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The Chogyal ("Dharma Kings", ) were the monarchs of the former Kingdom of Sikkim, which belonged to the Namgyal dynasty. The Chogyal was the Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch of Sikkim from 1642 to 1975, when the Abolition of monarchy, monarchy was abolished and the Sikkimese people voted in a 1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum, referendum to make Sikkim the 22nd States and union territories of India, state of India.
From 1642 to 1975, Sikkim was ruled by the Namgyal Monarchy (also called the Chogyal Monarchy), founded by Phuntsog Namgyal, the fifth-generation descendant of Guru Tashi, a prince of the Western Xia, Minyak House who came to Sikkim from the Kham province of Tibet. Chogyal means 'righteous ruler', and was the title conferred upon Sikkim's Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.
The reign of the Chogyal was foretold by the patron saint of Sikkim, Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche. The 8th-century saint had predicted the rule of the kings when he arrived in the state. In 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned as Sikkim's first Chogyal in Yuksom. The crowning of the king was a great event and he was crowned by three revered lamas who arrived there from three different directions, namely the north, west, and south.
File:Royal flag of Sikkim.svg, Flag of Sikkim, Royal Flag of Sikkim 1877–1975.
In Bhutan, "dharmaraja" or "Righteous King" is a title which was also conferred upon a special class of temporal and spiritual rulers. In Bhutan, the Chogyal were given the respectful title Zhabdrung Rinpoche, Zhabdrung. In this context, the Chogyal was a recognised reincarnation (or succession of reincarnations) of Ngawang Namgyal, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the 17th century Tibetan-born founder of Bhutan. A position of supreme importance, the Bhutanese Chogyal was above both the highest monastic authority, the Je Khenpo, and the highest temporal ruler, the Deb Raja or Druk Desi. There were two main lines of Zhabdrung incarnations in Bhutan.
History
From 1642 to 1975, Sikkim was ruled by the Namgyal Monarchy (also called the Chogyal Monarchy), founded by Phuntsog Namgyal, the fifth-generation descendant of Guru Tashi, a prince of the Western Xia, Minyak House who came to Sikkim from the Kham province of Tibet. Chogyal means 'righteous ruler', and was the title conferred upon Sikkim's Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.
The reign of the Chogyal was foretold by the patron saint of Sikkim, Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche. The 8th-century saint had predicted the rule of the kings when he arrived in the state. In 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned as Sikkim's first Chogyal in Yuksom. The crowning of the king was a great event and he was crowned by three revered lamas who arrived there from three different directions, namely the north, west, and south.
Chogyal kings of Sikkim
List of chogyals
Titular chogyals
The son from the first marriage of Palden Thondup Namgyal, Wangchuk Namgyal ( sip, དབང་ཕྱུག་བསྟན་འཛིན་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་; born 1 April 1953), was named the 13th Chogyal after his father's death on 29 January 1982, but the position no longer confers any official authority.Royal Flag
Rulers of other Himalayan kingdoms
Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan
In Bhutan, "dharmaraja" or "Righteous King" is a title which was also conferred upon a special class of temporal and spiritual rulers. In Bhutan, the Chogyal were given the respectful title Zhabdrung Rinpoche, Zhabdrung. In this context, the Chogyal was a recognised reincarnation (or succession of reincarnations) of Ngawang Namgyal, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the 17th century Tibetan-born founder of Bhutan. A position of supreme importance, the Bhutanese Chogyal was above both the highest monastic authority, the Je Khenpo, and the highest temporal ruler, the Deb Raja or Druk Desi. There were two main lines of Zhabdrung incarnations in Bhutan.
Gyalpo of Ladakh
The region of Ladakh was ruled by a separate line of the Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh, Namgyal dynasty that lasted from 1460 to 1842 and were titled the ''Gyalpo'' of Ladakh.See also
* Dharmaraja (disambiguation), Dharmaraja * Devaraja * Garpön * History of Sikkim * History of LadakhNotes
References
{{Sikkim Sikkim monarchy Monarchs of Sikkim Heads of state of former countries, Sikkim