Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim State. The boatike mountain. girdled State is bordered Eastern Himalayas on the West by Nepal. on the North by Tibert and on the East by Bhutan and on the South by the Dajeeling District Dheesh Bangal. Gangtok the capital is about 5500 ft., above the sea leavel. The important rivers of Sikkin are the Rangeet Teesta. Mangyal as the temporal and spiritual leaders of Sikkim whose ancestry they traced from a legendry prince, who founded the kingdom of Minyag in Eastern Tibet in the 9th century AD. This dynasty ruled in the Chumbi and Teesta valleys. The Lepeahs are the oldest inhabitants of Sikkim. There is an old helper legend that long ago. in the 15th and 16th centuries .the two main religions. The tourist attractions in Gangtok include museums, monasteries and quaint surroundings. The Deer Park is a must-see tourist spot commanding a breathtaking view of the valleys neighboring the city of Gangtok against the backdrop of the elegant Mt. Kanchenjunga. The park is home the rare red panda and the Himalayan Bear.
Dul Dul Chortena also features among the popular tourist attractions in Gangtok that was built under the direction of the late most respected Rimpoche and is a place of worship for the Tibetan Buddhists.Other places of interest in Gangtok are the monasteries like the Pemayangtse Monastery dating from the 17th century and the Labrang Monastery about a century old, both belonging to the Nyingmapa division. The Royal chapel, Tasuklakhang within the palace grounds has a large anthology of Buddhist scriptures.The Tsomgo Lake is a tranquil lake considered by the Buddhists to be a holy lake. Another gorgeous lake is Kechopari with crystal clear water amidst dense forests.
Like the rest of Sikkim, not much is known about the early history of Gangtok.[3] The earliest records date from the construction of the hermitic Gangtok monastery in 1716.[4] Gangtok remained a small hamlet until the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840 made it a pilgrimage center. After the defeat of the Tibetans by the British, Gangtok became a major stopover in the trade between Tibet and British India at the end of the 19th century.[5] Most of the roads and the telegraph in the area were built during this time.
In 1894, Thutob Namgyal, the Sikkimese monarch under British rule, shifted the capital from Tumlong to Gangtok, increasing its importance. A new grand palace along with other state buildings was built in the new capital. Following India's independence in 1947, Sikkim became a nation-state with Gangtok as its capital. Sikkim became a suzerain of India, with the condition that it would retain its independence, by the treaty signed between the Chogyal and the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.[6] Trade between India and Tibet continued to flourish through the Nathula and Jelepla passes, offshoots of the ancient Silk Road near Gangtok. These border passes were sealed after the Sino-Indian War in 1962, which deprived Gangtok of its trading business.[7] In 1975, the monarchy was abrogated and Sikkim became India's twenty-second state, with Gangtok as its capital. Gangtok has witnessed annual landslides, resulting in damage to life and properties. The largest disaster occurred in June 1997, when 38 were killed and hundreds of buildings were destroyed
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