CHAPTER-ll

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF GANGTOK

Gangtok, the capital ofSikkim state, is perched on a ridge (Plate 3) of the Middle

Himalaya Range of the Eastern Himalaya Mountain. The name Gangtok is amalgam of

two Sikkimese words, viz., Gang means 'aptly enough' and Tok meaning 'hilltop',

together it means 'aptly enough hilltop'. Another literary meaning of Gangtok is a

'hillock cut out to make flat land'. Origin and development of the settlement of Gangtok

is closely related with the history and development of Sikkim, right from its inception as

the independent kingdom in the distance past, ruled by different 'Chogya/s' (kings), to its

merger with the Union of India in 1975, and its function as the fourth capital of the

kingdom and then as the capital of the newly formed 22nd state of India. Over the years it

has grown from a small settlement, comprising of a few houses and a monastery, to a

relatively large settlement in the hills as a seat of administration during the kingdom and

as one of the states of India too. Today it is a sprawling centre of administration, tourism,

education and many other functions and services of national and international

importance. The very sprawl of Gangtok over a large area (34.70 sq km in 2005) on the

steep slopes (Plate 2) has become problematic, for most of the developmental works have

caused interference in the geoenvironment leading to occurrence of a variety of

geohazards, particularly landslides.

Before coming to the origin and development the hill settlement- known as

Gangtok, it would be worth to describe in brief about the history of Sikkim state itself,
 20

because Gangtok has served as the centre of administration, trade, religion and tourism

both in the past and is serving in present as well. The discussion pertains to the period

before and after the year 1975, a threshold year in the history of Sikkim and Gangtok as

well. This is because origin and growth of Gangtok is closely associated with the

developmental works undertaken during the earlier rulers and present administration

under democracy. This Chapter not only reveals origin and development of Gangtok, but

it also traces the human interference in the environment associated with the

developmental activities. Not only that, it highlights the seriousness of geobazards in

tenns of their detrimental influence on the life and property of the people of Gangtok as it

has grown haphazardly with out taking care of the geoenvironment. Therefore, on one

hand the development of Gangtok is considered as a factor causing alterations in the

geoenvironment, while on the other hand development is seen as the risk aspect that is

affected in any unfortunate occurrence of geohazards.

2.1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF SIKKIM

In prehistoric times, Sikkim Himalaya was inhabited by three tribes, viz., the

Naong, the Chang and the Mon. Limbus and Mangars were also regarded as aborigines of

Sikkim. The Mangars were the aborigines of Sikkim, but they were concentrated only a

small part of Sikkim. The Lepcha entered Sikkim sometimes later and slowly absorbed

them completely. Thus, now the Lepchas are considered to be the aboriginal inhabitants

of Sikkim, and they call themselves 'rong-pa' which means the 'squatter in' or

'caretaker' of the country of caves' (Sengupta, 1985).

 21

The Tibetan apparently colonized Sikkim at some date prior to the beginnings of

the 17th Century. Before the advent of the Tibetans on the scene of Sikkim, the Lepchas

have had some kind of administrative organization headed by a 'Turve' i.e., Punu or

King' but due to the frequent encounters with the 'Kirats' (Rias and Limbus) the Lepcha

Kingship came to an end Tubh Athak Punu was the last Lepcha chieftain. Somewhere in

the 13th Century, Guru Tashi, a prince of Minyang dynasty in Tibet, came to Sikkim to

get blessings for his issueless son Kheya Bumsa from Thekong Tek (a Lepcha chieftain).

Luckily, Kheya Bumsa was blessed with three sons and he settled in the Chumbi valley

and from there he used to maintain contacts with Thekong Tek. He visited Denzong (as

Sikkim was called earlier) a number of times, as a result the treaty of brotherhood

between the Lepchas and Bhutias was materialised at a place called Kabilongtso (situated

at a distance of38 km north of Gangtok). This led to the beginning of the influence of the

Tibetans on the Sikkim Himalaya. Gradually the Lepchas broke into small clans and

came under the protection of the descendants of Kheya Bumsa and after some time Tashi

Phuntshong Namgyal became the fIrst 'Chogyal' (King) of Sikkim. He was born in 1604

and passed his early life near Gangtok. The Namgyal dynasty ruled over Sikkim for about

332 years.

2.1.1. The capitals of Sikkim under the rule of Chogyals

The Chogyals had ruled over Sikkim from four capitals, viz., Yuksum, Rabdentse,

Tumlung and Gangtok. 'Yuksam' (in west Sikkim) was the first capital of Chogyal

dynasty, whereas Gangtok was selected as capital in 1894. Tashi Phuntshong Namgyal

ruled over a vast territory, which was many times in size of the present Sikkim. He was
 22

succeeded his only son Tensung Namgyal in 1610. Tensung Namgyal shifted the capital

to 'Rabdentse' (near Gyalshing in the western part ofSikkim). Chakdor Namgyal, son of

Tensung Namgyal, became the third Chogyal of Sikkim in 1100. His son Gyurmed

Namgyal succeeded him in 1111. His reign was uneventful. 'He was at all events

eccentric if not actually weak in intellect' (Risley, 1989). In his time 'Limbuana'

(original home of Limbus) was lost to Nepal and the boundary dispute with Bhutan also

arose.

In 1133, Phuntshong Namgyal II became the fifth Chogyal of Sikkim. During his

reign the Lepchas and the Bhutias occupied important positions in the Sikkimese court,

but the Limbus slowly lost their position, even 'Limbuana' also merged with Nepal at

that time. During Phuntshong II rule, a number of polemic developments took place in

Sikkim, for example, the planned invasion of Sikkim by Mangars and Gorkhas, and the

treaty ofNepal-Sikkim in 1115 regarding boundary dispute. Bhutan also invaded Sikkim

and had captured almost all the eastern part of the Teesta River Basin. However,

Phuntshong II repulsed all the attacks on Sikkim by different forces. Further, in his time

the gap between Bhutias and Lepchas had increased in many folds. He had three wives

and only son- Tenzing Namgyal.

Prince Tenzing Namgyal succeeded his father in 1180, and when the Nepali

forces attacked the capital Rabdentse he had to flee to Tibet. "Unable to bare the hard

life, Tenzing Namgyal sought asylum in Tibet in 1190 and died at Lhasa in the year 1193

(Basnet, 1914). Then his son Tsugphud Namgyal, merely eight years old, was made the
 23

ruler in 1793. During his reign the capital Rabdentse was shifted to Tumlong (situated 30

km north of Gangtok), as Rabdentse was considered insecure due to its proximity to

Nepal. His reign was the longest in the history of Namgyal Dynasty. He ruled over

Sikkim for almost 70 years lasting from 1793 to 1863. Sikkim came into contact with the

British India in his time. "Having mastered India, British power ambitiously sought to

penetrate the Himalaya in their urge to establish an overland trade route to Lhasa in Tibet

and then towards Peking in China" (Joshi, 2004). During his reign, two important treaties

namely 'Treaty ofSegauli' 1815 and 'Treaty ofTitalia' 1817 were signed among Nepal,

Sikkim and British India. According to the Segauli Treaty the territory lying between the

Machi and Teesta Rivers, which was captured by Nepal earlier, was returned to the

British India. On the other hand, the British India i.e., East India Company, was to return

territory occupied by them to the Sikkim through the Treaty of Titalia. The boundary

between Nepal and Sikkim had also been drawn along the SingileJa range, Michi and

Mahanadi Rivers. This treaty established the supremacy of the British East India

Company on Sikkim and paved the way of playing its predominant role in the state

(Sengupta, 1985).

Later, in 1861, British forces captured the capital ofSikkim i.e., TumJung. Again

a new treaty- Tumlung Treaty, consisting of 23 articles, was signed between the Ashley

Eden and the Sidkeong Namgyal (son of Tsugphud Namgyal) on 28th March 1861. This

treaty declared Sikkim a princely state under the British rule, and that led to increase of

supremacy of the British authority over Sikkim. After his father's death in 1863 Sidkeong

Namgyal was made ruler of Sikkim. He always kept the good relations with British
 24

authority. His brother Thutob Namgyal succeeded Sidkeong Namgyal, having no child, in

1874. In the time of Thutob Namgyal a serious conflict between the original inhabitants

of Sikkim and the Nepali settlers broke out. which ultimately led to direct British

intervention. History of Sikkm of later times is now discussed in direct context of

development of Gangtok, which has been divided under three periods.

2.2. DEVEWPMENT OF GANGTOK

Development of Gangtok can be seen in three phases, viz., from 1894 to 1947,

1947 to 1975, and 1975 to 2005. All the three time brackets are related with specific

political, administrative, and socio-economic developments in Gangtok. For example, the

first phase started with the shifting of capital to Gangtok and ending with the

Independence of India when Sikkim secured a 'protectorate' status from India. This set

the beginning of the second time bracket that culminated in the final merger of Sikkim

with the Union of India as its 2200 state. Moreover, with this the latest phase of

development started in which Sikkim and its capital- Gangtok have seen an all round

faster, dominating, eventful development, especially transformation from autocracy to

democracy, definitely an important change.

Figure 2.1 depicts spatial growth of Gangtok over the three time periods. Up to

1947 it was spread over 2.10 sq km area, which doubled to 6.11 sq km by 1975.

However, after 1975 it has seen a tremendous growth and now it covers 40.81 sq km

area. It means an area of 34.70 sq km was added to Gangtok after 1975 and it shows that

during the last phase there was an increase of about 568 per cent area. This happened
 GROWTH OF GANGTOK

0
27 22'

A
L LIi ~

-8URTU
,&\\\\:'"
A\\ \\~\
~ ~,'~\ B.KAV

~ ~~
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/---

.... t~
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~~ ~}{
/
7'

~
./

../

.7

\J GROWTH PERIOD

27°1 7'
N
J
../
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•• 1894-1947

1947·1975

~ 1975-2005

SOU R E : IA 5 ED 0 NeE N 5 US D A T A AND 0"

DIFFERENT LITERATURE 8S 39'5~
~~------------------------------------------
FIG. 2.1
 25

definitely due to various developmental activities after Sikkim turned to a democratic

state in which its capital became nodal point of development for the state in general and

Gangtok in particular.

2.2.1. Development between 1894 and 1947

In 1894, Chogyal Thutop Namgyal shifted the capital from Tumlong to Gangtok.

The Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital (S. T.N.MH) at Gangtok was built in his

memory in 1917. Thudob Namgyal distributed the responsibility of administration among

several ministers and set up a Secretariat. It was during his time, the first English

Medium School was set up at Gangtok in 1906.

Sidekong Tulku succeeded his father Chogyal Thutob Namgyal in 1914, but

unfortunately died in the same year. As a result his brother Tashi Namgyal became

Chogyal in 1914. During his long 50 years of rule Chogyal Tashi Namgyal made a

number of socio-economic refonns and all round development of Sikkim in general and

Gangtok in particular. A modern Court, designated as Chief Court, was set up in 1916

and a full time judge was also appointed, there by bringing the judicial function of the

landlords under the command of a Superior Court (Sikkim Herald, 1975). 'Until the mid-

1960's Gangtok was a major staging point for mule caravans travelling on the ancient

trade route to Lhasa. The road climbed over Nathu La (Pass) before entering Tibet'

(Lepcha, 2003).
 26

1.1.1. Development between 1947 and 1975

On 15th August 1947, when India became independent, Chogyal Tashi Namgyal

was successful in getting a special status of 'protectorate' for Sikkim. A Treaty was
signed between India and Sikkim, which ratified the status of Sikkim as a protectorate

with Chogyal as the king. The magisterial and judicial powers of the landlords were

completely abolished by 1948. A Charter set up a High Court at Gangtok in April 1955.

Public gambling as well as the use of unpaid labour was prohibited in Sikkim. Chogyal

Tashi Namgyal also made land reforms rules. Executive and judicial powers were also

decentralized. He died on 22nd December 1962 and was succeeded by his son Palden

Thondub Namgyal.

In the year 1973 started a widespread agitation in Sikkim against the Sikkim

Durbar. The growing agitation led to the complete collapse of administration in Sikkim.

Hence, Sikkim was accorded status of an 'Associate state' in place of a 'protectorate'.

Then Kazi Lendup Dorjee, a leader of Congress, was elected as the first Chief Minister of

Sikkim on 4th September 1974. However. in the new set up also the Chogyal remained

the constitutional head of the state of Sikkim. On 16th May 1975 Sikkim was merged in

the Union of India as its 2r state. The institution of Chogyal was subsequently

abolished. In this way Sikkim state passed from Autocracy to Democracy. This paved the

way for the emergence of a number of political parties who have fought number of

elections to form democratically elected government, committed to social justice and

overall development of Sikkim. Democratically elected governments have been engaged

in various developmental activities and it can be said that now Sikkim is one of the

developing states of India.

 27

1.2.3. Development between 1975 and 2005

It is important to mention here that until the merger of Sikkim with the Indian

Union, a Bazaar Committee which was constituted in 1918 governed Gangtok, but after

1975 the state had introduced the municipal form of local self-government. After the

formation of municipality a rapid change has been seen in the Gangtok and its suburbs.

As mentioned above, it is evident from an exponential 568 per cent growth in terms of

area during this phase. It clearly speaks about the rapid spread of the settlement. With out

doubt, this spatial expansion has been at the cost of forest area, which has direct or

indirect influence on occurrence of landslides in the study area, apart from degradation of

geoenvironment of Gangtok.

It has been mentioned earlier that until 1894, the capital ofSikkim was Tumlong.

When the capital of Sikkim was shifted to Gangtok in the regime of Thudob Namgyal, it

was a small village in the midst of the natural forests. Of course, there were a few

hamlets nearby such as Lingding, Syari, Tadong, Burtuk, DeoraIi, and Damdikyoung etc.

As early as 1776 a monastery was built on the upper crest of the spur on which Gangtok

is situated today. It shows that a monastery, a few houses and a palace was already there

when the capital of Sikkim was shifted here from Tumlung in 1894.

Gangtok is the youngest Class ill hill town in India. Infrastructure development in

Gangtok had started in the beginning of the 20th century, i.e., during the reign ofThutob

Namgyal. That time the total population of Sikkim was very less. According to a Census

report, which was conducted in Sikkim in the year 1891, the total population of Sikkim
 28

was only 30,458, hence, one can easily imagine about the total population of Gangtok at

that time. However, with the passes of time the population of Gangtok has increased

many folds. Table 2.1 shows the growth of population of Gangtok since 1951.

Table 2.1. Total population of Gangtok, 1951-2001

Year Population Percentage Growth
(in ,)
1951 2,744 -
1961 6,848 +149.56
1971 13,308 + 94.33
1981 40,873 +207.13
1991 67,330 +64.73
2001 75,112 +11.56
Source: Different Census of India Reports.

Table 2.1 and Figure 2.2 clearly shows that population growth of Gangtok has not

been uniform. The highest percentage growth of 207.13 was recorded during the decade

of 1971 and 1981. This phenomenal growth of population again validates the point that

Gangtok has experienced a faster growth after merger of Sikkim with the Union of India.

However, the second highest percentage of 149.56 of population growth was between

1951 and 1961, the main reason for this can be attributed to culmination of the rule of

Chogyal Tashi Namgyal during which a number of socio-economic developments took

place. After 1981 Census population growth has been on decline, and coming to as low as

11.56 per cent during 1991 and 2001.

Table 2.2 shows density of population in Gangtok. As the total area of Gangtok

was 6.11 sq km up to 1975, the population density persons per sq km increased from 449

to 1121 and 2179 in 1951, 1961 and 1971, respectively. However, with the increase of
 Population Growth of Gangtok
(1951- 2001)

8 aa a

7000 >~o
& a aa ~.
~------~----

~
<
V) 5000
~
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2S 4 000
7
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~
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2000

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o 1991 2001
19 S1 1961 1971 1981

CENSUS YEARS

FIG. 2.1.
 29

area to 40.81 sq km the density of population came down to 1002 persons per sq Ian in

1981Census, despite Gangtok experiencing the highest growth of population during

1971-1981, and baving40,873 persons in 1981. But again population density increased to

1650 persons per sq km in 1991 and 1841 persons per sq km in 2001, simply due to

increase in total population.

Table 2.2. Density of population in Gangtok, 1951- 2001

Census year Total population Total area Density of population

ifm V'l'l;,vIciJ-, lin_~km~ (persons per SQ km)
1951 2744 6.11 449
1961 6848 6.11 1121
1971 13308 6.11 2179
1981 40873 40.81 1002
1991 67330 40.81 1650
2001 75112 40.81 1841
Source: Different Census of IndIa Reports

As early as 1950, almost 90 per cent shops and official buildings were

concentrated near the White Memorial Hall. The Ridge Road, leading to the Royal

Palace, was the main commercial hub of Gangtok, while the Lall Bazaar, Mahatma

Gandhi Marg and Sikkim Guards Ground (the most developed area of today) were

cultivated fields only. In 1951, Gangtok appeared as a town on a map of the Sikkim with

a population of 2744, when it was connected with Siliguri by motor service. During the
st
1 Five Year Plan (1954-61), a number of government institutions were established for

the workers mainly in the tertiary sector coming from the surrounding states. On the other

hand, during the In<.fo..China war (1962) a large number of Tibetan refugees settled down

in Chandmari, Tathengchen and in the area lying around the main market (Boot, 1991). ~

However, in the successive five-year plan periods the scenario of Gangtok bas markedly
 30

changed. New settlements in the different parts viz., Sichey Area, near Tashi Namgyal
th
Senior Secondary School. Development Area. Tibet Road, Deorali, Tadong Dargaon, 5

Mile, Indira Bye-pass etc. have appeared. The old Lall Bazaar was built in the 1950s' so

that the villagers could sell their own products easily. This market is named after J.S.

Lall, the first Dewan of Sikkim. However, by the end of the 19th Century all the major

roads of the state including the Indo-Tibetan trade route used to converge at Gangtok and

very soon a trade registration office opened at this emerging nodal point. In this way, a

tiny settlement has gradually turned into a trade centre, flourishing with numerous trading

activities (Boot, 1991). Construction of the present M.O. Marg market started as early in

1925. Today National Building Construction Corporation has developed Lall Market to a

multi-storied modem shopping complex. A rapid development of Gangtok has taken

place after the 1980s'. Present government of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has taken

number of initiatives for the development of Sikkim in general and Gangtok and suburbs

in particular.

As Gangtok has developed on an elongated narrow ridge, the settlement pattern of

Gangtok has been determined mainly by length and width of crest and slopes. The

important buildings of the capital are situated on the narrow crest of the ridge. From the

point of view of geobazards more significant is its development on steep slopes, which

exhibits high risk in the event of earthquakes and landslides. On the other hand, the main

settlement of Gangtok is like a cluster with compact pattern except the areas like 5th Mile,

Tadong, Indira-by-Pass, and Burtuk etc. where linear type settlement is seen.
 31

In the Census of 1941 Gangtok was accorded the urban status and up to 1971

Census it was the only census town in entire Sikkim. However, in the Census of 1971,

seven new towns of Singtam, Rangpo, Mangan. Gyalsbing, Jorethang, Nayabazaar and

Namchi emerged (Chib, 1977). In real sense, Gangtok is still the only urban centre in the

state. Though of a very moderate size, it has accommodated the largest number of state's

urban population. It also has a variety of people in terms of religion, race, language and

socio-economic classes and it is the only town where urban character is discernible in

true sense of the term (Boot, 1991).

During the ChiefMinistership ofKazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa (Le., from 1974

to 1979) various types of developmental activities took place in and around Gangtok. For

example, a number of offices, centres and services were established including that of the

Anti-Corruption Branch, Frontier Railway Passenger Out Agency at Sikkim Nationalized

Transport Office, Temi Tea Factory, Water Treatment Plant at Selep, Gangtok-

Chungthang Bus Service, Divisional Telegraph Office at Gangtok, Industrial Training

Institute at Rangpo, Tashilling Secretariat (plate 4), Kendriya Vidhalaya at Libing etc.

Present land use! land cover of Gangtok include four categories, viz., urban

cluster, dense forest, open forest and crop land including open spaces (Fig. 2.3), covering

an area of 10.10, 16.80, 4.90 and 9.01 sq km, respectively. Percentage wise maximum

area (41.17) is under dense forest, and if open forest percentage (12.00) is added to it then

about 53.17 per cent area is still under different types of forest cover. But it should not be

taken as rosy picture because the 24.75 per cent area of Gangtok shown under urban
 GANGTOK

LAND USE/LAND COVER

d
·.RAll·:· .:: ....... .
.,. ..'

INDEX

n URBAN CLUSTER

DEN 5 E FOR EST

OPEN FOREST

CROPLAND AND
OPEN SPAC E

o ..- SOU RC E : FIE L D W 0 R K , 2 0 0 4-0 5

88 3S E AND DIFFERENT LITERATURE
..........'--------------------------------~
FIG. 2.3
 32

cluster bas definitely come up after removing the forest cover, and that is point of

concern because such deforestation bas altered geoenvironment, which has contributed to

occurrence of landslide hazards in the area. Interestingly, 22.08 per cent area is as open

space and cropland.

Gangtok has now been proposed to be built into a model city. Master Plan of

Gangtok has been prepared by the Department of Urban Development and Housing

Development (UD&HO), Sikkim. Nowadays, the Government of Sikkim bas launched

new schemes, plans and projects for Gangtok to develop it as a modern tourist spot on the

Eastern Himalaya Mountain. In short, it may be said that within 100 years of time period,

the scene of Gangtok bas changed very rapidly. However, the faster urbanization bas to

be matched with the equal development of the infrastructure facilities in Gangtok in near

future. It has aIready been facing pressure from all corners due to rise in population, and

it has little scope for infrastructure development due to lack of space. Moreover,

geoenvironment of Gangtok has degraded and it experiences number geoenvironmental

problems, including recurring landslides and sometimes earthquakes also. A conflict

seems imminent between the development and geoenvironment, but it has to be avoided

for better future. From the above discussion it can be easily shows development and

expansion of Gangtok from a tiny hamlet to a sprawling capital of Sikkim.