COVER STORY
Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal:
Requiem
Tenzin C. Tashi
4
th April. A historic date. The birthday of late Chogyal
Palden Thondup Namgyal. Or so many people think.
Wrong. Let’s phrase it this way- not entirely wrong.
Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal a.k.a. Zhungkyang was
born on 22nd May, 1923 to Their Highnesses Maharaja Tashi
Namgyal and Maharani Kunzang Dechhen Tshomo and
consecrated as the twelfth Denjong Chogyal on 4th April,1965.
Baulking that his people would have to wish him twice, once
on the anniversary of his coronation and again on his birthday,
he proclaimed that his birthday would be officially celebrated
on 4th April.
One would think the proclamation rather uncharacteristic
behaviour for a man largely condemned by history as an
autocratic despot who wanted to hang on to his kingdom at
any cost. Yes, Zhungkyang wanted the monarchy to continue
to survive. But not for totally selfish reasons as history, mostly
written by non-Sikkimese, would have us believe.
History has focused so much on the supposedly many flaws
of the king that it has completely overlooked the man who
was also the king. Interestingly, Zhungkyang was not even the
anointed heir to the throne of Sikkim. That honour was reserved
for his elder brother, Crown Prince Kunzang Choley Namgyal
a.k.a. Paljor Namgyal who was the first-born of their parents.
In fact, Zhungkyang was better known as ‘Gyelse Rinpoche’-
the Prince who is a Precious Jewel. He was recognised as
the reincarnation of the tenth Chogyal, Sidkeong Tulku and
through him, as the reincarnation of Tulku Karma Rinchen
Nyedon Tenzin of Palpung monastery of Kham Derge, Eastern
Tibet.
Zhungkyang did not exactly have a serene childhood. Or a
conventional education either. He first had a western education,
then had a traditional monastic education for three years at
his uncle’s monastery in Lingbu, Tibet where life rather bleak
for the young Gyelse, filled with rigorous monastic studies
and not much else. He again had a western education at Saint
Joseph’s College, Darjeeling and then higher education at
Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. That he could not only cope
with two contrasting systems of education but in fact, actually
excel in mathematics and science is only a small indication of
his exceptional intelligence. He would have gone on to do his
mechanical engineering at Cambridge University had Crown
Prince Paljor Namgyal not been killed in a plane crash in 1941,
during World War-II.
This catastrophe threw the royal family into greater turmoil.
18 Talk Sikkim April 2010
A few years ago, Chogyal Tashi Namgyal and the Maharani
had separated due to personal differences. She then moved
out into a separate establishment at Taktse Palace. Though the
royal children continued to visit her at her new residence, they
did not have a mother at home in the Palace. This vicissitude
undoubtedly cast a shadow on their young and impressionable
lives.
In 1942, Zhungkyang underwent the elite Indian Civil Service
training course at Dehra Dun. He then started formally assisting
in the administration of Sikkim, personally supervising various
key departments of the Government of Sikkim such as police,
education and forests, also effecting many administrative
changes. He soon became the principal advisor of his father in
both judicial and executive affairs of state as well as External
Affairs. In 1947, he became President of the State Council.
He led the Sikkim team which negotiated the 1950 treaty with
India. Out of the rather formidable shadow of his late elder
brother, Zhungkyang finally came into his own. During his two
decades as the heir apparent, he was truly in his prime, his
life firmly on an upward trajectory. An eager administrator, his
overriding empathy for his people made him undertake many
tours to even the most remote of hamlets so that he could be
personally acquainted with their problems and find solutions
for them.
Vintage video-footage shot by Twan Yang, now in the possession
of the IPR Department, shows Zhungkyang on one of his
tours to North Sikkim. It captures, in gritty black and white,
the many hardships he faced- riding a horse or mule on rough
village paths, dismounting to walk some extra challenging
stretches, always riding long hours but always cheerful, always
happy to see the many faces of the people lined up to greet him
on the roads. He also embarked on a series of developmental
projects that spanned an entire gamut from much-needed roads
and bridges, hospitals, and schools, to visionary ones like a
jewel-bearing factory and a nationalised transport system; his
efforts completely revolutionised the rather archaic feudal
kingdom of Sikkim. While he was very keen that the kingdom
he would one day govern as king become economically
self-reliant, he had to use very judiciously whatever little
developmental funds he could muster, for Sikkim was always
a cash-strapped country. He was far-sighted enough to be wary
of unplanned development that would surely bring in its wake
an ugly underbelly, an erosion of traditional values. He ensured
that every structure built under his guidance necessarily
Chogyal PT Namgyal wearing ceremonial robes and taking salute. Photo: Late Yarpa P.D.Tashi. ©Tenzin C Tashi

Talk Sikkim April 2010 19

COVER STORY
A young PT Namgyal in Palace lawns
incorporated elements of traditional Sikkimese architecture
and blended with her landscape. Perhaps it was the fact that he
was Sidkeong Tulku’s reincarnation, but he was arguably the
first proponent of forest conservation efforts in Sikkim. Long
before the State Green Mission happened, it was Zhungkyang
who started a comprehensive plantation drive so that already-
green Sikkim continued to remain green.
But of course, not many people know or care to remember all
this. In recent years, many schools and institutions in Sikkim
have been celebrating their golden jubilee. A simple backdating
will uphold that all these path-breaking initiatives happened
during the time that Zhungkyang was at the helm of affairs
in Sikkim. Also, sadly for Zhungkyang, as most of his major
achievements happened during his stint as the Crown Prince,
most writers, with their obsession for dates have not been very
kind to him, crediting his father instead with many of his own
stellar success stories. It is a fact, however, that Chogyal Tashi
Namgyal, especially towards the latter half of his reign, led an
increasingly semi-retired life, painting and meditating, secure
in the knowledge that his heir was ably discharging most of his
kingly duties and responsibilities. It was Zhungkyang who was
the driving force behind many radical developments during
Chogyal Tashi Namgyal’s reign.
20 Talk Sikkim April 2010
Chogyel with Crown Prince Tenzing Namgyal
Chogyel with Gyalmo
Around this time, Zhungkyang also distinguished himself
in social and academic circles outside of his native Sikkim.
He was elected President of the Mahabodhi Society of India
and also led several delegations from Sikkim to Buddhist
and other conferences abroad. Concurrently, he was feted
with international honours and distinctions. In 1947, he was
conferred the Order of the British Empire, while France
followed suit in 1956 with a Commandre de l’Ordre de L’etiole
Noire. India conferred on him a Padma Vibhushan in 1954,
apart from making him an honorary Major- General and
Colonel-in-Chief of the Eighth Gurkhas.
Zhungkyang married twice. He first married, in 1950, Princess
Sangay Dekila, the daughter of the aristocratic Yapshi
Samdrup Phodrang family of Tibet. His wife was described as
a dazzling Tibetan beauty but even that epithet did not do her
enough justice. They had an all-too-brief marriage which saw
the birth of their three children, Crown Prince Tenzing (1952),
Prince Wangchuk (1953) and Princess Yangchen (1956) before
Princess Sangay Dekila died prematurely in 1957 due to
complications from a miscarriage.
Zhungkyang re-married in 1963. The Lhadi Medi, the
traditional council of elders who advised the Chogyal, initially
opposed his marriage to Hope Cooke, the grand-daughter of
Winchester Noyes, an American shipping magnate but had
to perforce give their consent when he offered to abdicate in
favour of his sons from his first marriage. Their March 1963
marriage, dubbed a ‘fairytale wedding’ was the first time in
the history of Sikkim that a Namgyal scion was breaking with
tradition and marrying a westerner. It was also the first time
since Grace Kelly that an American was marrying royalty.
The international media swarmed all over tiny and thus far
unknown Sikkim and continued to remain enamoured of her
for a long time afterwards, a development that alarmed India.
That same year, the demise of Chogyal Tashi Namgyal robbed
Zhungkyang of one of his most valuable buffers. After the
Gongzo, the year of traditional mourning, 42-year-old Palden
Thondup Namgyal was consecrated as the twelfth Miwang
Chogyal Chenpo of Sikkim in the Kangyur Lhakhang of the
Tsulkakhang Royal Chapel on 4th April, 1965. His consort,
Hope Namgyal became the Gyalmo or the Queen of Sikkim.
The coronation signalled a first- for the first time in the history
of Sikkim, the ruler was officially known as the Chogyal (The
king who rules with righteousness) of Sikkim. Indian Prime
Minister, Indira Gandhi was willing to make this concession
as for India, the title was a traditional one extant since the
time of the first Chogyal Phuntsog Namgyal and had little
significance outside of Sikkim. Sikkim was finally able to shed
the cumbersome official titles of ‘Maharaja’ and ‘Maharani’
that had no connection with the Sikkimese ethos.
The newly anointed Chogyal’s face is visibly moved in
photographs of the coronation. He probably felt even more
keenly, whilst being offered the royal robes and royal insignia,
what he perceived was his bounden duty to his people- to
espouse the survival of their unique ethos. Alas, Zhungkyang
inherited not just the throne but also the epithet, ‘Uneasy lies
the head that wears the crown.’ In many ways, his coronation
was the ultimate irony. It did crown him in that it signalled the
pinnacle of his life and achievements; his reign as the king was
never quite as triumphant as his stint as Crown Prince.
Zhungkyang and the Gyalmo had two children together, Prince
Palden Gyurmed Namgyal (1964) and Princess Hope Leezum
(1968). Both the children had their elementary education in
the unpretentious little village school at Tatangchen. Prince
Palden reminisces: “I remember being concerned during the
march pasts at Paljor Stadium whether my father could see me
or the other kids from Tathangchen. You see, the uniform of
our school was khaki shirts and brown shorts which used to get
lost in the sandy Paljor stadium field.”
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

Talk Sikkim April 2010 21

COVER STORY

Chogyal with Gyalmo and Prince Tenzing touring Sikkim.

22 Talk Sikkim April 2010
credited with altering Sikkim’s destiny, Hope-la, who is now
based in New York, continues to remain an enigma for most.
It is alleged that her entry into the Chogyal’s life signalled the
beginning of the end for Sikkim, that she invited American
diplomats to Sikkim and instigated the Chogyal to lobby for
international support for an independent Sikkim, and that she
was a CIA agent. Not much is spoken of her efforts to improve
education and handicrafts and inculcate reading habits in
Sikkim with the youth library. In her autobiography, Time
Change (1980), she refutes the allegations, stating that she did
not put any ideas into the Chogyal’s head.
Fate, which initially shone so fair on Zhungkyang, dealt him
a rather stacked hand once he became the king. He inherited a
kingdom vastly altered from that which his ancestors ruled. Not
only had the geographical boundaries shrunk, many dramatic
geo-political developments in the trans-Himalayan belt
threatened Sikkim’s continued survival. Also, the demographic
and psychographic profile of Sikkim’s population had changed.
The changed ethnicity of Sikkim made Palden Thondup
Namgyal a Mahayana Buddhist king of a kingdom comprising
largely of Hindu Nepalese, who shared neither a common
religion with the ruler nor owed a traditional allegiance to the
throne, unlike the Bhutia-Lepchas, now reduced to a minority
race on their own turf.
Two major developments in the Indian sub-continent
precipitated the impending crisis for Sikkim. The historic 1947
independence that India wrested from the British imperialists
also inspired democratic ideals in tiny Sikkim. Worse, the 1962
Indo-China war and the subsequent demise of Pandit Nehru
deprived the Chogyal of not only a staunch supporter but also a
father figure at a point of time when Sikkim became of crucial
strategic importance for India. Always a far-sighted man,
The Coronation on 4th April 1965
Talk Sikkim April 2010
Zhungkyang could see that the survival of his kingdom was
already under great threat. While he fought for the survival of
the Mahayana Buddhist ethos, and a status for Sikkim similar
to that of Bhutan, the safeguards he put in place for his Bhutia-
Lepcha subjects, including an intricate system of parity,
alienated him from the majority who felt that he was communal
and that a democratic set-up would be more conducive to their
interests.
B.S.Das, appointed the Chief Administrator of Sikkim in
April 1973 (the term was later changed to Chief Executive)
admits in his book, The Sikkim Saga (1983) that “ the anti-
Chogyal political parties began to look forward for India’s
support which Delhi gave in full measure from 1972 onwards.
The Chogyal having lost his credibility with the Indian
Government and committing one mistake after another, Delhi
took full advantage. The agitation of April 1973 was a sequel
to these developments.”The May 8, 1973 Agreement was
signed at 9 p.m. at the Palace in Gangtok between the Chogyal,
the leaders of the Political Parties representing the people
of Sikkim and the Government of India and provided for a
Legislative Assembly for Sikkim elected by adult franchise, an
Executive Council responsible to the Assembly and safeguards
for minority communities. With this, the long standing cry for
‘one man, one vote’ started to become a reality.
The Chogyal signed because he had been assured that the May
8 Agreement was only a ‘Public Relations Document’ and the
April 23 Agreement- a bilateral Agreement between himself
and Delhi, which guaranteed the Chogyal’s continued rule and
personal privileges as also the terms of the 1950 Indo-Sikkim
treaty- was the real Agreement. Perhaps he was foolish to trust
India, or perhaps he was just a man of honour who believed
that other people would also honour their given word.
© National Geographic
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COVER STORY
Sir Tashi Namgyal with Crown Prince Palden Thondup Namgyal
walking to open a sports festival
In any event, the subterfuge became evident when the May 8
Agreement was put before the Indian Parliament as a basis for
‘future political arrangements’. It was, of course, the beginning
of the end, with power being transferred from the Chogyal to
Delhi and Delhi intent on rectifying the aberrations of 1947
and 1949 when Sikkim managed to not become part of India.
The position of the Chogyal becoming increasingly precarious
and with him resolutely refusing to become a constitutional
monarch, on 16th August 1973, the Gyalmo left Sikkim with
the children for the relative safety of American shores. They
later divorced in 1980. Thus, once again, loneliness cloaked
Zhungkyang. He was all alone in fighting a losing battle to
ensure Sikkim remained an independent kingdom even as its
extinction loomed closer. He fought till the every end against
the takeover of his kingdom, believing it was his sacred duty to
his people to preserve their distinct identity and ethos.
Had he been self-centred, he could have easily struck a deal
with Delhi, ensured a personal largesse and bailed out on his
people. He could have become the constitutional monarch
24 Talk Sikkim April 2010
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
forgot that his body came home to alienated Sikkim. However,
in death, Zhungkyang finally had the honour denied him in his
last years. A massive crowd- including his detractors, his bitter
foe and one-time estate manager of Chakung, the people who
had turned against him- all offered his kubur, decked out in
Sikkim’s flag, a khada. Posterity has grown up on allegations,
still unsubstantiated and myths spawning urban legends- that
the Chogyal was a tyrant, a communal despot, a womaniser
and a mahjong addict who put personal ambition before his
kingdom and people, who amassed great personal wealth and
did not encourage any development in his backward feudal
kingdom.
The Chogyal probably was all of this. He was a tyrant who
preferred the demise of his over 600- year- old dynasty rather
than yield or compromise on his principles for personal gain.
He was a communal despot who tried to safeguard his people
from impending liquidation under a new democracy they were
ill-equipped to understand. His one Lepcha mistress from
before he got married, whose children he accepted as his own,
was not even a discernable drop in the ocean compared to the
legion of concubines in the harems of Indian Maharajas. Yes,
he played mahjong- it was a tiny recreation for him, not an
obsession. If that were a crime, then almost all of Sikkim today
should be guilty of the same crime. He may not have been the
father of democracy but he was the father of modern Sikkim, in
fact, development in his time was that much the harder, given
the huge paucity of funds of any kind.
As for great personal wealth, look no further than the Palace
which has been rightly described as a matchbox Palace. Or
consider what L.A.Waddell wrote in 1898 of the Tumlong
Palace: ‘The “palace” which crowns a knoll, is a barn like
building of the usual Sikhim style, with a great thatched roof
projecting in mushroom-head fashion, and tied down at the
corners to prevent it being blown off. Its roof is surmounted by
a small gilt turret, like a factory belfry, but of Chinese pattern,
which gleams from afar in the sunlight. The whole place has a
mean look and there is nothing to suggest that it is the residence
of the king, except perhaps the two or three scare-crow sentries
who hang about the gate-way in the low wall that surrounds
the building. They are clad in Lepcha garb and armed with
antiquated matchlocks.’
Was the Chogyal really so lacking or did his people themselves
have too many unrealistic expectations of him? Oral sources
The funeral of Chogyal PT Namgyal who passed away on 29th January 1982
Talk Sikkim April 2010
of Sikkim may claim that the Namgyal dynasty is descended
from a celestial race but Zhungkyang himself was only human.
He may have been the king but he had his own human frailties,
as does every single human being, royal or otherwise, that has
ever walked on terra firma. The big question also remains a
cipher, did the people just want to remove the Chogyal and
have a more democratic form of governance or did they really
wittingly lose their status as an independent people?
Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal always hoped that one
day, he would be remembered with respect and understanding
and not the scorn and debasement so liberally heaped on
him. Fortunately, the present government has honoured his
memory by naming two parks in the capital after him, one
near the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology which was one of
Zhungkyang’s greatest achievements and another park on
the Ridge, close to where his now deserted Palace perches
awkwardly on a rapidly sinking area.
April 4th this year commemorates the 45th anniversary of his
coronation and what would have been his 87th official birthday.
Perhaps it would not be amiss if we today remembered him for
what he really was. The last champion of his people.
From the collection of Princess Hope Leezum
25