Dalai Lama and Sikkim

“The Dalai Lamas and Sikkim”, The Dalai Lamas and Sikkim is a small effort to highlight the socio-religious bond of relationship between the Dalai Lamas and the erstwhile Namgyal Dynasty of Sikkim, the successive Chief Ministers and between the people of Tibet and the people of the Himalayan state since 1642. The bi-lingual (Tibetan/English) Book is published as a tribute to His Holiness the Great 14 th Dalai Lama to mark the Year of Gratitude to their spiritual leader as declared by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Dharamshala for the year 2020-2021.
The Book highlights on a brief biography of His Holiness, the spiritual relationship between the Dalai Lamas and Sikkim, His visits and spiritual contributions to Sikkim, His audience with the erstwhile Chogyals and the successive Chief Ministers of Sikkim, and the Four Devine Commitments of His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama.
The Book aims to open a new dimension for the people of the state on an untraveled sphere of their historical demography and geo-political status especially for the large majority of the aspiring young scholars, researchers, and the general youth force of the state.
The first Chogyal of Sikkim Phuntsok Namgyal traces his roots to Kham Minyag in eastern Tibet and he was enthroned by the three Patron Saints from Tibet at Norbugang at Yuksom, West Sikkim in 1642.
The book gives a vivid account of the strong bond of socio-religious, intrigue cultural, traditional and linguistic relationship between the people of Tibet and Sikkim. Sikkim enjoyed an open border with Tibet for centuries till the occupation of the country by communist China in 1959. After the National Uprising of Tibet in Lhasa on 10 th March, 1959, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama took political refuge in India, thousands of Tibetans were given asylum by the then Chogyal of Sikkim and even granted Sikkim citizenship to many Tibetans. The Tibetans always considered the Beyul Demojong, a sacred and blessed land by Guru Padmasambhava and willingly took Sikkim as their second home and actively participated and contributed in the socio-economic development of the 22 nd state of the Union of
India. His Holiness the 16 th Karmapam Rangjung Rigpai Dorjee was invited to Sikkim by the Chogyal and offered a sizeable land at Rumtek to establish his present seat.
Many other high ranking Lamas and learned Abbots also took refuge in Sikkim. Prominent among them are His Eminence former Khyentse Rinpoche Choekyi Lodoe, Dho Drupchen Rinpoche who have immensely contributed for the spiritual consciousness of the Buddhist community of Sikkim.