Sikkim

Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India, and the second smallest in area after Goa. Sikkim was an independent state ruled by the Chogyal monarchy until 1975, when a referendum to make it India's twenty-second state succeeded. The thumb-shaped state borders Nepal in the west, The People's Republic of China to the north and east, and Bhutan in the south-east. The Indian state of West Bengal borders Sikkim to its south. The official language is Nepali, and the predominant religions are Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Gangtok is the capital and largest town.

Origin of name

Sikkim (or Sikhim) means crested land in Nepali. The term, which was coined by the invading Gorkhas, is derived from the Sanskrit word Shikhim which means "crested", and is the most widely accepted origin. Sikkim would thus owe its name to its almost entirely mountainous terrain. An alternative etymology suggests that the name originates in the Limbu words Su, which means "new", and Khim, which means "palace". Hence the term Sikkim may also mean "New Palace", in reference to the palace built by the state's first ruler, Panchen Namgyal. The Tibetan name for Sikkim is Denzong, which means the "valley of rice".

Related Topics:
Nepali - Gorkha - Sanskrit - Limbu - Tibetan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is also possible that the name came from Su Him which means "Superb Snow", or "Superb Setting", supposedly the words of a newlywed Nepali princess when she first entered the palace as the bride of the local Lepcha king. During its reign, the Chogyal adopted the Tibetan translation of Sikkim, known as Vbras-ljong (འབྲས་ལྗོངས་).

Related Topics:
Lepcha - Chogyal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~