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| People of Sikkim |
Communities, cultures,
religions and customs of different hues intermingle freely here in
Sikkim to constitute a homogeneous blend. Hindu Temples coexist with
Buddhist Monasteries and there are even a few Christian Churches, Muslim
Mosques and Sikh Gurudwaras. Although the Buddhists with Monasteries all
over the State are the most conspicuous religious group, they are in
fact a minority constituting only 28 percent of the population. The
majority, 68 percent profess Hinduism. The Predominant communities are
the Lepchas, Bhutias and the Nepalis.
The Lepchas
The original inhabitants of Sikkim are said to be the Lepchas. They call
Sikkim Ney-Meyel-Renjyong-Lyang i.e the sacred place inhabited by honest
and peace loving people. The Lepchas who also call themselves Rongs
claim that they are the indigenous people of the sacred hidden land
which was also called Lep in ancient time.
The Bhutias
These are people of Tibetan origin. They migrated to Sikkim perhaps
somewhere after the 15th century through Bhutan. They are evenly
distributed throughout the state of Sikkim. In North Sikkim, where they
are the major inhabitants, they are known as the Lachenpas and the
Lachungpas. The Lachenpas and the Lachungpas who mainly inhabit the
areas around Lachen and Lachung respectively have their own traditional
legal system known as Dzomsa to settle disputes. Dzomsa means public
meeting place and the village headman, who is also known as the Pipon
metes out justice and is chosen once in a year by the villagers voting
by the show of hands.
The Nepalis
They migrated from Nepal in large numbers from the middle of the 19th
century.The Nepalis now constitute more than 80% of the total population
of Sikkim. The Nepali settlers introduced the terraced system of
cultivation and this brought large tracts of hilly terrain to yield
crops productively.
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