Tsugphud Namgyal ( Sikkimese: ; Wylie: ''gtsug phud rnam rgyal'') (1785–1863) was king 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 ...

from 1793 to 1863.Sikkim: Past and Present edited by H. G. Joshi
/ref> He gained independence from

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 ...

in 1815 and ruled under a British

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

from 1861. Under his father Tenzing Namgyal, most of Sikkim was appropriated by Nepal. Tshudpud Namgyal returned to Sikkim in 1793 to reclaim the throne. Because the capital of Rabdentse was too close to the Nepalese border, he shifted the capital to Tumlong. His mother was ''Gyalyum'' Anyo, a daughter of Chandzod Karwang. Sikkim allied itself with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

in India, who also considered Nepal an enemy. Nepal overran most of the region, sparking the Gurkha War in 1814 with the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. The Sugauli Treaty and Treaty of Titalia returned the annexed territory to Sikkim in 1817. In 1835, Tsugphud Namgyal ceded

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 ...

to the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

for an annual fee, but this relationship was broken off after he seized botanist Joseph Hooker and Darjeeling Superintendent Archibald Campbell during their expedition to Sikkim. This led to two British military expeditions in 1850 and 1861, resulting in the annexation of Sikkim by 1861. Under the Treaty of Tumlong signed by his successor Sidkeong Namgyal in the same year, Tshudpud was granted the title of Maharaja of Sikkim by the British, and he abdicated the following year. At his death in 1863, aged 78, he had ruled Sikkim for 69 years, making him the longest-reigning Chogyal in history as well as the oldest ever Chogyal of Sikkim.

References

1785 births 1863 deaths 19th-century Indian monarchs Indian maharajas Monarchs of Sikkim {{india-royal-stub