Sikkimese are people who inhabit the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n state of

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Sil ...

. The dominance ethnic diversity of Sikkim is represented by 'Lho-Mon-Tsong-Tsum' that identifies origin of three races since seventeenth century. The term 'Lho' refers to

Bhutia The Bhutia (; sip, Drenjongpa/Drenjop; ; "inhabitants of Sikkim".) are a community of Sikkimese people living in the state of Sikkim in northeastern India, who speak Drenjongke or Sikkimese, a Tibetic language fairly mutually intelligible w ...

s (Lhopo) means south who migrated from Southern Tibet, the term 'Mon' refers to Lepchas (Rong) lived in lower Eastern Himalayas and the term 'Tsong' refers to Limbus, another tribe of Sikkim. “Sikkim is also known as the home of the Kirati tribesmen from the pre-historic times.Society in

is characterized by multiple ethnicity and possesses attributes of a plural society. The present population of Sikkim is composed of different races and ethnic groups, viz., the Lepchas, the Bhutias, the Nepalese and the Plainsmen, who came and settled in different phases of history. The community in Sikkim is inclusive of three sub-cultural sectors: the Kiratis, the Newaris and the Gorkhas.

Tribes and Communities of Sikkim

is a multi-ethnic society inhabited by different ethnic communities belonging to different racial and linguistic groups. The Anthropological Survey of India has identified 21 communities in Sikkim and more than 13 different languages belonging to different linguistic stock are spoken in the state.

Ethnic Communities

The People of India, Sikkim, Voi-XXXIX by K.S Singh (1993) enumerated altogether three ethnicity and further divided into twentx-five tribes and communities in Sikkim. While the Report of the Commission for Review of Environmental and Social Sector, Policies, Plans and Programmes (CRESP, 2008) records different communities and tribes of Sikkim such as Bhujel,

, Bahun,

Chhetri Chhetri (Kshetri, Kshettri, Kshetry or Chhettri), ( ne, क्षेत्री ; IAST: ''Kṣetrī'') historically called Kshettriya or Kshetriya or Khas are Nepali speakers of Khas community, some of whom trace their origin to migration from ...

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...

(Yakha),

Damai Damai ( ne, दमाइँ) is an occupational caste found among Khas people. They comprise 45 subgroups. Their surnames take after the subgroup they belong to. People belonging to this caste are traditionally tailors and musicians. They are ade ...

Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung: ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Go ...

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

, Lepcha, Limboo, Magars,

Newar Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisat ...

, Jogi (Sanyasi/Giri), Sarki, Sherpa, Mukhia (Sunuwar), Tamang, and

Thami The Thangmi (in Nepali थामी) are an indigenous tribe of the hills east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. They mainly live in Suspa, Kshamawati, Khopachagu, Alampu, Bigu, Kalinchok, Lapilang and Lakuri Danda villages of Dolakha district i ...

. The

s constitute 8.57%, Lepchas 7·94%, Limboos 9·79%, Tamangs 6.8%,

Sherpas The Sherpa are one of the Tibetan ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Himalayas. The term ''sherpa'' or ''sherwa'' derives from the Sherpa language words ("east") ...

4.45%, Magars 2.69%,

Rais ( ar, رئیس), plural , is an Arabic title meaning 'chief' or 'leader'. It comes from the word for head, . The corresponding word for leadership or chieftaincy is . It is often translated as 'president' in Arabic, and as 'boss' in Persian. Sw ...

13.4%, Gurungs 5.87%,

Dewans ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...

0.003%, Jogis (Sanyasi/Giri) 0.46%, Mukhias (Sunuwar) 0.65%,

s 0.09%, Bhujels 0.6%, Bahun 6.96%,

Khas Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historicall ...

Chettris 12.22%, Pradhans (Newar) 3·73%, Kamis 4.25%,

s 1.96%, Sarkis 0.2% and others 9·34% of the total population of Sikkim. The

is the single largest ethnic community in Sikkim followed by the Chettris. Among the Schedule caste,

is the largest community followed by

and Sarki. The community with lowest population in Sikkim is

followed by

Languages

The official languages of the state are

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

, Sikkimese, Lepcha and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. Additional official languages include

, Limbu, Magar, Mukhia,

, Sherpa and Tamang for the purpose of preservation of culture and tradition in the state. Nepali is the lingua franca of Sikkim, while Sikkimese (Bhutia) and Lepcha are spoken in certain areas. English is also spoken and understood in most of Sikkim. Other languages include

Dzongkha Dzongkha (; ) is a Sino-Tibetan language that is the official and national language of Bhutan. It is written using the Tibetan script. The word means "the language of the fortress", from ' "fortress" and ' "language". , Dzongkha had 171,080 ...

, Groma,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, Majhi, Majhwar, Thulung,

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken diale ...

, and Yakha.

is the lingua franca of

while

and Lepcha are spoken in certain areas.

Festivals

Sikkim Has Various Ethnic Cultural Festivals of Nepalis ,Bhutias and Lepchas Hindu ,Buddhist and Local Festivals :

Dashain Dashain or Bada'dashain, also referred as Bijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a major Hindu religious festival in Nepal. It is also celebrated by Hindus of Nepal and elsewhere in the world, including among the Lhotshampa of Bhutan and the Burmese Gu ...

, Tihar,

Losar Losar (; "new year"William D. Crump, "Losar" in ''Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide'' (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237-38.) also known as Tibetan New Year, is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. The holiday is celebrated on various d ...

, Saga Dawa, Sakewa,

Tendong Lho Rumfaat ''Tendong Lho Rumfaat'' (Prayer of the Tendong Mountain) is a festival of the Lepcha people of north-east India. The festival occurs usually in the month of August. According to Lepcha belief, their ancestors went atop the Tendong Mountain to esca ...

, Losoong/Namsoong,

Indra Jatra Indra Jātrā, also known as Yenyā (Nepal Bhasa: येँयाः), is the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. The celebrations consist of two events, Indra Jātrā and Kumāri Jātrā. Indra Jātrā is marked by masked danc ...

Sonam Lhosar Sonam Lhosar is a new year festival of the Tamang and Hyolmo people of Nepal and the Sikkim and Darjeeling regions of India. It falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice which is usually the Magh ''Sukla Pratipada'' based on the e ...

, Tamu Lhosar,

Chasok Tangnam Chasok Tangnam is a festival of the Limbu people which falls on a full moon day of the month of ''Senchengla'' or the Mangsir month of the Nepali calendar. References Nepalese culture Kirat festivals Festivals in Nepal Limbu culture

, Maghe Sankranti,

Buddha Jayanti Buddha's Birthday (also known as Buddha Jayanti, also known as his day of enlightenment – Buddha Purnima, Buddha Pournami) is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Prince ...

Rama Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh avatar of the deity Vishnu. people from different parts of Jharkhand attended the world famous international Hazaribagh procession organized in the city every ...

, Pang-Lhabsol , Lhabab Duechen , Teyongsi Srijunga Sawan Tongnam, Barahimizong , Kagyed Dance, Guru Rimpoche’s Thunkar Tshechu, Bhanu Jayanti etc.

Religion

Vajrayana Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

, which accounts for 28.1 percent of the population, is Sikkim's second-largest, yet most prominent religion. Prior to Sikkim's becoming a part of the Indian Union, Vajrayana Buddhism was the state religion under the

Chogyal The Chogyal ("Dharma Kings", ) were the monarchs of the former Kingdom of Sikkim, which belonged to the Namgyal dynasty. The Chogyal was the absolute monarch of Sikkim from 1642 to 1975, when the monarchy was abolished and the Sikkimese peop ...

. Sikkim has 75 Buddhist monasteries, the oldest dating back to the 1700s.

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

has been the state's major religion since the arrival of the

Hindu population; an estimated 64% percent of the total population are now adherents of the religion. There exist many Hindu temples.

Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple () is a Hindu temple, identified to be a Hindu pilgrimage site which is located at Legship, West Sikkim, India along the banks of River Rangeet, which has many episodes of the Mahabharata attached to it. The temple ...

is very popular, the Char Dham, Sai Mandir altogether.

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

in Sikkim are mostly descendants of Lepcha people who were converted by British missionaries in the late 19th century and constitute around 10 per cent of the population. As of 2014, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sikkim is the largest Christian denomination in Sikkim. Other religious minorities include

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s and

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

, who each account for roughly one per cent of the population. The traditional religion of the native Lepcha people is Mun, an animist practice which co-exists alongside Buddhism.

References