Few rare photographs of Sikkim’s Royal Family

daddy it is awesome…i believe is a great start to the blog. keep it up.

I have heard the history of our Royal family from the late Barmoik Athingla Densapa, who often visited Lhasa to maintain Sikkimese ties with Denzong Pompo Kudavepa and seen old pictures of Raj Kumar Tsodrak Namgyal Taring, who was the eldest son of Maharaja Thutop Namgyal. Google in “Jigme Taring” and find under “Tibet album” family pictures of Raja Tsodrak Namgyal, our Prince and his family in Lhasa who forfeited his right to succeed in favour of his younger brother Maharaja Chogyal Chempo Sir Tashi Namgyal. Both Raja Tsodrak Namgyal and his younger brother Sir Tashi Namgyal’s sister Rani Chuni Wangmo Dorji, daughter of Maharaja Thutop Namgyal was given into marriage to Bhutan’s Raja Sonam Tobgye Dorji, and their daughter Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuk married the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, and in 1974 thier son Jigme Singye Wangchuk became the King of Bhutan. This explains the Sikkim & Bhutan Royal family relationship and Raja Tsodrak Namgyal’s escape into Tibet due to British invasion of Sikkim in the late 18th century. Thank you daddy and need more pics of our Royal family particularly of our charismatic Prince Wangchuk Namgyal, the current 13th Chogyal of Sikkim. Miwang Chogyal Chenpo! Courtesy: Tobgye Wangchuk Lachungpa, SIKKIM

those pictures of the royal families are really good n must confess it was nostalgic to c them onnce in the while. like in the case of m. gandhi, its is good that he left for heavenly abode, other wise he would have so sad n devasted to c the present condition sikkim and that of his relatives who are riding very expensive vehilces n freaking out by diluting the old laws and selling their landed properties to people from outside

Nice & informative photos. For more information check my website http://www.rangan-datta.info

Great Pictures, I Hope to see more pictures of Royal Family of Sikkim. Also wish to know what the present prince H.H Wangchuk Namgyal is doing. Thankyou somuch for sharing those pictures to remind our sikkimese history.

This is the first time… that I have seen the Sikkimese royal family pics… I am from Darjeeling.. and a Nepali.. but I felt a sense of pride… Thank you so much for the pics… and hat’s off to you…

Sikkimese royal family are of no significance to me.Though I am from Sikkim I do not think they ever acted in the best interest of the people.They are merely policiticians and harbingers of suffering to the poor of Sikkim.In a nut shell they are politicans or predators.Of course the predator has now left its den!

you poor ignoramus. i guess ignorance is ‘truly’ bliss for
you so enjoy it…… what else can you do with it?

Dr D

All I am saying this is because so called royals were feudalistic, used to enslave others and “Shoshan”. Now that you say you are a doctor I believe you do not come under that category.I am a sikkimese by word and spirit perhaps just like you but I strongly oppose propaganda for the sinners who forced innocent nepalese to carry kalo bhari for free and wreck havoc in the history of Sikkim…………..I am sure if you are a nepali and hear stories from elders regarding kalo bhari and “atyachar” you will know where I am coming from.

Jai Sikkim and Sikkimese praja

is’nt that those pictures should be more than than a mere picture to remember those glorious ‘SIKKIMESE’ days ? I guess if those pictures should bring the real connotation in its practical form, the understanding of one’s belngiongness to a lost pride which i believe or made to believe would hard to redeem back.
Mr. Upendra, the lost of a nation state would not always signify its inheretant unwarranted political-social-economic lopholes or so, it has much more more factors and implications that you fail to recognise.
Mr S Wangdi ! HH THE 13th Denjong’CHOGYAL’ and [not Prince]Wangchuk Namgyal is delivering His responsibilities commensurating to His high position as the 13th Denjong Chogyal

it is sad that these photographs have been shamelessley lifted off my book with no decency to even give credit to the photographer who happens to be my late father Mr Madhusudan singh.who so ever has done this please have a heart to put the record right.
Meera madhusudan.

meera madhusudan the photos were sent to me via email by friend of mine, I really regret that i didn’t know exact name of the publisher.

The Kings of Sikkim throughout it’s history always defended the people and state, maintaining it’s independence despite periodic invasions by neighboring Bhutan and Nepal. Long Live Denzong Chogyal, Long Live Sikkim.

it is great to see these picture and it is cold nostalgia that makes me miss the kingdom we once had. “history cannot be repeated twice” but a change is always welcome..we are the generation of sikkim, hailing from the blessings of the great “Chogyal”, therefore we should make all the effort on our behalf to do our “country” good and most of all to reserve our culture and traditions..i am a sikkimese from the core of my heart and no one can erase it from me. thank you..hoping for more inspiration from your side.

itis nice to see those pic again…so i thank u…so much…and the history u knew is very much authenthic …thanks once more to let us know that who we r……

it is sad that the sikkimese people were not around to support our king and nation during the annexation period. it reflects poorly on our people, who stood ineffectively silent as part of the landscape. in my final analysis, the sikkimese people ceded sikkim away, and not the chogyal, the one man army who defended his nation most honourably.

I agree with Mr Topgay Wangchug that a successor must be identified as the 14th Denjong Chogyal.
Since our present Royal Majesty the 13th Miwang Denjong Chogyal Topgyal Wangchug Namgyal has adopted the celibacy ordination (if i am not wrong), a successor must be identified to the Royal Denjong Throne.
As per our Sikkimese custom and the precedence on such matter, the Pempu Kujen OR the Gyalsey Kushyo Palden Gyurmed Namgyal is the Heir Apparent to the Royal Lineage.
Sikkimese people must start working to the above effect.

Denjong Tenpo Thar-bar syog !

During the late 19th century British invasion of Sikkim, Gyalsey Pempo Tsodrak Namgyal, the eldest son of Chogyal Thuthop Namgyal, was sent away to Lhasa for his safety. This caused the British to illegally remove Crown Prince Tsodrak from succession. The British were already having strained relations with Lhasa, following the British invasion of Tibet in 1904, led by Colonel Younghusband. It was Claude White, the first British Political officer of Sikkim who meddled with the succession, and had the younger prince Sedkyong Trulku Namgyal made Chogyal. Not too long thereafter, the youngest prince Sir Tashi Namgyal succeeded to the Throne. Gyalsey Tsodrak was granted asylum by the Tibetan Government, and bestowed an estate with the name of Taring. He married and settled in Lhasa, and passed away in 1942. His descendants ennobled into Tibetan aristocracy today carry the Taring family name, and live as Tibetan refugees. According to Sikkimese custom, and by law of primogeniture, Crown Prince Tsodrak’s descendants would be the actual and rightful heirs to the Sikkimese throne, by no fault of their own. Although history has taken a turn, the Taring sons are still regarded as our Pempos, by our Sikkimese people. However, the Sikkimese people deeply revere and acknowledge our present Zhungkyang Wangchuk Namgyal, as our present Chogyal.

1) to blog owner: Regarding the 5th photo above. “Foetal” position is incorrect. “Meditation posture” is a better way to put it.

2) to Pat Catchpole: The lady whose (maiden) surname was “Shirran” = Kazini Elisa-Maria, wife of Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa, first chief minister of Sikkim after takeover by India. Born “Ethel Maud Shirran” in Scotland, in 1904.

I miss to be ur people, I miss to be citizen of ur kingdom….

Hi, I wonder if you can help me. My son is due to be travelling in Nepal next month. I was at Harrow School with Prince Wangchuk Namgyal – we were in the same form and friends. The last address I have for him is ‘The Palace, Sikkim’. Does anyone know his whereabouts at the moment as I would love my son to visit him. Thank you.

Mr Bhijraj, Please have a look on th developement of Sikkimese history particularly after the advent of Britishers. after usurping ocmplete powewrs from the Chogyal Sir Thutob Namgyal in 1888, the Sikkim POLITICAL oFFCIEWR Claude White appointed 52 Kajis commonly known as “Bahune Thikadars” with overwhelming Nepalese Majority, a glaring example being the famous “Baburam Sardar of Namthang”-KaS KO BAJA- KAS KO BAJA-BABURAM KO BAJA. It was these Bahune Thikadars, who thenceforth, caused all such social injustices AND NECESSARILY SOCIAL EVILS AS WELL, as correctly stated by you.

But then I must update you in saying that, apart from the Nepalese, even great numbers of indegenous Bhutia Lepchas were victims of these “Bahune Thikadars” and all the hardships as mentioned by you,

Mr Bhojraj. However, It was the great dENJONG cHOGYAL Sir TASHI namgyal who on resuming back COMPLETE nATIONAL POWER, immediately and completely abolished “Kazi Thikadar system” in early 1950s, thus relieving his ever subjugated subjects out of these system introduced by the British India and the Inndians IN CONNIVANCE TO few unfaithful Sikkimese nobilities for their own convinence, while simultaneously introducing judiciery known as Chie Court in Gangtok.

Mr. Bhojraj, for any more clarifications on the subject, please feel frank to speak to me in my mobile number 8906567653 (Gangtok ) AND hope that this would suffice to your apprehensions or misconceptions that you so-maintained on the patriotism and Sikkimese dedications or concerns of all the Denjong Chogyals.

Long Live Sikkim.

This design is incredible! You obviously know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!

There are many decendents of the Sikkimese Royalty. To understand our royal family’s lineage, they hail from the Royal House of Kham Minya, Eastern Tibet. For over many generations, our Kings always took Tibetan brides from aristocratic Tibetan families. Some of the more recent and prominent families that come to mind are the Lhasa aristocrats of the Lhaydhing family, whose daughter became Chogyal Thuthob Namgyal’s Queen. Chogyal Tashi Namgyal married Queen Kunzang Dechen of the famous Ragashar family, whose ancestors claim to be decendents of the Tibetan race. Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal married Queen Sangye Deki of the Samdup Phodrang family, in whose family was the birth of a former Dalai Lama. Then there are sisters of Chogyal Palden Thondup who were married into the well known Yuthok and Phuenkhang families of Lhasa, whose families have produced the birth of previous Dalai Lama reincarnations. The powerful Tsarong family of Tibet, has both daughters married to the sons of Tsodrak Namgyal, Sikkimese Crown Prince who remained in Tibet. It has been considered special and a Royal tradition for our Kings to take their brides from Tibetan aristocratic families.