Phuntsog Namgyal ( Sikkimese: ; Wylie: ''phun tshog rnam rgyal'') (1604–1670) was the first Chogyal (monarch) of

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

, now an Indian state. He consecrated in 1642 at the age of 38. Phuntsog was a fifth generation descendant of Khye Bumsa, a 13th-century prince from the Mi-nyak House in

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibet, Tibetan regions, the others being Domey also known as Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The official name of this Tibetan region/province is Dotoe (). The original residents of ...

in Eastern

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. According to legend, Guru Rinpoche, a 9th-century Buddhist saint had foretold the event that a Phuntsog from the east would be the next chogyal of Sikkim. In 1642, three lamas, from the north, west, and south went in search for the chosen person. Near present-day Gangtok, they found a man churning milk. He offered them some refreshments and gave them shelter. So impressed were they by his deeds that they realised that he was a chosen one and immediately crowned him king. The crowning took place Norbughang near Yuksom on a stone slab in a pine covered hill, and he was anointed by sprinkling water from a sacred urn. Phuntsog, along with the lamas, then converted the local Lepcha people to

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and set about expanding his kingdom up to the Chumbi Valley in Tibet, parts of modern-day

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...

in the south, and parts of eastern

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. Phuntsog is credited with creating "Lho-Mon-Tsong-Sum", the idea of unity between Bhutias, Lepchas, and Limbus that forms the core of Sikkimese national identity. In 1663, representatives of the three communities met with the Chogyal to formalize this unity by a written treaty and create a council, the "Lo-Men-Chong", to represent their respective interests on the national level. This same document established autonomy for the Limbu subbas. Phuntsog moved his capital from Yatung to Yuksam and instituted the first centralised administration. The kingdom was divided into twelve

Dzongs Dzong architecture is used for dzongs, a distinctive type of fortified monastery (, , ) architectural style, architecture found mainly in Bhutan and Tibet. The architecture is massive in style with towering exterior walls surrounding a complex of ...

, or districts under a Lepcha Dzongpon (governor) who headed a council of twelve ministers. During his reign Buddhism was consolidated as the established religion in Sikkim. He was succeeded by his son, Tensung Namgyal in 1670.

References

* ''Holidaying in Sikkim and Bhutan'' – published by ''Nest and Wings'' – ; pp. 20–21
Modern history of Sikkim

External links

Travel Article on Yuksum, The Coronation Site Phuntsog Namgyal
History of Sikkim Monarchs of Sikkim 1604 births 1670 deaths {{India-royal-stub