Gyalshing district

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Gyalshing district
District of Sikkim
Geyzing district
Ruins
Rabdentse Palace in Rabdentse in Gyalshing district, Sikkim
Location in Sikkim
Location in Sikkim
Map
'Geyzing district' or Gyalshing district
Coordinates: 27°17′N 88°15′E / 27.283°N 88.250°E / 27.283; 88.250Coordinates: 27°17′N 88°15′E / 27.283°N 88.250°E / 27.283; 88.250
Country India
State Sikkim
HeadquartersGyalshing or Geyzing
Government
 • District Collector (DC)Smt Yishey D. Yongda [1]
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total71,675
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-SK
Vehicle registrationSK-02, SK-06
Websitewestsikkim.nic.in

West Sikkim (now officially named as Gyalshing District or Geyzing District)[3] is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its headquarter is Geyzing, also known as Gyalshing. The district is a favourite with trekkers due to the high elevations. Other important towns include Pelling and Yuksom. Local people also call it as Pallo-Sikkim and Sano-Sikkim commonly.

History

West Sikkim is the site of the ancient state capital Yuksom. West Sikkim It served as Sikkim's capital beginning in 1642 for almost 50 years until it was shifted to Rabdentse. The district was under the occupation of the Nepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. After Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), the district was returned to Sikkim.

Geography

West Sikkim covers an area of 1,166 square kilometres (450 sq mi). Attractions include the Khecheopalri Lake, where, according to legend, not a leaf is allowed to fall on the surface of the lake and the Dubdi Monastery, the first monastery of the state.

Assembly constituencies

The district was previously divided into 8 assembly constituencies.

National protected area

Economy

The economy is mainly agrarian, despite most of the land being unfit for cultivation owing to the precipitous and rocky slopes.

Transport

Roads are in poor condition owing to the frequent landslides.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census West Sikkim district has a population of 136,435,[4] roughly equal to the nation of Grenada.[5] This gives it a ranking of 608th in India (out of a total of 640).[4] The district has a population density of 117 inhabitants per square kilometre (300/sq mi) .[4] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 10.58%.[4] West Sikkim has a sex ratio of 941 females for every 1000 males,[4] and a literacy rate of 78.69%.[4]

After bifurcation the district had a population of 71,675. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 3,391 (4.73%) and 31,847 (44.43%) of the population respectively.[2]: 59 

The people are mainly of Limbu descent. Other ethnic groups include the Lepcha and Bhutia communities. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in the district.

Religion

Religion in West Sikkim district (2011)[6]
Hinduism
 
 60.07%
Buddhism
 
 25.99%
Other (mainly Kirat Mundhum)
 
 6.73%
Christianity
 
 6.06%
Islam
 
 0.94%
Other or not stated
 
 0.21%
Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple

Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the West Sikkim district. Buddhism followed by a considerable population. [6]

The Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple, a major Hindu pilgrimage centre in Sikkim, is situated in Legship in West Sikkim district. [7]

Languages

Languages of West Sikkim (2011)

  Nepali (51.85%)
  Limbu (22.61%)
  Lepcha (8.68%)
  Bhotia (7.05%)
  Sherpa (2.69%)
  Rai (1.55%)
  Hindi (1.48%)
  Others (4.09%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 51.85% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 22.61% Limbu, 8.68% Lepcha, 7.05% Bhotia, 2.69% Sherpa, 1.55% Rai and 1.48% Hindi as their first language.[8]

Flora and fauna

Natural view of mountain ranges in West Sikkim

West Sikkim houses a great diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are used by Indigenous and local communities.[9] Since most of the district is hilly it enjoys a temperate climate. Above 3,800 m (12,000 ft) the slopes are full of rhododendron forests.

In 1977, West Sikkim district became home to Khangchendzonga National Park, which has an area of 1,784 km2 (688.8 sq mi).[10] It shares the park with North Sikkim district.[11]

Divisions

Administrative divisions

Chortens
Three chortens in Rabendtse
Glacier valley near Thangshing
Mount Pandim

Scenes from the district

West Sikkim is divided into two sub-divisions:[12]

Gyalshing subdivisionSorreng subdivisionA clickable map of West Sikkim exhibiting its two subdivisions.
About this image


Name Headquarters Number of villages[13] Location
Gyalshing Gyalshing
West Sikkim Subdivisions Gyalshing.png
Soreng Soreng
West Sikkim Subdivisions Sorreng.png

References

  1. ^ "District Collectors". sikkim.gov.in.
  2. ^ a b "District Census Hand Book - Sikkim" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  3. ^ "thetelegraph.com".
  4. ^ a b c d e f "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  5. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Grenada 108,419 July 2011 est.
  6. ^ a b "East Sikkim District Religion Census 2011".
  7. ^ "Some of the Religious Places of Sikkim". Cultural Affairs & Heritage Department. Government of Sikkim. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Sikkim". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  9. ^ O'Neill, Alexander; et al. (29 March 2017). "Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 13 (21): 21. doi:10.1186/s13002-017-0148-9. PMC 5372287. PMID 28356115.
  10. ^ O'Neill, Alexander (29 March 2017). "Sikkim claims India's first mixed-criteria UNESCO World Heritage Site" (PDF). Current Science. 112 (5): 893–994. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  11. ^ Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Sikkim". Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  12. ^ Sikkim Administrative Divisions (PDF) (Map). The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, New Delhi, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  13. ^ "MDDS e-Governance Code (Sikkim Rural)" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for West Sikkim.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Sikkim district.
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