The Chogyal ("Dharma Kings", ) were the monarchs of the former Kingdom of Sikkim, which belonged to the Namgyal dynasty (). The Chogyal was the absolute monarch of Sikkim from 1642 to 1973, and the constitutional monarch from 1973 to 1975, when the monarchy was abolished and the Sikkimese people voted in a referendum to make Sikkim the 22nd state of India.

History

From 1642 to 1975, Sikkim was ruled by the monarchy founded by Phuntsog Namgyal, the fifth-generation descendant of Guru Tashi, a prince from the Minyak House who came to Sikkim from the Kham region of Eastern Tibet. Chogyal means 'righteous ruler', and was the title conferred upon Sikkim's Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.

In 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned as Sikkim's first Chogyal in Yuksom. The crowning of the king was a great event and he was crowned by three revered lamas who arrived there from three different directions, namely the north, west, and south.

Chogyal kings of Sikkim

List of chogyals

Timeline

Titular chogyals

The son from the first marriage of Palden Thondup Namgyal, Wangchuk Namgyal (; born 1 April 1953), was named the 13th Chogyal after his father's death on 29 January 1982, and crowned on 19 February 1982; the Government of India did not recognize this coronation, and the position no longer confers any official authority.

Family tree

Royal flag

See also

• Dharmaraja

• Devaraja

• Garpön

• History of Sikkim

• History of Ladakh

Notes

References