Sikkim#Indian protectorate

The name Sikkim is believed to be a combination of the Limbu words su "new" and khyim "palace" or "house".Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia By James Minahan, 2012 The Tibetan name for Sikkim is Drenjong (Wylie-transliteration: bras ljongs), which means "valley of rice",{{Cite book | title = Portrait of a Dalai Lama: the life and times of the great thirteenth | last = Bell | first = Charles Alfred | year = 1987 | publisher = Wisdom Publications | isbn = 978-0-86171-055-3 | page = 25 }} while the Bhutias call it Beyul Demazong, which means "the hidden valley of rice". According to folklore, after establishing Rabdentse as his new capital, Bhutia king Tensung Namgyal built a palace and asked his Limbu Queen to name it. The Lepcha people, the original inhabitants of Sikkim, called it Nye-mae-el, meaning "paradise".{{Cite web | title = Welcome to Sikkim – General Information | publisher = Sikkim Tourism, Government of Sikkim | url = http://www.sikkimtourism.travel/Webforms/General/Introduction.aspx | access-date = 16 May 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090120103953/http://sikkimtourism.travel/WebForms/General/Introduction.aspx | archive-date = 20 January 2009 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }} In historical Indian literature, Sikkim is known as Indrakil, the garden of the war god Indra.{{Cite book | title = Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 2 | last = Datta | first = Amaresh | orig-year = 1988 | year = 2006 | publisher = Sahitya Akademi | isbn = 978-81-260-1194-0 | page = 1739 }}

{{Main|History of Sikkim}}

File:Guru rimpoche at samdruptse.jpg, patron saint of Sikkim]]

The Lepchas are considered to be the earliest inhabitants of Sikkim.{{Cite web|url=http://sikkim.nic.in/north/html/lepcha.htm|title=Lepchas and their Tradition|publisher=Sikkim.nic.in|access-date=6 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017203541/http://sikkim.nic.in/north/html/lepcha.htm|archive-date=17 October 2017|url-status=dead}} However the Limbus and the Magars also lived in the inaccessible parts of West and South districts as early as the Lepchas perhaps lived in the East and North districts.{{Cite book | title = Navigating Social Exclusion and Inclusion in Contemporary India and Beyond: Structures, Agents, Practices (Anthem South Asian Studies) | year = 2014 | last = Skoda | first = Uwe | publisher = Anthem Press | isbn = 978-1-78308-340-4| page = 137 }} The Buddhist saint Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, passed through the land in the 8th century.{{Cite web|url=http://sikkimeccl.gov.in/History/Legends/GuruRinpoche.aspx|title=History of Guru Rinpoche|publisher=Sikkim Ecclesiastical Affairs Department|access-date=9 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109043422/http://sikkimeccl.gov.in/History/Legends/GuruRinpoche.aspx|archive-date=9 November 2013|url-status=dead}}{{Cite journal |last=Bhutia |first=Kalzang Dorjee |date=2 April 2024 |title=The Chile is my uncle: Spicy kinship between humans and more-than-humans in the Sikkimese Himalayas |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07409710.2024.2333114 |journal=Food and Foodways |language=en |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=122–141 |doi=10.1080/07409710.2024.2333114 |issn=0740-9710|url-access=subscription }} The Guru is reported to have blessed the land, introduced Buddhism, and foretold the era of monarchy that would arrive in Sikkim centuries later.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

{{Main|Kingdom of Sikkim}}

File:Flag of Sikkim (1967-1975).svg during its independent monarchy.]]

According to legend, Khye Bumsa, a 14th-century prince from the Minyak House in Kham in eastern Tibet, received a divine revelation instructing him to travel south to seek his fortunes. A fifth-generation descendant of Khye Bumsa, Phuntsog Namgyal, became the founder of Sikkim's monarchy in 1642, when he was consecrated as the first Chogyal, or priest-king, of Sikkim by the three venerated lamas at Yuksom.{{Cite book | title = Central Asia | year = 2005 | publisher = Area Study Centre (Central Asia), University of Peshawar. v. 41, no. 2 | pages = 50–53 }}

Phuntsog Namgyal was succeeded in 1670 by his son, Tensung Namgyal, who moved the capital from Yuksom to Rabdentse (near modern Pelling). In 1700, Sikkim was invaded by the Bhutanese with the help of the half-sister of the Chogyal, who had been denied the throne. The Bhutanese were driven away by the Tibetan people, who restored the throne to the Chogyal ten years later. Between 1717 and 1733, the kingdom faced many raids by the Nepalese in the west and Bhutanese in the east, culminating with the destruction of the capital Rabdentse by the Nepalese.{{Cite book | title = Strategic Sikkim | last = Singh | first = O. P. | year = 1985 | publisher = Stosius/Advent Books | isbn = 978-0-86590-802-4 | page = 42 }} In 1791, China sent troops to support Sikkim and defend Tibet against the Gorkha Kingdom. Following the subsequent defeat of Gorkha, the Chinese Qing dynasty established control over Sikkim.Singh, O. P. p. 43

File:Historical Map of Sikkim in northeastern India.jpg

Following the beginning of British rule in neighbouring India, Sikkim allied with Britain against their common adversary, Nepal. The Nepalese attacked Sikkim, overrunning most of the region including the Terai. This prompted the British East India Company to attack Nepal, resulting in the Gurkha War of 1814.{{Cite book | title = History of Sikkim, 1817–1904: Analysis of British Policy and Activities | last = Jha | first = Pranab Kumar | year = 1985 | publisher = O.P.S. Publishers | page = 11 | asin = B001OQE7EY }} Treaties signed between Sikkim and Nepal resulted in the return of the territory annexed by the Nepalese in 1817. However, ties between Sikkim and the British weakened when the latter began taxation of the Morang region. In 1849, two British physicians, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker and Archibald Campbell, the latter being the superintendent of Darjeeling, ventured into the mountains of Sikkim with the prior permission of King Tsugphu Namgyal.{{Cite journal |date=May 1890 | title = Sikkim and Tibet | journal = Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine | volume = 147 | page = 658 }}{{Cite journal |last=Rahul |first=Ram |date=1 January 1976 |title=Sikkim of History |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002088177601500102 |journal=International Studies |language=en |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=15–28 |doi=10.1177/002088177601500102 |issn=0020-8817|url-access=subscription }} The doctors were detained by an influential Dewan, leading to a punitive British expedition against the kingdom, after which the Darjeeling district and Morang were annexed to British India in 1853. The Chogyal of Sikkim became a titular ruler under the directive of the British governor as a result of the invasion.{{Cite web | url = http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/sikk_his.htm | title = History of Sikkim | access-date = 12 October 2006 | date = 29 August 2002 | publisher = Government of Sikkim | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061030023958/http://www.himalmag.com/2006/august/special_report_1.htm | archive-date = 30 October 2006 | df = dmy-all }}

Sikkim became a British protectorate in the later decades of the 19th century, formalised by a convention signed with China in 1890.{{citation |last=Rose |first=Leo E. |title=India and Sikkim: Redefining the Relationship |journal=Pacific Affairs |volume=42 |pages=32–46 |number=1 |date=Spring 1969 |jstor=2754861 |doi=10.2307/2754861}}{{sfn|Rose, Modernizing a Traditional Administrative System|1978|p=205}}{{cite web |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/did-india-have-a-right-to-annex-sikkim-in-1975/1/435037.html |title=Treaties: Annexation of Sikkim |last1=Sethi |first1=Sunil |date=30 April 1978 |website=intoday.in |publisher=Living Media India Limited |access-date=21 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128172513/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/did-india-have-a-right-to-annex-sikkim-in-1975/1/435037.html |archive-date=28 January 2016 |url-status=live}} Sikkim was gradually granted more sovereignty over the next three decades,{{cite book |last=Bell |first=Charles |title=Tibet: Past and Present |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1992 |pages=170–174 |isbn=978-81-208-1048-8}} and became a member of the Chamber of Princes, the assembly representing the rulers of the Indian princely states, in 1922.

Prior to Indian independence, Jawaharlal Nehru, as the Vice-President of the Executive Council, pushed through a resolution in the Indian Constituent Assembly to the effect that Sikkim and Bhutan, as Himalayan states, were not 'Indian states' and their future should be negotiated separately.{{sfn|Duff, Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom|2015|p=41}} A standstill agreement was signed in February 1948.{{sfn|Duff, Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom|2015|p=45}}

Meanwhile, Indian independence and its move to democracy spurred a fledgling political movement in Sikkim, giving rise to the formation of Sikkim State Congress (SSC), a pro-accession political party. The party sent a plate of demands to the palace, including a demand for accession to India. The palace attempted to defuse the movement by appointing three secretaries from the SSC to the government and sponsoring a counter-movement in the name of Sikkim National Party, which opposed accession to India.{{sfn|Duff, Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom|2015|pp=44–45}}

The demand for responsible government continued, and the SSC launched a civil disobedience movement. The Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal asked India for help in quelling the movement, which was offered in the form of a small military police force and an Indian Dewan. In 1950, a treaty was agreed between India and Sikkim which gave Sikkim the status of an Indian protectorate. Sikkim came under the suzerainty of India, which controlled its external affairs, defence, diplomacy and communications.{{citation |first=Werner |last=Levi |title=Bhutan and Sikkim: Two Buffer States |journal=The World Today |volume=15 |pages=492–500 |number=2 |date=December 1959 |jstor=40393115}} In other respects, Sikkim retained administrative autonomy.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

A state council was established in 1953 to allow for constitutional government under the Chogyal. Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal was able to preserve autonomy and shape a "model Asian state" where the literacy rate and per capita income were twice as high as neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/08/books/the-fairy-tale-that-turned-nightmare.html |title=The Fairy Tale That Turned Nightmare? |date=8 March 1981 |first=Francine |last=du Plessix Gray |author-link=Francine du Plessix Gray |work=The New York Times |access-date=3 July 2017 |postscript=; |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617055430/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/08/books/the-fairy-tale-that-turned-nightmare.html |archive-date=17 June 2017 |url-status=live}} and [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/08/books/the-fairy-tale-that-turned-nightmare.html?pagewanted=2 page 2] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815024722/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/08/books/the-fairy-tale-that-turned-nightmare.html?pagewanted=2 |date=15 August 2017 }} Meanwhile, the Sikkim National Congress demanded fresh elections and greater representation for Nepalis in Sikkim. People marched on the palace against the monarchy. In 1973, anti-royalist agitations took place, which needed to be quelled using Indian security forces.{{sfn|Gupta|1975|p=790}}

{{See also|1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum}}

In 1975, the Prime Minister of Sikkim Kazi Lhendup Dorjee, appealed to the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi for Sikkim to become a state of India. In April of that year, the Indian Army took over the city of Gangtok and disarmed the Chogyal's palace guards. Thereafter, a referendum was held in which 97.5 per cent of voters supported abolishing the monarchy, effectively approving union with India. India is said to have stationed 20,000–40,000 troops in a country of only 200,000 during the referendum.{{Cite journal |last=T. |first=G. |date=1975 |title=Trouble in Sikkim |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/03064227508532403 |journal=Index on Censorship |language=en |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=68–69 |doi=10.1080/03064227508532403 |issn=0306-4220 |via=Sage Journals|url-access=subscription }} On 16 May 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state of the Indian Union, and the monarchy was abolished.{{cite web |url=http://sikkim.gov.in/ASP/Miscc/aboutsikkim.htm |title=About Sikkim |publisher=Official website of the Government of Sikkim |access-date=15 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525171423/http://www.sikkim.gov.in/asp/Miscc/aboutsikkim.htm |archive-date=25 May 2009}} To enable the incorporation of the new state, the Indian Parliament amended the Indian Constitution. First, the 35th Amendment laid down a set of conditions that made Sikkim an "Associate State", a special designation not used by any other state. A month later, the 36th Amendment repealed the 35th Amendment, and made Sikkim a full state, adding its name to the First Schedule of the Constitution.{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Constitution-has-been-amended-94-times/articleshow/5683974.cms |title=Constitution has been amended 94 times |date=15 May 2010 |access-date=16 May 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716125725/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-15/india/28130281_1_constitution-amendment-bill-simple-majority-joint-session |archive-date=16 July 2012 |url-status=live |newspaper=The Times of India }}

In 2000, the seventeenth Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje, who had been confirmed by the Dalai Lama and accepted as a tulku by the Chinese government, escaped from Tibet, seeking to return to the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. Chinese officials were in a dilemma on this issue, for any protests to India would mean an explicit endorsement of India's governance of Sikkim, which China still recognised as an independent state occupied by India. The Chinese government eventually recognised Sikkim as an Indian state in 2003, in return for India declaring Tibet as a part of the territory of China;{{cite news |title=India and China agree over Tibet |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3015840.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=24 June 2003 |access-date=19 June 2011}}{{citation |last1=Powers |first1=John |last2=Templeman |first2=David |title=Historical Dictionary of Tibet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LVlyX6iSDEQC&pg=PA184 |year=2012 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7984-3 |page=184}} New Delhi had accepted Tibet as part of China in 1954, but China appears to have believed that the agreement had lapsed.{{citation |chapter=China–India: Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh Plateaus |last=Pardesi |first=Manjeet |editor=Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly |title=Border Disputes: A Global Encyclopedia, 3 volumes: A Global Encyclopedia |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k9g5CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA542 |year=2015 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-024-9 |pages=543–544}}: "Soon thereafter, India signed an agreement with China—on April 29, 1954—which explicitly recognized Tibet as part of China."{{citation |last=Acharya |first=Alka |chapter=China |editor1=David Malone |editor2=C. Raja Mohan |editor3=Srinath Raghavan |title=The Oxford Handbook of Indian Foreign Policy |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KL8DCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA358 |year=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-874353-8 |page=358}}: "With the signing of Panchsheel, however, India ... established the official Indian position that Tibet was a part of China and that India would not permit any anti-China activity on its soil." The 2003 agreement led to a thaw in Sino-Indian relations.{{cite news |first=Amit |last=Baruah |url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/12/stories/2005041210160100.htm |title=China backs India's bid for U.N. Council seat |date=12 April 2005 |access-date=12 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228082759/http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/12/stories/2005041210160100.htm |archive-date=28 February 2007 |url-status=dead |work=The Hindu}} On 6 July 2006, the Sikkimese Himalayan pass of Nathu La was opened to cross-border trade, becoming the first open border between India and China.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5150682.stm |title=Historic India-China link opens |publisher=BBC News |date=6 July 2006 |access-date=12 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060707022630/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5150682.stm |archive-date=7 July 2006 |url-status=live}} The pass, which was first opened during the 1904 Younghusband Expedition to Tibet,{{citation |last=Waddell |first=L. Austin |title=Lhasa and its Mysteries |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.79988 |publisher=John Murray |location=London |year=1905 |page=106 |via=archive.org}} had remained closed since the 1962 Sino-Indian War.

On 18 September 2011, a magnitude 6.9M_w earthquake struck Sikkim, killing at least 116 people in the state and in Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Tibet.[http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_himalayan-quake-toll-climbs-to-116-40-stranded-foreign-tourists-rescued_1589946 "Himalayan quake toll climbs to 116, 40 stranded foreign tourists rescued"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926110846/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_himalayan-quake-toll-climbs-to-116-40-stranded-foreign-tourists-rescued_1589946 |date=26 September 2011}}. DNA. 21 September 2011. More than 60 people died in Sikkim alone, and the city of Gangtok suffered significant damage.[http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/earthquake-toll-rises-to-50-in-india-rescue-teams-land-at-quakes-epicentre-mangan-134859 "Earthquake toll over 80; India 68; as rescue teams reach quake epicentre"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925030112/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/earthquake-toll-rises-to-50-in-india-rescue-teams-land-at-quakes-epicentre-mangan-134859 |date=25 September 2011}}. NDTV. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2012.

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Situated in the Himalayan mountains, the state of Sikkim is characterised by mountainous terrain. Almost the entire state is hilly, with an elevation ranging from {{convert|280|m|ft}} in the south at the border with West Bengal to {{convert|8586|m|ft}} in the northern peaks near Nepal and Tibet. The summit of Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, is the state's highest point, situated on the border between Sikkim and Nepal.{{cite book |last=Madge |first=Tim |title=Last Hero: Bill Tilman, a Biography of the Explorer |publisher=Mountaineers Books |year=1995 |page=93 |isbn= 978-0-89886-452-6}} For the most part, the land is unfit for agriculture because of the rocky, precipitous slopes. However, some hill slopes have been converted into terrace farms.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

File:Tibet-PHOTO-Satellite--NASA-Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) show the high, arid, Tibetan Plateau in Asia. Tibet lies north of the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal---Tibet.A2002343.0445.1km.jpg- (NASA Satellite photo).]]

Numerous snow-fed streams have carved out river valleys in the west and south of the state. These streams combine into the major Teesta River and its tributary, the Rangeet, which flow through the state from north to south.[http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/glim_riv.htm "Rivers in Sikkim"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015180108/http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/glim_riv.htm |date=15 October 2011}}. Sikkim.nic.in. Retrieved 13 October 2011. About a third of the state is heavily forested. The Himalayan mountains surround the northern, eastern and western borders of Sikkim. The Lower Himalayas, lying in the southern reaches of the state, are the most densely populated.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

File:Sikkim-1955-U502 NG45 3 4.jpg ({{convert|28,168|ft}}).]]

The state has 28 mountain peaks, more than 80 glaciers,{{cite web | url = http://dstsikkim.gov.in/glacier/pressrelese.htm | title = First commission on study of glaciers launched by Sikkim | publisher = dstsikkim.gov.in | date = 18 January 2008 | access-date = 19 June 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721155637/http://dstsikkim.gov.in/glacier/pressrelese.htm | archive-date = 21 July 2011 | df = dmy-all }} 227 high-altitude lakes (including the Tsongmo, Gurudongmar and Khecheopalri Lakes), five major hot springs, and more than 100 rivers and streams. Eight mountain passes connect the state to Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal.{{cite book |last=Kapadia |first=Harish |chapter=Appendix |title=Across peaks & passes in Darjeeling & Sikkim |publisher=Indus Publishing |year=2001 |page=154 |isbn=978-81-7387-126-9}}

Sikkim's hot springs are renowned for their medicinal and therapeutic value. Among the state's most notable hot springs are those at Phurchachu, Yumthang, Borang, Ralang, Taram-chu and Yumey Samdong. The springs, which have a high sulphur content, are located near river banks; some are known to emit hydrogen.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=11}} The average temperature of the water in these hot springs is {{convert|50|°C|°F}}.{{cite book |last=Hooker |first=Joseph Dalton |author-link=Joseph Dalton Hooker |title=Himalayan Journals: Notes of a Naturalist |publisher=John Murray |location=London |volume=II |year=1855 |page=125}}

File:Kanchenjunga waterfalls, Pelling.jpg

The hills of Sikkim mainly consist of gneiss and schist{{cite web |title=Geologic map of Sikkim |url=http://sikenvis.nic.in/Database/GSI_4420.aspx |url-status=live |access-date=10 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810170833/http://sikenvis.nic.in/Database/GSI_4420.aspx |archive-date=10 August 2017}} which weather to produce generally poor and shallow brown clay soils. The soil is coarse, with large concentrations of iron oxide; it ranges from neutral to acidic and is lacking in organic and mineral nutrients. This type of soil tends to support evergreen and deciduous forests.{{cite book |last=Bhattacharya |first=B. |title=Sikkim: Land and People |publisher=Omsons Publications |year=1997 |pages=7–10 |isbn=978-81-7117-153-8}}

The rock consists of phyllites and schists, and is highly susceptible to weathering and erosion. This, combined with the state's heavy rainfall, causes extensive soil erosion and the loss of soil nutrients through leaching. As a result, landslides are frequent, often isolating rural towns and villages from the major urban centres.{{cite book |chapter=Terrain Analysis and Spatial Assessment of Landslide Hazards in Parts of Sikkim |title=Journal of the Geological Society of India v. 47 |year=1996 |page=491}}

The state has five seasons: winter, summer, spring, autumn, and monsoon season. Sikkim's climate ranges from sub-tropical in the south to tundra in the north. Most of the inhabited regions of Sikkim experience a temperate climate, with temperatures seldom exceeding {{convert|28|°C|°F}} in summer. The average annual temperature for most of Sikkim is around {{convert|18|°C|°F}}.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

Sikkim is one of the few states in India to receive regular snowfall. The snow line ranges from {{convert|6100|m|ft}} in the south of the state to {{convert|4900|m|ft}} in the north.{{Cite book | last = Hooker | first = Joseph Dalton | author-link = Joseph Dalton Hooker | year = 1854 | title = Himalayan Journals: Notes of a Naturalist | edition = version 2 | publisher = John Murray | page = 396 }} The tundra-type region in the north is snowbound for four months every year, and the temperature drops below {{convert|0|°C|°F}} almost every night.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=11}} In north-western Sikkim, the peaks are frozen year-round;{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=13}} because of the high altitude, temperatures in the mountains can drop to as low as {{convert|-40|°C|°F}} in winter.

During the monsoon, heavy rains increase the risk of landslides. The record for the longest period of continuous rain in Sikkim is 11 days. Fog affects many parts of the state during winter and the monsoons, making transportation perilous.Hooker p. 409

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| footer = Noble orchid (top) is Sikkim's state flower. Rhododendron is its state tree; about 40 species of rhododendron bloom late April – mid May across the state.{{cite web|url=http://www.pannatigerreserve.in/kids/state.htm|title=State Animals, Birds, Trees and Flower|access-date=26 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013002319/http://www.pannatigerreserve.in/kids/state.htm|archive-date=13 October 2014|url-status=live}}

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Sikkim is situated in an ecological hotspot of the lower Himalayas, one of only three among the ecoregions of India.{{cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=Alexander |display-authors=etal |date=29 March 2017 |title=Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=13 |issue=21 |pages= 21|doi=10.1186/s13002-017-0148-9 |pmid=28356115 |pmc=5372287 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=A. R.| date=2019 |title=Evaluating high-altitude Ramsar wetlands in the Sikkim Eastern Himalayas |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=20 |issue=e00715 |pages=19 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00715 |doi-access=free }} The forested regions of the state exhibit a diverse range of fauna and flora. Owing to its altitudinal gradation, the state has a wide variety of plants, from tropical species to temperate, alpine and tundra ones, and is perhaps one of the few regions to exhibit such a diversity within such a small area. Nearly 81 per cent of the area of Sikkim comes under the administration of its forest department.{{Cite web | url = http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/sikk_fore.htm | title = Forests in Sikkim | publisher = Forest Department, Government of Sikkim | access-date = 3 June 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090517214937/http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/sikk_fore.htm | archive-date = 17 May 2009 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}

Sikkim is home to around 5,000 species of flowering plants, 515 rare orchids, 60 primula species, 36 rhododendron species, 11 oak varieties, 23 bamboo varieties, 16 conifer species, 362 types of ferns and ferns allies, 8 tree ferns, and over 900 medicinal plants. A relative of the Poinsettia, locally known as "Christmas Flower", can be found in abundance in the mountainous state. The Noble Dendrobium is the official flower of Sikkim, while the rhododendron is the state tree.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pannatigerreserve.in/kids/state.htm|title=State Animals, Birds, Trees and Flowers of India|publisher=Panna Tiger Reserve|access-date=26 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013002319/http://www.pannatigerreserve.in/kids/state.htm|archive-date=13 October 2014|url-status=live}}

Orchids, figs, laurel, bananas, sal trees and bamboo grow in the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests of the lower altitudes of Sikkim. In the temperate elevations above {{convert|1500|m|ft}} there are Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests, where oaks, chestnuts, maples, birches, alders, and magnolias grow in large numbers, as well as Himalayan subtropical pine forests, dominated by Chir pine. Alpine-type vegetation is typically found between an altitude of {{convert|3500|to|5000|m|ft}}. In lower elevations are found juniper, pine, firs, cypresses and rhododendrons from the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests. Higher up are Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows and high-altitude wetlands, which are home to a wide variety of rhododendrons and wildflowers.

File:Red panda sikkim.jpg is the state animal of Sikkim.]]

The fauna of Sikkim include the snow leopard,Wilson DE, Mittermeier RA (eds) (2009) Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1. Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona musk deer, Himalayan tahr, red panda, Himalayan marmot, Himalayan serow, Himalayan goral, muntjac, common langur, Asian black bear, clouded leopard,{{cite iucn |author=Gray, T. |author2=Borah, J. |author3=Coudrat, C.N.Z. |author4=Ghimirey, Y. |author5=Giordano, A. |author6=Greenspan, E. |author7=Petersen, W. |author8=Rostro-García, S. |author9=Shariff, M. |author10=Wai-Ming, W. |date=2021 |title=Neofelis nebulosa |volume=2021 |page=e.T14519A198843258 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T14519A198843258.en |access-date=13 November 2021}} marbled cat, leopard cat,{{Cite book | title = Mammals of Nepal | last = Shrestha | first = Tej Kumar | year = 1997 | isbn = 978-0-9524390-6-6 | pages = 350–371 | publisher = Bimala Shrestha }} dhole, Tibetan wolf, hog badger, binturong, and Himalayan jungle cat. Among the animals more commonly found in the alpine zone are yaks, mainly reared for their milk, meat, and as a beast of burden.

The avifauna of Sikkim include the impeyan pheasant, crimson horned pheasant, snow partridge, Tibetan snowcock, bearded vulture and griffon vulture, as well as golden eagles, quails, plovers, woodcocks, sandpipers, pigeons, Old World flycatchers, babblers and robins. Sikkim has more than 550 species of birds, some of which have been declared endangered.

Sikkim also has a rich diversity of arthropods, many of which remain unstudied. Some of the most understudied species are Sikkimese arthropods, specifically butterflies. Of the approximately 1,438 butterfly species found in the Indian subcontinent, 695 have been recorded in Sikkim.{{sfn|Evans|1932|p=23}} These include the endangered Kaiser-i-hind, the Yellow Gorgon and the Bhutan Glory.{{sfn|Haribal|2003|p=9}}

List of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Sikkim:{{cite web |title=Wildlife |url=https://sikkim.gov.in/departments/forest-environment-and-wildlife-department/wildlife |website =Government of Sikkim |access-date=14 September 2024}}

• Khangchendzonga National Park
• Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary
• Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary
• Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary
• Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary
• Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary
• Kitam Bird Sanctuary
• Sling Dong Faireanum Orchid Conservation Reserve

{{See also|1=Elections in Sikkim|2=History of Sikkim}}

File:Sikkim Assembly Gangtok.jpg]]

According to the Constitution of India, Sikkim has a parliamentary system of representative democracy for its governance; universal suffrage is granted to state residents. The government structure is organised into three branches:

• Executive: As with all states of India, a governor stands at the head of the executive power of state, just as the president is the head of the executive power in the Union, and is appointed by the President of India. The governor's appointment is largely ceremonial, and his or her main role is to oversee the swearing-in of the chief minister. The chief minister, who holds the real executive powers, is the head of the party or coalition garnering the largest majority in the state elections. The governor also appoints cabinet ministers on the advice of the chief minister.
• Legislature: Sikkim has a unicameral legislature, the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, like most other Indian states. Its state assembly has 32 seats, including one reserved for the Sangha. Sikkim is allocated one seat in each of the two chambers of India's national bicameral legislature, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
• Judiciary: The judiciary consists of the Sikkim High Court and a system of lower courts. The High Court, located at Gangtok, has a Chief Justice along with two permanent justices. The Sikkim High Court is the smallest state high court in the country.{{Cite news | url = http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2003/roct2003/30102003/r301020036.html | title = Judge strengths in High Courts increased | publisher = Ministry of Law & Justice | date = 30 October 2003 | access-date = 12 October 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171022014634/http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2003/roct2003/30102003/r301020036.html | archive-date = 22 October 2017 | url-status = dead}}

In 1975, after the abrogation of Sikkim's monarchy, the Indian National Congress gained a majority in the 1977 elections. In 1979, after a period of instability, a popular ministry headed by Nar Bahadur Bhandari, leader of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad Party, was sworn in. Bhandari held on to power in the 1984 and 1989 elections. In the 1994 elections, Pawan Kumar Chamling of the Sikkim Democratic Front became the Chief Minister of the state. Chamling and his party had since held on to power by winning the 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections.{{Cite news | url = http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/17/stories/2009051759450900.htm | newspaper = The Hindu | title = SDF wins all seats in Sikkim Assembly | date = 17 May 2009 | access-date = 15 June 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090522131057/http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/17/stories/2009051759450900.htm | archive-date = 22 May 2009 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }} However, the 2019 legislative assembly elections were won by the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party and the chief minister since then is Prem Singh Tamang.{{Cite web|date=24 May 2019|title=Sikkim Assembly election results 2019: Full list of winners|url=https://zeenews.india.com/assembly-elections/sikkim-assembly-election-results-2019-full-list-of-winners-2205926.html|access-date=22 August 2020|website=Zee News|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Desk|first=India com News|date=14 May 2019|title=Sikkim Assembly Elections 2019: All You Need to Know|url=https://www.india.com/lok-sabha-elections-2019-india/sikkim-assembly-elections-2019-all-you-need-to-know-3658252/|access-date=22 August 2020|website=India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News {{!}} India.com|language=en}} The current Governor of Sikkim is Lakshman Acharya.{{cite news |title=Lakshman Prasad Acharya Is Sikkim's New Governor - All The News From Sikkim, India and The World |url=https://www.voiceofsikkim.com/lakshman-prasad-acharya-is-sikkims-new-governor/ |access-date=12 February 2023 |date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212165153/https://www.voiceofsikkim.com/lakshman-prasad-acharya-is-sikkims-new-governor/ |archive-date=12 February 2023}}

Sikkim is among India's most environmentally conscious states, having banned plastic water bottles "in all government functions and meetings" and polystyrene products (throughout the state).{{Cite web|url=http://sikenvis.nic.in/ViewGeneralLatestNews.aspx?Id=4964&Year=2016|title=Ban on styrofoam products and on use of mineral water bottles in government functions and meetings in Sikkim|access-date=2 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911075948/http://sikenvis.nic.in/ViewGeneralLatestNews.aspx?Id=4964&Year=2016|archive-date=11 September 2016|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/how-sikkim-became-the-cleanest-state-and-is-working-towards-becoming-poverty-free-in-four-years/articleshow/54499474.cms|title=How Sikkim became the cleanest state in India|last1=Sharma|first1=Shantanu Nandan|date=25 September 2016|newspaper=The Economic Times|access-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613011743/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/how-sikkim-became-the-cleanest-state-and-is-working-towards-becoming-poverty-free-in-four-years/articleshow/54499474.cms|archive-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live}}

Sikkim has six districts – Gangtok District, Mangan District, Namchi District, Pakyong District, Geyzing District and Soreng District. The district capitals are Gangtok, Mangan, Namchi, Pakyong, Gyalshing and Soreng respectively.{{Cite book | title = Manorama Yearbook 2009 | editor1-last = Mathew | editor1-first = K. M. | publisher = Malayala Manorama | page = 660 | chapter = India | isbn = 978-81-89004-12-5 }} These six districts are further divided into 16 subdivisions; Pakyong, Rongli, Rangpo and Gangtok are the subdivisions of the Gangtok and Pakyong Districts. Soreng, Yuksom, Gyalshing and Dentam are the subdivisions of the Geyzing and Soreng district. Chungthang, Dzongu, Kabi and Mangan are the subdivisions of the Mangan district. Ravongla, Jorethang, Namchi and Yangyang are the subdivisions of the Namchi district.{{Cite web|url=https://sikkim.gov.in/KnowSikkim/statistics/list-of-sdm|title=List of Sdm|website=sikkim.gov.in|access-date=17 June 2019}}

Each of Sikkim's districts is overseen by a state government appointee, the district collector, who is in charge of the administration of the civilian areas of the district. The Indian Army has control over a large part of the state, as Sikkim forms part of a sensitive border area with China. Many areas are restricted to foreigners, and official permits are needed to visit them.{{Cite web|url=http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/tour_off.htm|title=Information of Foreign Tourist Interest|publisher=Sikkim.nic.in|access-date=6 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523095928/http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/tour_off.htm|archive-date=23 May 2013|url-status=dead}}

{{Main|Economy of Sikkim}}

Sikkim's nominal state gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$4.6 billion in 2019, with GDP per capita being $7,530 (₹ 5,50,000) thus constituting the third-smallest GDP among India's 28 states. The state's economy is largely agrarian based on the terraced farming of rice and the cultivation of crops such as maize, millet, wheat, barley, oranges, tea, and cardamom.{{Cite book | title = City, Society and Planning: Society | last = Dutt | first = Ashok K. |author2=Baleshwar Thakur | year = 2007 | publisher = Concept Publishing | isbn = 978-81-8069-460-8 | page = 501 }}{{sfn|Bareh|2001|pp=20–21}} Sikkim produces more cardamom than any other Indian state and is home to the largest cultivated area of cardamom.{{Cite book | title = India: A Reference Annual | publisher = Research and Reference Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting | year = 2002 | location = New Delhi | page = 747 }} Sikkim achieved its ambition to convert its agriculture to fully organic between 2003 and 2016, and became the first state in India to achieve this distinction.Paull, John (2017) [https://www.academia.edu/35179966 "Four New Strategies to Grow the Organic Agriculture Sector"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304181540/http://www.academia.edu/35179966/Four_New_Strategies_to_Grow_the_Organic_Agriculture_Sector |date=4 March 2018 }}, Agrofor International Journal, 2(3):61–70.

Because of its hilly terrain and poor transport infrastructure, Sikkim lacks a large-scale industrial base. Brewing, distilling, tanning and watchmaking are the main industries and are mainly located in the southern regions of the state, primarily in the towns of Melli and Jorethang. In addition, a small mining industry exists in Sikkim extracting minerals such as copper, dolomite, talc, graphite, quartzite, coal, zinc, and lead.{{Cite book | title = State level public enterprises in Sikkim: policy and planning | last = Mishra | first = R. K. | year = 2005 | publisher = Concept Publishing | isbn = 978-81-8069-396-0 | page = 3 }} Despite the state's minimal industrial infrastructure, Sikkim's economy has been among the fastest-growing in India since 2000; the state's GDP expanded by 89.93% in 2010 alone.{{Cite web|url = http://planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/0306/table%20168.pdf|title = Indian states GDP database|access-date = 24 December 2014|publisher = NIC.in|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140715140421/http://planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/0306/table%20168.pdf|archive-date = 15 July 2014|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}} In 2003, Sikkim decided to fully convert to organic farming and achieved this goal in 2015 becoming India's first "organic state".{{cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-sikkim-becomes-india-s-first-organic-state-2166492|title=Sikkim becomes India's first organic state|newspaper=Daily News and Analysis|date=16 January 2016|access-date=18 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118110114/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-sikkim-becomes-india-s-first-organic-state-2166492|archive-date=18 January 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sikkim-becomes-indias-first-organic-state/article8107170.ece|title=Sikkim becomes India's first organic state|newspaper=The Hindu|date=14 January 2016|access-date=18 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114115833/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sikkim-becomes-indias-first-organic-state/article8107170.ece|archive-date=14 January 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160118/jsp/siliguri/story_64430.jsp#.VpytZpp97IU|title=Organic show awaits Modi in Sikkim|newspaper=Telegraph India|date=17 January 2016|access-date=18 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123022113/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160118/jsp/siliguri/story_64430.jsp#.VpytZpp97IU|archive-date=23 January 2016|url-status=dead}}

In recent years, the government of Sikkim has extensively promoted tourism. As a result, state revenue has increased 14 times since the mid-1990s.{{Cite journal | last = Dasgupta | first = Abhijit |date=May 2009 | title = Forever and ever and ever | journal = India Today | volume = 34 |issue=22 | page = 35 | id = RNI:28587/75 }} Sikkim has furthermore invested in a fledgling gambling industry promoting both casinos and online gambling. The state's first casino, the Casino Sikkim, opened in March 2009.{{Cite news|last=Patil|first=Ajit|date=28 May 2009|title=Casinos in India|work=India Bet|url=http://www.indiabet.com/indian-betting/434405/casinos-in-india|url-status=dead|access-date=28 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409200150/http://www.indiabet.com/indian-betting/434405/casinos-in-india|archive-date=9 April 2011}} In the year 2010 the government subsequently issued three gambling licences for casinos and online sports betting in general.{{Cite news | url = http://www.indiabet.com/indian-betting/434413/indian-online-gambling-market-set-to-open-up | first = Roy | last = Sanjay | date = 27 October 2009 | access-date = 27 October 2009 | title = Indian online gambling market set to open up | work = India Bet | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110310075428/http://www.indiabet.com/indian-betting/434413/indian-online-gambling-market-set-to-open-up | archive-date = 10 March 2011 | url-status = live | df = dmy-all }} The Playwin lottery has been a notable success in the state.{{Cite news | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/20688/ | first = Arundhati | last = Bakshi-Dighe | date = 23 March 2003 | access-date =2 June 2009 | title = Online lottery: A jackpot for all | work = Indian Express }}{{Cite web | url = http://www.lotteryinsider.com/lottery/playwin.htm | title = Playwin lottery | access-date = 12 October 2006 | date = 20 August 2006 | publisher = Interplay Multimedia Pty. Ltd. | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110827033220/http://www.lotteryinsider.com/lottery/playwin.htm | archive-date = 27 August 2011 | url-status = live | df = dmy-all }}

The opening of the Nathu La pass on 6 July 2006, connecting Lhasa, Tibet, to India, was billed as a boon for Sikkim's economy. Trade through the pass remains hampered by Sikkim's limited infrastructure and government restrictions in both India and China, though the volume of traded goods has been steadily increasing.{{Cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120509/jsp/siliguri/story_15467618.jsp#.UdgnGMu9KSM|title=Nathu-la trade gets wider|work=Telegraph India|date=9 May 2012|access-date=6 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109042058/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120509/jsp/siliguri/story_15467618.jsp#.UdgnGMu9KSM|archive-date=9 November 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://m.indiatvnews.com/news/india/india-china-border-trade-at-nathu-la-closed-for-this-year-31092.html|title=India China border trade at Nathu La closed for this year|publisher=India TV News|date=3 December 2013|access-date=16 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629203959/http://m.indiatvnews.com/news/india/india-china-border-trade-at-nathu-la-closed-for-this-year-31092.html|archive-date=29 June 2017|url-status=live}}

Elaichi.jpg|Elaichi, or cardamom, is the chief cash crop of Sikkim.

Cherry Resort inside Temi Tea Garden, Namchi, Sikkim.jpg|Temi Tea Garden, Namchi, Sikkim

Temi Tea Garden Panoramic View.jpg|Tea garden at Temi, Sikkim.

Terraced rice fields of Sikkim India.jpg|Terraced rice paddy fields of Sikkim.

File:Pakyongsikkim.jpg, is the first greenfield airport to be constructed in the Northeast India.{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/sikkims-first-ever-airport-all-set-to-fly-5363202/|title=Sikkim's Pakyong airport stuns before it flies|date=24 September 2018}}]]

File:Riverteesta.jpg is considered the state's key waterway.]]

Sikkim did not have any operational airport for a long time because of its rough terrain. However, in October 2018, Pakyong Airport, the state's first airport, located in Pakyong Town at a distance of {{convert|30|km|abbr=on}} from Gangtok, became operational after a four-year delay.[http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-s-first-airport-to-be-ready-by-2014_876027.html "Sikkim's first airport to be ready by 2014"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712200905/http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-s-first-airport-to-be-ready-by-2014_876027.html |date=12 July 2014}}. Zee News. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2014.{{cite news |title=First commercial flight lands at Pakyong |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/first-commercial-flight-lands-at-pakyong/articleshow/66075688.cms |work=The Economic Times |agency=Press Trust of India |date=4 October 2018 |access-date=4 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005030925/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/first-commercial-flight-lands-at-pakyong/articleshow/66075688.cms |archive-date=5 October 2018 |url-status=live}} It has been constructed by the Airports Authority of India on 200 acres of land. At an altitude of {{convert|4700|ft|m}} above sea level, it is one of the five highest airports in India.[http://www.punjlloydgroup.com/landmark-projects-gallery/sikkims-greenfield-airport "Sikkim's Greenfield Airport"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619033342/http://www.punjlloydgroup.com/landmark-projects-gallery/sikkims-greenfield-airport |date=19 June 2014 }}. Punj Lloyd Group. Retrieved 18 December 2014.[http://www.issmge.org/capg/files/Maccaferri-New_Airport_Sikkim.pdf "Sikkim's New Airport" (PDF)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514065851/http://www.issmge.org/capg/files/Maccaferri-New_Airport_Sikkim.pdf |date=14 May 2014 }} Maccaferri Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd., India. Retrieved 18 December 2014. The airport is capable of operating ATR aircraft.{{Cite news | url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090302/jsp/siliguri/story_10609938.jsp | title = Patel word on speedy airport completion—Sikkim hopes for spurt in tourist inflow | work = The Telegraph | location = Kolkata | date = 2 March 2009 | access-date = 14 June 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110526142739/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090302/jsp/siliguri/story_10609938.jsp | archive-date = 26 May 2011 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}

Before October 2018, the closest operational airport to Sikkim was Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri in northern West Bengal. The airport is located about {{convert|124|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Gangtok, and frequent buses connect the two.[http://sikkimtourism.gov.in/Webforms/General/Transport.aspx "How to reach Sikkim"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701110740/http://sikkimtourism.gov.in/Webforms/General/Transport.aspx |date=1 July 2014}} Government of Sikkim. Retrieved 18 December 2014. A daily helicopter service run by the Sikkim Helicopter Service connects Gangtok to Bagdogra; the flight is thirty minutes long, operates only once a day, and can carry four people.{{Cite web | url = http://sikkimipr.org/IPR/statehood/statehood_nutshell.htm | title = 30 Years of Statehood in a Nutshell | access-date =12 October 2006 | date = 24 November 2005 | publisher = Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Sikkim | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060714083055/http://sikkimipr.org/IPR/statehood/statehood_nutshell.htm | archive-date = 14 July 2006 }} The Gangtok helipad is the only civilian helipad in the state.

File:Gangtok to Siliguri Bus.jpg

National Highway 10 (NH 10; formerly NH 31A) links Siliguri to Gangtok. Sikkim Nationalised Transport runs bus and truck services. Privately run bus, tourist taxi, and jeep services operate throughout Sikkim and also connect it to Siliguri. A branch of the highway from Melli connects western Sikkim. Towns in eastern, southern and western Sikkim are connected to the hill stations of Kalimpong and Darjeeling in northern West Bengal.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|pp=84–87}} The state is furthermore connected to Tibet by the mountain pass of Nathu La.

List of national highways of Sikkim:

{{Routelist top|unit=km|length_ref={{cite web|url=https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/State_wise_Length_of_National_Highways_in_India.pdf|title=State-wise length of National Highways in India |date=30 November 2018|publisher=Ministry of Road Transport and Highways|access-date=9 May 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929205249/https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/State_wise_Length_of_National_Highways_in_India.pdf| archive-date=29 September 2020}}}}

{{Routelist row

|country=IND

|type=NH

|route=10

|length_km=52

|beltway=Gangtok – Singtam – Rangpo – West Bengal Border.

|notes=none

}}

{{Routelist row

|country=IND

|type=NH

|route=310

|length_km=87

|beltway=Ranipool (NH-31A) – Burtuk – Menla – Nathula

|notes=none

}}

{{Routelist row

|country=IND

|type=NH

|route=310A

|length_km=55

|beltway=Tashi view point – Phodong – Mangan

|notes=none

}}

{{Routelist row

|country=IND

|type=NH

|route=510

|length_km=70

|beltway=Singtam – Damthang- Legship – Gyalshing

|notes=none

}}

{{Routelist row

|country=IND

|type=NH

|route=710

|length_km=45

|beltway=Melli- Manpur- Namchi- Damthang- Tarku

|notes=none

}}

{{Routelist row

|country=IND

|type=NH

|route=717A

|length_km=112

|beltway=West Bengal Border-Reshi- Rhenock, Rorathang Pakyong a-junction with new NH No. 10 at Ranipool near Gangtok

|notes=none

}}

{{Routelist row

|country=IND

|type=NH

|route=717B

|length_km=42

|beltway=Junction with NH No. 717A at Rhenock – Rongli, Rolep -junction with NH No. 310 near Menla at Serethang

|notes=none

}}

{{Routelist bottom}}

Sikkim lacks significant railway infrastructure. The closest major railway stations are Siliguri Junction and New Jalpaiguri in neighbouring West Bengal.{{Cite web|url=http://travel.mapsofindia.com/travel-sikkim/how-to-reach.html|title=How to Reach Sikkim|publisher=Maps of India|access-date=7 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414194441/http://travel.mapsofindia.com/travel-sikkim/how-to-reach.html|archive-date=14 April 2009}} However, the New Sikkim Railway Project has been launched to connect the town of Rangpo in Sikkim with Sevoke on the West Bengal border. This line is Sevoke-Rangpo Railway Line from Sivok railway station to Rangpo railway station.[http://www.constructionupdate.com/News.aspx?nId=WIcIBZdMByhLAS9Iyls+Og== "Finally, Sevoke-Rangpo railway link on track"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528224619/http://www.constructionupdate.com/News.aspx?nId=WIcIBZdMByhLAS9Iyls+Og== |date=28 May 2013 }}. ConstructionUpdate.com. November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2012. The five-station line is intended to support both economic development and Indian Army operations and was initially planned to be completed by 2015,{{Cite web | url = http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/northbengalsikkimrai/ | title = North Bengal-Sikkim Railway Link | publisher = Railway Technology | access-date = 19 June 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120723122216/http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/northbengalsikkimrai/ | archive-date = 23 July 2012 | url-status = live | df = dmy-all }}[http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/01/25/stories/2010012551081500.htm "Inspection survey for Sikkim rail link"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131003127/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/01/25/stories/2010012551081500.htm |date=31 January 2010 }}. The Hindu. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2013. though as of 2023 its construction has met with delays.{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Train-to-Sikkim-poses-jumbo-threat/articleshow/18361095.cms|title=Train to Sikkim poses jumbo threat|date=6 February 2013|access-date=7 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502133052/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-06/flora-fauna/36949140_1_elephant-deaths-chief-wildlife-warden-state-wildlife-board|archive-date=2 May 2013|work=The Times of India|url-status=live}} In 2019, the railway line up to Rangpo was expected to be completed in 2021.Financial Express. [https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/indian-railways-new-sivok-rangpo-rail-project-travel-from-west-bengal-to-sikkim-in-just-2-hours-watch-video/1691100 Indian Railways new Sivok-Rangpo rail project: Travel from West Bengal to Sikkim in just 2 hours]. (30 August 2019). In the second phase the line will be extended up to Gangtok.Times of India. [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/travel/destinations/very-soon-travelling-to-sikkim-by-train-will-be-a-possibility/as71172425.cms Very soon, travelling to Sikkim by train will be a possibility]. (17 September 2019). In addition, the Ministry of Railways proposed plans in 2010 for railway lines linking Mirik in West Bengal to Namchi, Daramdin, Ranipool, and Gangtok.{{Cite news | last = Gurung | first = Bijoy | date = 9 December 2010 | title = Sikkim tour dreams ride on rail plan | newspaper = Telegraph India | url = https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/sikkim-tour-dreams-ride-on-rail-plan-hope-for-pilgrims-trekkers-four-stations-in-hill-state/cid/458079 | access-date = 5 July 2020 | df = dmy-all }}

File:Nathu La - Indo China Border.jpg

{{update section|date=May 2022}}

Sikkim's roads are maintained by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), an offshoot of the Indian Army. The roads in southern Sikkim are in relatively good condition, landslides being less frequent in this region. The state government maintains {{convert|1857|km|mi}} of roadways that do not fall under the BRO's jurisdiction.{{Cite web|url=https://sikkim.gov.in/KnowSikkim/statistics/list-of-sdm|title=Sikkim at a glance|date=29 September 2005|publisher=Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Sikkim|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031000351/http://www.sikkimipr.org/GENERAL/STATS/sikkimataglance.htm|archive-date=31 October 2005|access-date=12 October 2006}}

Sikkim receives most of its electricity from 19 hydroelectric power stations. Power is also obtained from the National Thermal Power Corporation and Power Grid Corporation of India.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=91}} By 2006, the state had achieved 100 per cent rural electrification.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=88}} However, the voltage remains unstable and voltage stabilisers are needed. Per capita consumption of electricity in Sikkim was approximately 182 kWh in 2006. The state government has promoted biogas and solar power for cooking, but these have received a poor response and are used mostly for lighting purposes.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=87}} In 2005, 73.2 per cent of Sikkim's households were reported to have access to safe drinking water, and the state's large number of mountain streams assures a sufficient water supply.

On 8 December 2008, it was announced that Sikkim had become the first state in India to achieve 100 per cent sanitation coverage, becoming completely free of public defecation, thus attaining the status of "Nirmal State".{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111223051352/http://infochangeindia.org/environment/news/sikkim-becomes-first-state-to-achieve-100-sanitation.html "Sikkim becomes first state to achieve 100 percent sanitation"]}}. Infochange India. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2012.[http://indiasanitationportal.org/463 "NIRMAL GRAM PURASKAR 2011"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414050755/http://www.indiasanitationportal.org/463 |date=14 April 2012 }}. India Sanitation Portal. 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2012.

{{Further|Sikkimese people}}

File:Flickr - Sukanto Debnath - A little girl from Kaluk Bazaar.jpg

{{historical populations|11=1901|12=59,014|13=1911|14=87,920|15=1921|16=81,721|17=1931|18=1,09,808|19=1941|20=1,21,520|21=1951|22=1,37,725|23=1961|24=1,62,189|25=1971|26=2,09,843|27=1981|28=3,16,385|29=1991|30=4,06,457|31=2001|32=5,40,851|33=2011|34=6,10,577|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html|title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=6 January 2020}}|align=right}}

Sikkim is India's least populous state, with 610,577 inhabitants according to the 2011 census.{{Cite web | title = 2011 Census reference tables – total population | url = http://www.census2011.co.in/census/state/sikkim.html | year = 2011 | access-date = 16 July 2013 | publisher = Government of India | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130708174135/http://www.census2011.co.in/census/state/sikkim.html | archive-date = 8 July 2013 | url-status = live | df = dmy-all }} Sikkim is also one of the least densely populated Indian states, with only 86 persons per square kilometre. However, it has a high population growth rate, averaging 12.36% per cent between 2001 and 2011. The sex ratio is 889 females per 1,000 males, with a total of 321,661 males and 286,027 females recorded in 2011. With around 98,000 inhabitants as of 2011, the capital Gangtok is the most significant urban area in the mostly rural state; in 2005, the urban population in Sikkim constituted around 11.06 per cent of the total. In 2011, the average per capita income in Sikkim stood at {{Indian Rupee}} 81,159 (US$1,305).{{Cite web|url=http://pbplanning.gov.in/pdf/Statewise%20GSDP%20PCI%20and%20G.R.pdf|title=State-wise: Population, GSDP, Per Capita Income and Growth Rate|publisher=Punjab State Planning Board|year=2012|access-date=4 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111062118/http://pbplanning.gov.in/pdf/Statewise%20GSDP%20PCI%20and%20G.R.pdf|archive-date=11 November 2013|url-status=live}}

{{pie chart

|label1=Nepali|value1=62.6|color1=maroon

|label2=Sikkimese|value2=6.86|color2=deepskyblue

|label3=Limbu|value3=6.34|color3=lavender

|label4=Lepcha|value4=6.27|color4=darkblue

|label5=Hindi|value5=5.58|color5=orange

|label6=Sherpa|value6=2.24|color6=purple

|label7=Tamang|value7=1.92|color7=skyblue

|label8=Bhojpuri|value8=1.63|color8=red

|label9=Rai|value9=1.22|color9=limegreen

|label10=Bengali|value10=1.14|color10=orchid

|caption=Languages of Sikkim (2011 census){{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues – 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=7 July 2018}}|value11=4.2|label11=Other|color11=grey}}

The official languages of the state are Nepali, Sikkimese, Lepcha and English. Additional official languages include Gurung, Limbu, Magar, Mukhia, Newar, Rai, Sherpa and Tamang for the purpose of preservation of culture and tradition in the state.

Nepali is the lingua franca of Sikkim, while Sikkimese (Bhutia) and Lepcha are spoken in certain areas.indiatoday.in/amp/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/mini-sikkim-in-making-308081-2016-02-10 English is also spoken and understood in most of Sikkim. Other languages include Dzongkha, Groma, Hindi, Majhi, Majhwar, Thulung, Tibetan, and Yakha.{{sfn|Bareh|2001|p=10}}

The majority of Sikkim's residents are Nepali Indians.{{cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr2003/fdec2003/f051220031.html|title=The Ethnic People of Sikkim|publisher=PIB.NIC.in|date=5 December 2003|access-date=15 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205161717/http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr2003/fdec2003/f051220031.html|archive-date=5 December 2008|url-status=live}} The native Sikkimese include the Bhutias, who migrated from the Kham district of Tibet in the 14th century, and the Lepchas, who are believed to pre-date the Bhutias and are the oldest known inhabitants. Tibetans reside mostly in the northern and eastern reaches of the state. Migrant resident communities known as Plainsmen Sikkimese include Bengalis, Biharis and Marwaris, who are prominent in commerce in South Sikkim and Gangtok, only those who are the native residents since 1946.{{Cite book | title = Peoples of South Asia | last = Clarence | first = Maloney | year = 1974 | publisher = Holt, Rinehart and Winston | isbn = 978-0-03-084969-5 | page = 409 }}

{{See also|Hinduism in Sikkim}}

File:Buddha in Sikkim.jpg

{{Pie chart

|caption=Religion in Sikkim (2011){{cite web|title=Census of India – Religious Composition|publisher=Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html|access-date=27 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913045700/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html|archive-date=13 September 2015|url-status=live}}

|left1=Religion

|right1=Percent

|float=right

|bars=

|label1=Hinduism|color1=darkorange|value1=57.76

|label2=Buddhism|color2=gold|value2=27.39

|label3=Christianity|color3=blue|value3=9.91

|label4=Islam|color4=green|value4=1.62

|label5=Sikhism|color5=darkkhaki|value5=0.31

|label6=Jainism|color6=brown|value6=0.05

|label7=Other faith like Kirat Mundhum, Bon, Mun|color7=chartreuse|value7=2.67

|label8=No religion|color8=black|value8=0.3

}}

According to the 2011 census, 57.8% follow Hinduism, making it the state's majority religion. Buddhism is followed by 27.4% of the population, while Christianity is followed by 9.9%.{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW11C-01%20MDDS.XLS |title=C-1 Population By Religious Community – Sikkim| website=Census India |access-date=16 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927174518/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW11C-01%20MDDS.XLS|archive-date=27 September 2015}} Between 2001 and 2011, Christianity was the fastest growing religion in the state, going from 6.67% to 9.91% of the population. It was thus the fourth state with the highest Christian growth in the period, behind only Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya.{{cite web |title=Sikkim |date=21 September 2021 |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2021/09/21/religious-demography-of-indian-states-and-territories/ |publisher=Pew Research Center|accessdate=15 February 2022}} As of 2014, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sikkim is the largest Christian denomination in Sikkim.[http://www.irfa.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:points-of-ministry&Itemid=41 "Points of Ministry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729220837/http://www.irfa.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:points-of-ministry&Itemid=41|date=29 July 2014}}. IRFA.org.au. 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014. Hinduism, on the other hand, declined from 60.93% to 57.76% of the population in the same period. Sikkim was the fourth state with the biggest decline in the percentage of Hindus, behind only Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam. Vajrayana Buddhism, which accounts for 27.3% of the population, is Sikkim's second-largest, yet most prominent religion. Prior to Sikkim's becoming a part of the Indian Union, Vajrayana Buddhism was the state religion under the Chogyal. Sikkim has 75 Buddhist monasteries, the oldest dating back to the 1700s.{{sfn|Bareh|2001|p=9}} The public and visual aesthetics of Sikkim are executed in shades of Vajrayana Buddhism and Buddhism plays a significant role in public life, even among Sikkim's majority Nepali Hindu population. Other religious minorities include Muslims of Tibet,{{Cite journal |last=Atwill |first=David G. |date=1 August 2016 |title=Boundaries of Belonging: Sino-Indian Relations and the 1960 Tibetan Muslim Incident |url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/journal-of-asian-studies/article-abstract/75/3/595/327118/Boundaries-of-Belonging-Sino-Indian-Relations-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Journal of Asian Studies |volume=75 |issue=3 |pages=595–620 |doi=10.1017/S0021911816000553 |issn=0021-9118}}{{Cite journal |date=1 February 1998 |title=World Pumps February 1998 issue advertiser's index and information request form |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0262176299802983 |journal=World Pumps |volume=1998 |issue=377 |pages=I |doi=10.1016/S0262-1762(99)80298-3 |issn=0262-1762|url-access=subscription }} Bihari ethnicity and Jains, who each account for roughly 1% of the population.{{Cite book | title =People of India: Sikkim | last = Singh | first = Kumar Suresh | year = 1992 | publisher = Anthropological Survey of India | isbn = 978-81-7046-120-3 | page = 39 }} The traditional religions of the native Sikkimese account for much of the remainder of the population.

Although tensions between the Lepchas and the Nepalese escalated during the merger of Sikkim with India in the 1970s, there has never been any major degree of communal religious violence, unlike in other Indian states.{{Cite book | title = State government and politics: Sikkim | last = Nirmalananda Sengupta | year = 1985 | publisher = Stosius/Advent Books | isbn = 978-0-86590-694-5 | page = 140 }}[http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx "Census and You – Religion"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315004939/http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx |date=15 March 2018 }}. Census India. Retrieved 20 October 2012. The traditional religion of the Lepcha people is Mun, an animist practice which coexists with Buddhism and Christianity.{{Cite book |title=Languages of the Greater Himalayan Region. A Grammar of Lepcha |volume=5 |first=Heleen |last=Plaisier |publisher=Brill |year=2007 |isbn=978-90-04-15525-1 |pages=4, 15 (photo) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DpCXEc_9RWcC&pg=PA15 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516011005/https://books.google.com/books?id=DpCXEc_9RWcC&pg=PA15 |archive-date=16 May 2016 |url-status=live}}

Legship_shiva_temple.jpg|Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple in Legship is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

Rumtek Monastery - Inside Close View.jpg|Rumtek Monastery

Enchey_Monastery_Prayer_Hall_(Dukhang).jpg|Enchey Monastery

Viswavinayak.jpg|Vishwa Vinayak Temple at Rhenock

{{Main|List of districts of Sikkim}}

There are 6 districts in Sikkim, each overseen by a Central Government appointee, the district collector, who is in charge of the administration of the civilian areas of the districts. The Indian Army has control of a large territory, as the state is a sensitive border area. Many areas are restricted and permits are needed to visit them.

The six districts are:

{{See also|Music of Sikkim}}

File:Gumpa.jpg during the Buddhist festival of Losar]]

Sikkim's Gorkhali majority celebrate all major Hindu festivals, including Tihar (Diwali) and Dashain (Dashera). Traditional local festivals, such as Maghe Sankranti, Ramnavmi, Janmastami, Holi, Shivaratri, Navratri, Sakela, Chasok Tangnam and Bhimsen Puja, are popular.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=35}} Losar, Saga Dawa, Lhabab Duechen, Drupka Teshi and Bhumchu are among the Buddhist festivals celebrated in Sikkim. During the Losar (Tibetan New Year), most offices and educational institutions are closed for a week.{{sfn|Choudhury|2006|p=34}}

Sikkimese Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Fitr and Muharram.{{cite book | title = Bulletin of Tibetology |author=Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology | year = 1995 | publisher = Namgyal Institute of Tibetology | page = 79 }} Christmas has been promoted in Gangtok to attract tourists during the off-season.{{cite web | url = http://sikkimipr.org/GENERAL/CULTURE/LUCKY_SIGNS.htm | title = Culture and Festivals of Sikkim | access-date =12 October 2006 | date = 29 September 2005 | publisher = Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Sikkim | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060714040958/http://sikkimipr.org/GENERAL/CULTURE/LUCKY_SIGNS.htm | archive-date = 14 July 2006 }}

Western rock music and Indian pop have gained a wide following in Sikkim. Nepali rock and Lepcha music are also popular.{{sfn|Bareh|2001|p=286}} Sikkim's most popular sports are football and cricket, although hang gliding and river rafting have grown popular as part of the tourism industry.{{Cite book | title = Sikkim: Society, Polity, Economy, Environment | last = Lama | first = Mahendra P. | year = 1994 | publisher = Indus Publishing | isbn = 978-81-7387-013-2 | page = 128 }}

{{Main|Sikkimese cuisine}}

Traditional cuisines of the Lepcha, Limbu, Magar, and Bhutia peoples incorporate the rich biodiversity of the place. The Buddhist saint Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, who passed through ancient Sikkim in the eighth century noted the rich produce of the place in his writings,

There are about 155 varieties of fruits with different tastes and nutritional values. [These include] a walnut that tastes like butter; a fruit known as wallay… and a grape with the taste of wine. There are fruits called tingding with the taste of meat, and sedey, which can be eaten as the equivalent of an entire meal; turnips, and thirty-seven other types of root vegetables are available. There are twenty different varieties of garlic. Altogether, among the edible plants, there are 360 varieties available. There are wild radishes, along with tsolay, nyolay, and grapes in the valley. In the trees, among the rocks and hanging from the cliffs there are beehives.{{Cite journal |last=Bhutia |first=Kalzang Dorjee |date=2024-04-02 |title=The Chile is my uncle: Spicy kinship between humans and more-than-humans in the Sikkimese Himalayas |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07409710.2024.2333114 |journal=Food and Foodways |language=en |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=122–141 |doi=10.1080/07409710.2024.2333114 |issn=0740-9710|url-access=subscription }}

Beer, whiskey, rum and brandy are widely consumed in Sikkim,{{Cite book | title = Surajkund, the Sikkim story | chapter = Sikkimese cuisine| last=Shrivastava | first = Alok K. | year = 2002 | publisher = South Asia Foundation | location = New Delhi | isbn = 978-81-88287-01-7 | page = 49 }} as is tongba, a millet-based alcoholic beverage that is popular in Nepal and Darjeeling. Sikkim has the third-highest per capita alcoholism rate among all Indian states, behind Punjab and Haryana.{{Cite news | first = Rema | last = Nagarajan | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2231571.cms | title = India gets its high from whisky | date = 25 July 2007 | access-date = 3 June 2009 | work = Times of India | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161227073943/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2231571.cms | archive-date = 27 December 2016 | url-status = live | df = dmy-all }}

File:Do-drul Chorten Stupa, Gangtok, Sikkim.jpg in Gangtok.]]

In 1957, a Nepali monthly magazine Kanchenjunga became the first news outlet for the masses in Sikkim.Kanchenjunga and Sikkim Press: How Media Started Its Practice in Sikkim

The southern urban areas of Sikkim have English, Nepali and Hindi daily newspapers. Nepali-language newspapers, as well as some English newspapers, are locally printed, whereas Hindi and English newspapers are printed in Siliguri. Important local dailies and weeklies include Hamro Prajashakti (Nepali daily), Himalayan Mirror (English daily), the Samay Dainik, Sikkim Express (English), Kanchanjunga Times (Nepali weekly), Pragya Khabar (Nepali weekly) and Himali Bela.{{Cite web | url = http://www.sikkimipr.org/IPR/news_jounalists/news_papers_and_journalists.htm | title = Newspapers and Journalists in Sikkim | publisher = IT Department, Government of Sikkim | access-date =5 June 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080121045116/http://www.sikkimipr.org/IPR/news_jounalists/news_papers_and_journalists.htm | archive-date = 21 January 2008 }} Furthermore, the state receives regional editions of national English newspapers such as The Statesman, The Telegraph, The Hindu and The Times of India. Himalaya Darpan, a Nepali daily published in Siliguri, is one of the leading Nepali daily newspapers in the region. The Sikkim Herald is an official weekly publication of the government. Online media covering Sikkim include the Nepali newspaper Himgiri, the English news portal Haalkhabar and the literary magazine Tistarangit. Avyakta, Bilokan, the Journal of Hill Research, Khaber Khagaj, Panda, and the Sikkim Science Society Newsletter are among other registered publications.{{Cite web | url = https://rni.nic.in/search_place.asp | title = Publication Place Wise-Registration | publisher = Registrar of Newspapers for India | access-date = 5 June 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090619090128/https://rni.nic.in/search_place.asp | archive-date = 19 June 2009 | df = dmy-all }} If one types Sikkim in the input box and submits, the list is displayed.

Internet cafés are well established in the district capitals, but broadband connectivity is not widely available. Satellite television channels through dish antennae are available in most homes in the state. Channels served are largely the same as those available in the rest of India, although Nepali-language channels are also available. The main service providers include Airtel digital TV, Tata Sky, Dish TV, DD Free Dish and Nayuma.

{{Main|List of institutions of higher education in Sikkim}}

File:Smu.JPG

In 2011, Sikkim's adult literacy rate was 82.2 per cent: 87.29 per cent for males and 76.43 per cent for females.{{Cite web|title=State of Literacy|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/india/Final_PPT_2011_chapter6.pdf|website=Census India|publisher=Census of India|access-date=24 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706191931/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/india/Final_PPT_2011_chapter6.pdf|archive-date=6 July 2015|url-status=live}} There are a total of 1,157 schools in the state, including 765 schools run by the state government, seven central government schools and 385 private schools.{{Cite web | url = http://www.sikkimipr.org/images/herald/Jan%2026.pdf | title = In the process of Constitutional democracy, Sikkim has not lagged behind-Governor | date = 26 February 2010 | author = Balmiki Prasad Singh Governor of Sikkim | access-date = 11 March 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120304065745/http://www.sikkimipr.org/images/herald/Jan%2026.pdf | archive-date = 4 March 2012 | df = dmy-all }} There is one Institute of National Importance,{{Cite web|url=https://www.ugc.ac.in/institutes-national-importance.aspx|title=Institutes of National Importance|website=www.ugc.ac.in|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827110345/https://www.ugc.ac.in/institutes-national-importance.aspx|archive-date=27 August 2018|url-status=live|access-date=27 August 2018}} one central university{{Cite web|url=https://www.ugc.ac.in/centralniversitylist.aspx?id=30&Unitype=1|title=Central University|website=www.ugc.ac.in|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827075519/https://www.ugc.ac.in/centralniversitylist.aspx?id=30&Unitype=1|archive-date=27 August 2018|url-status=live|access-date=27 August 2018}} and four private universities{{Cite web|url=https://www.ugc.ac.in/privateuniversitylist.aspx?id=30&Unitype=3|title=Private Universities in Sikkim|website=www.ugc.ac.in|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817023052/https://www.ugc.ac.in/privateuniversitylist.aspx?id=30&Unitype=3|archive-date=17 August 2018|url-status=live|access-date=27 August 2018}} in Sikkim offering higher education.

Recently, Government of Sikkim has approved the open school board named Board of Open Schooling and Skill Education,{{Cite web |url=http://www.bosse.org.in/ |title=BOSSE Sikkim |website=bosse.org.in |access-date=21 September 2020 }} BOSSE to provide Secondary Education, Senior Secondary as well as Skill & Vocational Education up to pre-degree level and to provide opportunity to continue education to such students who have missed the opportunity of school education. Sikkim has a National Institute of Technology, currently operating from a temporary campus in Ravangla, South Sikkim,{{Cite web|url=http://nitsikkim.ac.in/about/campus_info.php|title=NIT Sikkim|website=nitsikkim.ac.in|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823075146/http://nitsikkim.ac.in/about/campus_info.php|archive-date=23 August 2018|url-status=live}} which is one among the ten newly sanctioned NITs by the Government of India under the 11th Five year Plan, 2009.{{Cite journal|title=Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007–2012|url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/mta/11th_mta/chapterwise/Comp_mta11th.pdf|journal=Planning_Prelims|pages=134|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515095641/http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/mta/11th_mta/chapterwise/Comp_mta11th.pdf|archive-date=15 May 2012|url-status=dead}} The NIT Sikkim also has state of art super computing facility named PARAM Kanchenjunga which is said to be fastest among all 31 NITs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdac.in/index.aspx?id=pk_pr_prs_rl228|title=Hon'ble Governor of Sikkim inaugurated "PARAM Kanchenjunga" at NIT Sikkim|website=C-DAC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827075548/https://www.cdac.in/index.aspx?id=pk_pr_prs_rl228|archive-date=27 August 2018|url-status=live}} Sikkim University is the only central university in Sikkim. The public-private funded institution is the Sikkim Manipal University of Technological Sciences, which offers higher education in engineering, medicine and management. It also runs a host of distance education programs in diverse fields.{{Cite web | url = http://www.smude.edu.in | title = Distance Education | publisher = Sikkim Manipal University | date = 26 June 2010 | author = Sailesh | access-date = 26 June 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100117184156/http://www.smude.edu.in/ | archive-date = 17 January 2010 | url-status = live | df = dmy-all }}{{cite web |title=Private Universities - University Grants Commission |url=https://www.ugc.gov.in/privatuniversity.aspx |website=University Grants Commission (India) |access-date=7 July 2023}}

Medhavi Skills University is a private university located in the state of Sikkim, India. It was established in 2021 under the Sikkim Private Universities, (Amendment) Act, 2021. The university aims to provide skill-based education to students and bridge the gap between academia and industry.{{cite news |last=Ravidas |first=Rajeev |date=16 June 2021 |title=Sikkim nod for two private universities |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/sikkim-nod-for-two-private-universities/cid/1818955 |access-date=7 July 2023 |work=Telegraph India |location=Siliguri}}

There are two state-run polytechnic schools – the Advanced Technical Training Centre (ATTC) and the Centre for Computers and Communication Technology (CCCT) – which offer diploma courses in various branches of engineering. ATTC is situated at Bardang, Singtam, and CCCT at Chisopani, Namchi.

Sikkim University began operating in 2008 at Yangang, which is situated about {{convert|28|km|mi}} from Singtam.{{Cite news | url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080204/jsp/siliguri/story_8858265.jsp | title = Do-it-yourself mantra for varsity | last = Chettri | first = Vivek | date = 4 February 2008 | work = The Telegraph | access-date = 15 May 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081012112302/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080204/jsp/siliguri/story_8858265.jsp | archive-date = 12 October 2008 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }} Many students, however, migrate to Siliguri, Kolkata, Bangalore and other Indian cities for their higher education.

The campus of the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology of the Government of India, is at Pakyong in East Sikkim, and offers formal and informal education in the IT/ITES sector.

File:M.G. Marg, Gangtok 01.jpg in Gangtok.]]

File:Jorethang at night..jpg at night time.]]

The major towns and cities of Sikkim are as follows:

Gangtok, Pakyong, Namchi, Jorethang, Rangpo, Singtam, Gyalshing, Mangan, Soreng, Pelling, Rhenock, Rongli, Rorathang, Ravangla, Chungthang, Ranipool, Lachen, Nayabazar, Lachung, Dikchu, Majitar, Legship, Melli, Yuksom, Sherathang, Namthang, Rinchenpong, Singhik, Hee Burmiok, Tashiding, Kumrek, Makha, Yangang, and Damthang.

The popular sports played in Sikkim include football, cricket, archery, volleyball, tennis, badminton, and athletics. Adventure sports like paragliding, hiking and mountain biking are also popular in Sikkim.

The stadiums of Sikkim are as follows:

• Mining Cricket Stadium, Rangpo
• Paljor Stadium, Gangtok
• Bhaichung Stadium, Namchi
• Resithang Athletics Stadium, Gangtok.

{{Portal|India

}}

• Outline of Sikkim
• East Sikkim district

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Refbegin}}

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| year = 2001

| title = Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim

| chapter = Introduction

| publisher = Mittal Publications

| isbn = 978-81-7099-794-8

| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jrr7HPr8NAQC

| access-date =19 June 2011

}}

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| last = Choudhury

| first = Maitreyee

| year = 2006

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| publisher = Mittal Publications

| location = New Delhi

| isbn = 978-81-8324-158-8

| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=W9EwNfXkxZwC

}}

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| year = 1932

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| edition = 2nd

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| location = Mumbai, India

| asin = B00086SOSG

}}

• {{cite book |last1=Forbes |first1=Andrew |last2=Henley |first2=David |year=2011 |chapter=The Tea Horse Road from Lhasa to Sikkim |title=China's Ancient Tea Horse Road |location=Chiang Mai |publisher=Cognoscenti Books |asin=B005DQV7Q2}}
• {{citation |first=Ranjan |last=Gupta |title=Sikkim: The Merger with India |journal=Asian Survey |volume=15 |number=9 |date=September 1975 |pages=786–798 |doi=10.2307/2643174 |jstor=2643174}}
• {{cite book |last=Hooker |first=Joseph Dalton |author-link=Joseph Dalton Hooker |year=1854 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wvO_GDMo7X8C |title=Himalayan Journals: notes of a naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia mountains etc. |publisher=Ward, Lock, Bowden & Co.|isbn=978-1-60620-983-7 }}
• {{Cite book

| last = Haribal

| first = Meena

| series = Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation

| year = 2003

| orig-year = 1994

| title = Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History

| publisher = Natraj Publishers

| isbn = 978-81-85019-11-6

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Kandell

| first = Alice S.

| author-link = Alice S. Kandell

| title = Sikkim: The Hidden Kingdom

| edition = 2nd

| year = 1971

| publisher = Doubleday

| isbn = 978-03-8502-206-4

}}

• {{cite book |isbn=81-900461-8-7 |title=Manorama Yearbook, 2003 |date=2003 |publisher=Malayala Manorama Company}}
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• {{cite book |title=Road & trekking maps of Darjeeling, Sikkim & Bhutan, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary |publisher=Nest & Wings |location=New Delhi |year=2003 |isbn=81-87592-07-9}}
• {{citation |last=Rose |first=Leo E. |chapter=Modernizing a Traditional Administrative System: Sikkim 1890–1973 |editor=James F. Fisher |title=Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo-Tibetan Interface |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B0C-IhEKrSEC&pg=PA205 |year=1978 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-90-279-7700-7 |pages=205– |ref={{sfnref|Rose, Modernizing a Traditional Administrative System|1978}}}}
• {{citation |last=Sinha |first=A. C. |chapter=Sikkim |title=Sub-Regional Relations in the Eastern South Asia: With Special Focus on India's North Eastern Region |publisher=Institute of Developing Economies |editor1=Mayumi Murayama |editor2=Kyoko Inoue |editor3=Sanjoy Hazarika |chapter-url=https://www.ide.go.jp/library/English/Publish/Reports/Jrp/pdf/133_10.pdf |url=https://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Reports/Jrp/133.html}}
• {{cite book |title=Sikkim: Land of Mystic Splendour |publisher=Himalayan Map House |location=Kathmandu |isbn=9993360392}}

{{Refend}}

{{Sister project links|voy=Sikkim}}

• {{official website}}
• [http://sikkimtourism.gov.in/ Official website of Sikkim Tourism]

• {{osmrelation-inline|1791324}}

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Sikkim

| North =

| Northeast = Tibet Autonomous Region, {{flag|China}}

| East =

| Southeast = Haa and Samtse Districts, {{flag|Bhutan}}

| South = West Bengal

| Southwest =

| West = Koshi Province, {{flag|Nepal}}

| Northwest =

}}

{{Sikkim}}

{{North East India}}

{{States and territories of India}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Northeast India

Category:States and territories established in 1975

Category:Tibetan Buddhist places

Category:1975 establishments in India

Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in Asia

Category:States and union territories of India