Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

Sikkim (India)   Image by Mario Fabretto Description of the flag Historical flags 1877 - c. 1914 c. 1914 - 1962 1962 - 1967 Description of the flag From Barraclough (1971):  "Sikkim, formerly a protectorate of India, was incorporated as the twenty-second state of the union in May 1975, and the office of the hereditary ruler, the Chogyal , was abolished. Sikkim has, or had, a flag of white with a red border all round, and a yellow Chakra (fimbriated in red) in the centre."  "...the Chakra [is] a Buddhist symbol representing the Law of Dharma , or eternal change." The Chakra on the flag of Sikkim is different then the one on India's flag. It has eight spokes rather than the many spokes on India's, and has an ornate "nub" on the wheel at the head of each spoke. Don Hagemann, 28 November 1995 [editor's note: The source of this quote is not Barraclough (1971), but probably a later edition of the ...

30 years ago in India Today   Our jeep jolted to a halt before the border town of Rangpo. The Nepalese driver leapt out to survey the scene and said, “We will cross into Sikkim now. All this was India.” “But Sikkim is a part of India,” we said. “That is what they say,” he replied. It was under the shrewd gaze of New Delhi thousands of miles away that Sikkim changed governments. In April 1975, the Government of India introduced the 36th Amendment Act making Sikkim the 22nd state of the Indian Union. The Sikkim issue, which had earlier developed into a national debate a year ago, never got complete hearing due to the declaration of Emergency. In Gangtok, the deposed Chogyal’s eldest son’s death has caused a sudden tightening of political reflexes all around. The Sikkimese continue to recognise Chogyal as the divine defender of their faith. — Sunil Sethi http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_registration&task=home_30yearsin...