Gangtok district
The headquarters of the Gangtok district is Gangtok, which is also the state capital. Gangtok is the hub of all administrative activity in the state. The district is bounded by the Pakyong district in the south and southeast, Bhutan in the east, the People's Republic of China in the northeast, Mangan District in the north and Namchi District in the west.
The civilian region is administered by a district collector, appointed by the state government. A major general is assigned to administer military forces in the district. As of 2011 it is the most populous of the six districts of Sikkim.
History
East Sikkim was part of the kingdom of Sikkim for most of its history. In the 19th century, the district was under the rule of the
. After the Anglo
Bhutan War, the territory was virtually under the command of the British forces. After India's independence in 1947, the area was part of the kingdom of Sikkim under the protection of India. During the
Sino-Indian War of 1962, the
Nathu La witnessed a few skirmishes between India and China. In 1975, the Sikkim formally became part of the Indian Union as India's 22nd state. The district was under the occupation of the Nepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Geography
The district occupies an area of .
The two important Mountain Passes of East Sikkim are Nathula and Jelepla, both passes connects Sikkim with China.
Military-wise, the district is a very sensitive area with the Indian army having control over most areas east of Gangtok and near its borders with People's Republic of China and Bhutan. Visitors to this region are restricted and just a few areas are open to tourists in the areas east of Gangtok.
Popular tourist locales of East Sikkim and Pakyong District districts are the Tsongmo Lake, Lake Menmecho, Dzuluk, Baba Mandir, Gnathang Valley, Kupup, Lungthung View Point, Tukla Valley, Thambi View Point and the Nathu La pass. The pass was first opened during the 1904 Younghusband Expedition to Tibet.[
] The pass and Baba Mandir are open to Indian nationals only. To enter this region a special permit is required; the Inner Line Permit has to be obtained one day prior to departure. This permit is made through local tourist offices. Other tourist areas include the town of Gangtok, the Phodong Monastery north of Gangtok and the Rumtek Monastery.
Other special attractions in the Capital City Gangtok are M G Marg, Hanuman Tok, Ranka Monastery, Himalayan Zoological Park, Paljor Stadium, Tashi View Point, Pakyong Airport view Point. Zuluk And Gnathang Valley are famous attractions in East Sikkim.
Wildlife sanctuaries
Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary, and Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary two famous wildlife sanctuaries lies in the East Sikkim district.
Rivers and lakes
Rivers
Teesta, the largest river of state flows in East district from
Dikchu to
Singtam.
Jaldhaka River originates from Kupup and flows south east towards Bhutan, West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Other major rivers of east sikkim are Ranikhola, Ratey Chu, Roro Chu, Rangchang Khola etc.
Lakes
List of important lakes of Gangtok district and
Pakyong District are:
Flora and fauna
Variety of plants and wildlife are found in the East Sikkim and
Pakyong District. The important ones are
Red panda the state animal,
Blood pheasant, the state bird, Dendrobium nobile the state flower and
Rhododendron the state tree are found in the wildlife sanctuaries of East sikkim. Other important wild animals include
Snow Leopard, Himalayan black bear,
Clouded leopard, Large Indian civet etc.
Forest Department, Government of Sikkim has also confirmed the presence of Royal Bengal Tiger in the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary of
Pakyong District in January 2019.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census East Sikkim district along with
Pakyong District has a population of 283,583,
roughly equal to the nation of
Barbados.
This gives it a ranking of 574th in India (out of a total of 640).
[ The district has a population density of .][ Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 14.79%.][ East Sikkim has a sex ratio of 872 females for every 1000 males,][ and a literacy rate of 84.67%.][
]
Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the Gangtok district. Buddhism followed by a considerable minority, while Christianity is the third largest religion, 40% of its adherents live in Gangtok. Islam is the fourth-largest religion and is mainly found in migrants in urban centres, mainly Gangtok.
Languages
At the time of the 2011 census, 65.59% of the population in the district spoke Nepali language, 8.63% Hindi, 8.16% Sikkimese, 3.41% Lepcha language, 2.25% Bhojpuri, 1.68% Bengali language, 1.55% Limbu language, 1.49% Tamang language, 1.14% Sherpa language, 0.75% Rai languages and 0.51% Standard Tibetan as their first language.[ 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue]
Assembly constituencies
The district is divided into 7 assembly constituencies.
-
Khamdong-Singtam
-
Shyari (BL)
-
Martam-Rumtek (BL)
-
Upper Tadong
-
Arithang
-
Gangtok (BL)
-
Upper Burtuk
Divisions
Administrative divisions
East Sikkim is divided into three sub-divisions till June 2021. In June 2021, the two subdivisions of Pakyong and Rongli were constituted as Pakyong District:
Important towns and cities
The major towns and cities of Gangtok District are
Transport
Roadways
East Sikkim is connected with wide road network managed by Border Road Organization, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and State PWD.
East Sikkim has the following National Highways:
Airways
Pakyong Airport lies on the town of Pakyong in Pakyong District is the nearest airport from East Sikkim. The airport has daily direct flight services from New Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata.
Railway
Rangpo Railway Station an under construction railway station of Northeast Frontier Railway zone is the nearest railway station that lies on Rangpo of Pakyong District.
External links
