Netherlands / Sikkim: King Palden Thondup Namgyal, last Chogyal of Sikkim, with his wife, Queen Namgyal (born Hope Cook in San Francisco) at Schipol Airport, 29 January 1966

Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state located in the Himalayan mountains. The state is bordered by Nepal to the west, China's Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and east, and Bhutan to the east. The Indian state of West Bengal lies to the south.

According to legend, the Buddhist guru Padmasambhava visited Sikkim in the 8th century CE, introduced Buddhism and foretold the era of the Sikkimese monarchy. Sikkim's Namgyal dynasty was established in 1642. Over the next 150 years, the kingdom witnessed frequent raids and territorial losses to Nepalese invaders. In the 19th century, it allied itself with British India, eventually becoming a British protectorate. In 1975, a referendum abolished the Sikkimese monarchy, and the territory was merged with India.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

Ron Kroon / Anefo

Credit:

Pictures From History