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

This photograph from 1966 shows the then Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal and Gyalmo Hope Cooke visiting KC Pradhan, who was then studying Masters in Forestry at Yale University (USA). Pic: Ebay

Ebay as i always say is a wonderful find for me for some rare materials. I had always been passionate about Sikkim and whenever i get an opportunity to watch anything of my Sikkim's past, i just want to share with everyone.  If ever i had any regrets in life, i am sure i have this in my small heart that i could not see "my Independent Sikkim" and my Chogyal. So whenever i come across materials associated with my old Sikkim, my happiness knows no boundary. Here i am presenting a greeting card of Chogyal and Gyalmo and more sweeter is the name written in it ....." Hope and Thondup"

I have that grudge in my heart that i was not born in Independent Sikkim. So whenever i come across materials of Independent Sikkim i find a great pleasure. This time around i have come across two letters of the last recognised Chogyal of Sikkim on ebay. Those letters were send to Prof. JC Ghose at Calcutta. The years are of 1963 and 1965.

  Press Photo of the King of Sikkim,  Palden Thondup Namgyal, with his Queen Hope Cooke arriving in London.  Dated July 1, 1971.---EBAY The Royal Family of Sikkim always fascinates me, it is these photographs that make me feel closer to my Sikkim. I usually surf around ebay.com an auction site that sometimes gives me a glimpse of my place. my king and my people.  The above photograph was taken in 1971 when Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal and his Gyalmo arrived in London.   The peculiar rarity of this photograph is the way the late Chogyal has grown his beard. Very less photographs are available with the Chogyal having a beard which was prominent in the later years of his life.

As always i am excited as well as surprised to find two post cards of famed Namgyal Institute of Tibetology of Sikkim at Deorali on sell at ebay. The more interesting for me or i say to myself i never knew Namgyal Institute of Tibetology was earlier known as Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology. The post cards costs you US $9.99.

  If you are interested in buying coin of Sikkim, this Chepte Coin is in an offer to be bid for an auction at ebay.com.  The information given about the coin is as follows RARE HARD TO FIND SIKKIM COPPER PAISA WITH CLEAR ERROR LEGEND 'Sakar' INSTEAD OF SARKAR . " It is a VS 1941 (AD1884) very hard to find RARE chepte (flat) copper paisa of Sikkim now in India. Obverse has clear three line legend 'Sri Sri Sri Sikkim Sakar' instead of 'Sarkar'. Reverse has 'Sri Sri Sri Sikkim Pati Maharaj' lightly visible. "

I had always wanted to read the book "Time Change" written by former Gyalmo of Sikkim, Hope Cooke. Being a student of  Sikkim history and listening to the scene of the famed The Legend of April "73" Agitation in Sikkim from the queen herself was all I was expecting from the book, but so far, I had had little success in gathering the book, which I believe is out of stock in India and in abroad they ask for either PayPal or credit card which I do not have.  Nevertheless, I am glad that one of my friends from Germany was kind enough to scan me two pages from the book and send it to my mailbox. As i always say, more i share more i get..so i am sharing the two page of the book Time Change i received on my mail. Hope Cooke pic: ebay

This photograph is in sell in ebay auction site. The cost of the photograph is 22 US  Dollars. The information provided under it says: "Offered is an original 1928 photogravure view. It is a print on paper and was published in a 1928 first edition. The Lepcha are the aboriginal inhabitants of present day Sikkim. Under British rule, the Darjeeling area was initially a "Non-Regulation District" (a scheme of administration applicable to economically less advanced districts in the British Raj) — acts and regulations of the British Raj did not automatically apply to the district in line with rest of the country. As a consequence of the 1905 Partition of Bengal, the area came under the jurisdiction of the Rajshahi division and was placed in the newly created province of East Bengal and Assam. Later in 1919, the area was declared a "backward tract"."

I hear people are earning enough from eBay but i find myself fortunate towards ebay....at-least i had that opportunity to come across those photographs. These old and rare photographs clicked during the British era catch old the picture of then Darjeeling. I share with you all these postcards. Over view of Darjeeling -1 Men carrying a British Mem in Dandy Over view of Darjeeling Hills -2 Darjeeling 200 years ago Darjeeling market