COVER STORY

Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal:

Requiem
Tenzin C. Tashi

4
th April. A historic date. The birthday of late Chogyal A few years ago, Chogyal Tashi Namgyal and the Maharani
Palden Thondup Namgyal. Or so many people think. had separated due to personal differences. She then moved
Wrong. Let’s phrase it this way- not entirely wrong. out into a separate establishment at Taktse Palace. Though the
Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal a.k.a. Zhungkyang was royal children continued to visit her at her new residence, they
born on 22nd May, 1923 to Their Highnesses Maharaja Tashi did not have a mother at home in the Palace. This vicissitude
Namgyal and Maharani Kunzang Dechhen Tshomo and undoubtedly cast a shadow on their young and impressionable
consecrated as the twelfth Denjong Chogyal on 4th April,1965. lives.
Baulking that his people would have to wish him twice, once In 1942, Zhungkyang underwent the elite Indian Civil Service
on the anniversary of his coronation and again on his birthday, training course at Dehra Dun. He then started formally assisting
he proclaimed that his birthday would be officially celebrated in the administration of Sikkim, personally supervising various
on 4th April. key departments of the Government of Sikkim such as police,
One would think the proclamation rather uncharacteristic education and forests, also effecting many administrative
behaviour for a man largely condemned by history as an changes. He soon became the principal advisor of his father in
autocratic despot who wanted to hang on to his kingdom at both judicial and executive affairs of state as well as External
any cost. Yes, Zhungkyang wanted the monarchy to continue Affairs. In 1947, he became President of the State Council.
to survive. But not for totally selfish reasons as history, mostly He led the Sikkim team which negotiated the 1950 treaty with
written by non-Sikkimese, would have us believe. India. Out of the rather formidable shadow of his late elder
History has focused so much on the supposedly many flaws brother, Zhungkyang finally came into his own. During his two
of the king that it has completely overlooked the man who decades as the heir apparent, he was truly in his prime, his
was also the king. Interestingly, Zhungkyang was not even the life firmly on an upward trajectory. An eager administrator, his
anointed heir to the throne of Sikkim. That honour was reserved overriding empathy for his people made him undertake many
for his elder brother, Crown Prince Kunzang Choley Namgyal tours to even the most remote of hamlets so that he could be
a.k.a. Paljor Namgyal who was the first-born of their parents. personally acquainted with their problems and find solutions
In fact, Zhungkyang was better known as ‘Gyelse Rinpoche’- for them.
the Prince who is a Precious Jewel. He was recognised as Vintage video-footage shot by Twan Yang, now in the possession
the reincarnation of the tenth Chogyal, Sidkeong Tulku and of the IPR Department, shows Zhungkyang on one of his
through him, as the reincarnation of Tulku Karma Rinchen tours to North Sikkim. It captures, in gritty black and white,
Nyedon Tenzin of Palpung monastery of Kham Derge, Eastern the many hardships he faced- riding a horse or mule on rough
Tibet. village paths, dismounting to walk some extra challenging
Zhungkyang did not exactly have a serene childhood. Or a stretches, always riding long hours but always cheerful, always
conventional education either. He first had a western education, happy to see the many faces of the people lined up to greet him
then had a traditional monastic education for three years at on the roads. He also embarked on a series of developmental
his uncle’s monastery in Lingbu, Tibet where life rather bleak projects that spanned an entire gamut from much-needed roads
for the young Gyelse, filled with rigorous monastic studies and bridges, hospitals, and schools, to visionary ones like a
and not much else. He again had a western education at Saint jewel-bearing factory and a nationalised transport system; his
Joseph’s College, Darjeeling and then higher education at efforts completely revolutionised the rather archaic feudal
Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. That he could not only cope kingdom of Sikkim. While he was very keen that the kingdom
with two contrasting systems of education but in fact, actually he would one day govern as king become economically
excel in mathematics and science is only a small indication of self-reliant, he had to use very judiciously whatever little
his exceptional intelligence. He would have gone on to do his developmental funds he could muster, for Sikkim was always
mechanical engineering at Cambridge University had Crown a cash-strapped country. He was far-sighted enough to be wary
Prince Paljor Namgyal not been killed in a plane crash in 1941, of unplanned development that would surely bring in its wake
during World War-II. an ugly underbelly, an erosion of traditional values. He ensured
This catastrophe threw the royal family into greater turmoil. that every structure built under his guidance necessarily

18 Talk Sikkim April 2010

Chogyal PT Namgyal wearing ceremonial robes and taking salute. Photo: Late Yarpa P.D.Tashi. ©Tenzin C Tashi

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Chogyel with Crown Prince Tenzing Namgyal

A young PT Namgyal in Palace lawns Chogyel with Gyalmo

incorporated elements of traditional Sikkimese architecture Around this time, Zhungkyang also distinguished himself
and blended with her landscape. Perhaps it was the fact that he in social and academic circles outside of his native Sikkim.
was Sidkeong Tulku’s reincarnation, but he was arguably the He was elected President of the Mahabodhi Society of India
first proponent of forest conservation efforts in Sikkim. Long and also led several delegations from Sikkim to Buddhist
before the State Green Mission happened, it was Zhungkyang and other conferences abroad. Concurrently, he was feted
who started a comprehensive plantation drive so that already- with international honours and distinctions. In 1947, he was
green Sikkim continued to remain green. conferred the Order of the British Empire, while France
But of course, not many people know or care to remember all followed suit in 1956 with a Commandre de l’Ordre de L’etiole
this. In recent years, many schools and institutions in Sikkim Noire. India conferred on him a Padma Vibhushan in 1954,
have been celebrating their golden jubilee. A simple backdating apart from making him an honorary Major- General and
will uphold that all these path-breaking initiatives happened Colonel-in-Chief of the Eighth Gurkhas.
during the time that Zhungkyang was at the helm of affairs Zhungkyang married twice. He first married, in 1950, Princess
in Sikkim. Also, sadly for Zhungkyang, as most of his major Sangay Dekila, the daughter of the aristocratic Yapshi
achievements happened during his stint as the Crown Prince, Samdrup Phodrang family of Tibet. His wife was described as
most writers, with their obsession for dates have not been very a dazzling Tibetan beauty but even that epithet did not do her
kind to him, crediting his father instead with many of his own enough justice. They had an all-too-brief marriage which saw
stellar success stories. It is a fact, however, that Chogyal Tashi the birth of their three children, Crown Prince Tenzing (1952),
Namgyal, especially towards the latter half of his reign, led an Prince Wangchuk (1953) and Princess Yangchen (1956) before
increasingly semi-retired life, painting and meditating, secure Princess Sangay Dekila died prematurely in 1957 due to
in the knowledge that his heir was ably discharging most of his complications from a miscarriage.
kingly duties and responsibilities. It was Zhungkyang who was Zhungkyang re-married in 1963. The Lhadi Medi, the
the driving force behind many radical developments during traditional council of elders who advised the Chogyal, initially
Chogyal Tashi Namgyal’s reign. opposed his marriage to Hope Cooke, the grand-daughter of

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Winchester Noyes, an American shipping magnate but had significance outside of Sikkim. Sikkim was finally able to shed
to perforce give their consent when he offered to abdicate in the cumbersome official titles of ‘Maharaja’ and ‘Maharani’
favour of his sons from his first marriage. Their March 1963 that had no connection with the Sikkimese ethos.
marriage, dubbed a ‘fairytale wedding’ was the first time in The newly anointed Chogyal’s face is visibly moved in
the history of Sikkim that a Namgyal scion was breaking with photographs of the coronation. He probably felt even more
tradition and marrying a westerner. It was also the first time keenly, whilst being offered the royal robes and royal insignia,
since Grace Kelly that an American was marrying royalty. what he perceived was his bounden duty to his people- to
The international media swarmed all over tiny and thus far espouse the survival of their unique ethos. Alas, Zhungkyang
unknown Sikkim and continued to remain enamoured of her inherited not just the throne but also the epithet, ‘Uneasy lies
for a long time afterwards, a development that alarmed India. the head that wears the crown.’ In many ways, his coronation
That same year, the demise of Chogyal Tashi Namgyal robbed was the ultimate irony. It did crown him in that it signalled the
Zhungkyang of one of his most valuable buffers. After the pinnacle of his life and achievements; his reign as the king was
Gongzo, the year of traditional mourning, 42-year-old Palden never quite as triumphant as his stint as Crown Prince.
Thondup Namgyal was consecrated as the twelfth Miwang Zhungkyang and the Gyalmo had two children together, Prince
Chogyal Chenpo of Sikkim in the Kangyur Lhakhang of the Palden Gyurmed Namgyal (1964) and Princess Hope Leezum
Tsulkakhang Royal Chapel on 4th April, 1965. His consort, (1968). Both the children had their elementary education in
Hope Namgyal became the Gyalmo or the Queen of Sikkim. the unpretentious little village school at Tatangchen. Prince
The coronation signalled a first- for the first time in the history Palden reminisces: “I remember being concerned during the
of Sikkim, the ruler was officially known as the Chogyal (The march pasts at Paljor Stadium whether my father could see me
king who rules with righteousness) of Sikkim. Indian Prime or the other kids from Tathangchen. You see, the uniform of
Minister, Indira Gandhi was willing to make this concession our school was khaki shirts and brown shorts which used to get
as for India, the title was a traditional one extant since the lost in the sandy Paljor stadium field.”
time of the first Chogyal Phuntsog Namgyal and had little The only survivor today of the triumvirate of women who are

Chogyal PT Namgyal at presentation of colors to Sikkim Guards at Guards Ground. He was Colonel-in-Chief of Sikkim Guards. Flag
behind him his personal standard. Photo: Late Yarpa P.D.Tashi. © Tenzin C Tashi

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Chogyal with Gyalmo and Prince Tenzing touring Sikkim.

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credited with altering Sikkim’s destiny, Hope-la, who is now Zhungkyang could see that the survival of his kingdom was
based in New York, continues to remain an enigma for most. already under great threat. While he fought for the survival of
It is alleged that her entry into the Chogyal’s life signalled the the Mahayana Buddhist ethos, and a status for Sikkim similar
beginning of the end for Sikkim, that she invited American to that of Bhutan, the safeguards he put in place for his Bhutia-
diplomats to Sikkim and instigated the Chogyal to lobby for Lepcha subjects, including an intricate system of parity,
international support for an independent Sikkim, and that she alienated him from the majority who felt that he was communal
was a CIA agent. Not much is spoken of her efforts to improve and that a democratic set-up would be more conducive to their
education and handicrafts and inculcate reading habits in interests.
Sikkim with the youth library. In her autobiography, Time B.S.Das, appointed the Chief Administrator of Sikkim in
Change (1980), she refutes the allegations, stating that she did April 1973 (the term was later changed to Chief Executive)
not put any ideas into the Chogyal’s head. admits in his book, The Sikkim Saga (1983) that “ the anti-
Fate, which initially shone so fair on Zhungkyang, dealt him Chogyal political parties began to look forward for India’s
a rather stacked hand once he became the king. He inherited a support which Delhi gave in full measure from 1972 onwards.
kingdom vastly altered from that which his ancestors ruled. Not The Chogyal having lost his credibility with the Indian
only had the geographical boundaries shrunk, many dramatic Government and committing one mistake after another, Delhi
geo-political developments in the trans-Himalayan belt took full advantage. The agitation of April 1973 was a sequel
threatened Sikkim’s continued survival. Also, the demographic to these developments.”The May 8, 1973 Agreement was
and psychographic profile of Sikkim’s population had changed. signed at 9 p.m. at the Palace in Gangtok between the Chogyal,
The changed ethnicity of Sikkim made Palden Thondup the leaders of the Political Parties representing the people
Namgyal a Mahayana Buddhist king of a kingdom comprising of Sikkim and the Government of India and provided for a
largely of Hindu Nepalese, who shared neither a common Legislative Assembly for Sikkim elected by adult franchise, an
religion with the ruler nor owed a traditional allegiance to the Executive Council responsible to the Assembly and safeguards
throne, unlike the Bhutia-Lepchas, now reduced to a minority for minority communities. With this, the long standing cry for
race on their own turf. ‘one man, one vote’ started to become a reality.
Two major developments in the Indian sub-continent The Chogyal signed because he had been assured that the May
precipitated the impending crisis for Sikkim. The historic 1947 8 Agreement was only a ‘Public Relations Document’ and the
independence that India wrested from the British imperialists April 23 Agreement- a bilateral Agreement between himself
also inspired democratic ideals in tiny Sikkim. Worse, the 1962 and Delhi, which guaranteed the Chogyal’s continued rule and
Indo-China war and the subsequent demise of Pandit Nehru personal privileges as also the terms of the 1950 Indo-Sikkim
deprived the Chogyal of not only a staunch supporter but also a treaty- was the real Agreement. Perhaps he was foolish to trust
father figure at a point of time when Sikkim became of crucial India, or perhaps he was just a man of honour who believed
strategic importance for India. Always a far-sighted man, that other people would also honour their given word.

The Coronation on 4th April 1965 © National Geographic

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Delhi wanted and led a luxurious life with many personal

privileges. But of course, for him, Sikkim always came first.
On 9th April, the Indian Army stormed the Palace and placed
the Chogyal under house arrest, in a surprise move that
Zhungkyang himself termed as a ‘smash and grab raid’. He
was placed under house arrest and deposed on 10th April,
1975. On 16th May, Sikkim became the 22nd state of India.
After being deposed, Zhungkyang led a quiet life in his little
Palace. The very same people he had sought so hard to protect
shunned him completely and ran after favours from the new
government. Whatever twinge of conscience may have
remained after the removal of the Chogyal soon got submerged
in the floodtides of massive developmental aid flushed by India
into its former protectorate.
Deposed and betrayed, Zhungkyang yet believed that at some
point of time, people would understand that his ambition was
not personal, it was for them. He always believed that he was
only one in a long line of rulers whose sacrosanct duty was to
ensure the survival of what he saw as the very heart of Sikkim,
her Buddhist ethos. He knew too that this survival was possible
only if there was a Chogyal. Things were so hard at the Palace
that Crown Prince Tenzing himself was looking after the
Palace cows so that they could at least have fresh dairy produce
at the table. Zhungkyang also stressed to his younger children
in America that as his finances were limited- ‘Abala does not
have much money now’- they should study diligently and earn
scholarships for themselves. He had to literally beg Delhi for
foreign exchange for his elder daughter’s kidney operation.
Crown Prince Tenzing’s premature demise in 1978 was the
cruellest blow of all to the already beleaguered Chogyal for he
had come to increasingly rely on his dynamic young son for
companionship and succour.
The Chogyal himself passed away shortly afterwards, on 29th
January, 1982, ostensibly done in by throat cancer. It has been
pointed out that he died in an alien land, America but everybody
Sir Tashi Namgyal with Crown Prince Palden Thondup Namgyal forgot that his body came home to alienated Sikkim. However,
walking to open a sports festival
in death, Zhungkyang finally had the honour denied him in his
In any event, the subterfuge became evident when the May 8 last years. A massive crowd- including his detractors, his bitter
Agreement was put before the Indian Parliament as a basis for foe and one-time estate manager of Chakung, the people who
‘future political arrangements’. It was, of course, the beginning had turned against him- all offered his kubur, decked out in
of the end, with power being transferred from the Chogyal to Sikkim’s flag, a khada. Posterity has grown up on allegations,
Delhi and Delhi intent on rectifying the aberrations of 1947 still unsubstantiated and myths spawning urban legends- that
and 1949 when Sikkim managed to not become part of India. the Chogyal was a tyrant, a communal despot, a womaniser
The position of the Chogyal becoming increasingly precarious and a mahjong addict who put personal ambition before his
and with him resolutely refusing to become a constitutional kingdom and people, who amassed great personal wealth and
monarch, on 16th August 1973, the Gyalmo left Sikkim with did not encourage any development in his backward feudal
the children for the relative safety of American shores. They kingdom.
later divorced in 1980. Thus, once again, loneliness cloaked The Chogyal probably was all of this. He was a tyrant who
Zhungkyang. He was all alone in fighting a losing battle to preferred the demise of his over 600- year- old dynasty rather
ensure Sikkim remained an independent kingdom even as its than yield or compromise on his principles for personal gain.
extinction loomed closer. He fought till the every end against He was a communal despot who tried to safeguard his people
the takeover of his kingdom, believing it was his sacred duty to from impending liquidation under a new democracy they were
his people to preserve their distinct identity and ethos. ill-equipped to understand. His one Lepcha mistress from
Had he been self-centred, he could have easily struck a deal before he got married, whose children he accepted as his own,
with Delhi, ensured a personal largesse and bailed out on his was not even a discernable drop in the ocean compared to the
people. He could have become the constitutional monarch legion of concubines in the harems of Indian Maharajas. Yes,

24 Talk Sikkim April 2010

he played mahjong- it was a tiny recreation for him, not an of Sikkim may claim that the Namgyal dynasty is descended
obsession. If that were a crime, then almost all of Sikkim today from a celestial race but Zhungkyang himself was only human.
should be guilty of the same crime. He may not have been the He may have been the king but he had his own human frailties,
father of democracy but he was the father of modern Sikkim, in as does every single human being, royal or otherwise, that has
fact, development in his time was that much the harder, given ever walked on terra firma. The big question also remains a
the huge paucity of funds of any kind. cipher, did the people just want to remove the Chogyal and
As for great personal wealth, look no further than the Palace have a more democratic form of governance or did they really
which has been rightly described as a matchbox Palace. Or wittingly lose their status as an independent people?
consider what L.A.Waddell wrote in 1898 of the Tumlong Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal always hoped that one
Palace: ‘The “palace” which crowns a knoll, is a barn like day, he would be remembered with respect and understanding
building of the usual Sikhim style, with a great thatched roof and not the scorn and debasement so liberally heaped on
projecting in mushroom-head fashion, and tied down at the him. Fortunately, the present government has honoured his
corners to prevent it being blown off. Its roof is surmounted by memory by naming two parks in the capital after him, one
a small gilt turret, like a factory belfry, but of Chinese pattern, near the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology which was one of
which gleams from afar in the sunlight. The whole place has a Zhungkyang’s greatest achievements and another park on
mean look and there is nothing to suggest that it is the residence the Ridge, close to where his now deserted Palace perches
of the king, except perhaps the two or three scare-crow sentries awkwardly on a rapidly sinking area.
who hang about the gate-way in the low wall that surrounds April 4th this year commemorates the 45th anniversary of his
the building. They are clad in Lepcha garb and armed with coronation and what would have been his 87th official birthday.
antiquated matchlocks.’ Perhaps it would not be amiss if we today remembered him for
Was the Chogyal really so lacking or did his people themselves what he really was. The last champion of his people.
have too many unrealistic expectations of him? Oral sources

The funeral of Chogyal PT Namgyal who passed away on 29th January 1982 From the collection of Princess Hope Leezum

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