it enjoys a temperate climate. Above 3,800 m (12,000 ft) the slopes are full of rhododendron forests.

In 1977, the district became home to Khangchendzonga National Park, which has an area of {{convert|1784|km2|mi2|abbr=on|1}}.{{cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=Alexander |date=2017-03-29 |title=Sikkim claims India's first mixed-criteria UNESCO World Heritage Site |url=http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/112/05/0893.pdf |journal=Current Science |volume=112 |issue=5 |pages=893–994 |access-date=2017-05-11 |archive-date=29 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329020240/http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/112/05/0893.pdf |url-status=live }} It shares the park with North Sikkim district.{{cite web|author=Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment|title=Protected areas: Sikkim|url=http://oldwww.wii.gov.in/envis/envis_pa_network/index.htm|access-date=25 September 2011|archive-date=23 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823163836/http://oldwww.wii.gov.in/envis/envis_pa_network/index.htm|url-status=dead}}

{{multiple image

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Scenes from the district

| image1 = Three chortens - rabdentse.jpg

| alt1 = Chortens

| caption1 = Three chortens in Rabendtse

| image2 = Glacier valley, near Thangshing.JPG

| alt2 =

| caption2 = Glacier valley near Thangshing

| image3 = Tingchen Khang and cloud.jpg

| alt3 =

| caption3 = Mount Tingchen Khang

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Gyalshing district is divided into two sub-divisions:{{cite map |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, New Delhi, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |title=Sikkim Administrative Divisions |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/maps/administrative_maps/SIKIM.pdf |language=en |format=PDF |year=2011 |access-date=29 September 2011 |archive-date=26 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026055459/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/maps/administrative_maps/SIKIM.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{West Sikkim image map}}

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{{reflist}}

{{wikivoyage|West Sikkim}}

• [https://westsikkim.nic.in/ Official district website]

{{commons category|Gyalshing district}}

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Gyalshing

|North = Mangan

|Northeast =

|East = Namchi

|Southeast =

|South = Darjeeling district, West Bengal

|Southwest =

|West = {{NEP|Nepal}}

|Northwest =

}}

{{Sikkim}}

Category:Districts of Sikkim