Yuksom () is a historical town 40 km north of Gyalshing in the Gyalshing district in the northeast Indian state of Sikkim. It was the first capital of Kingdom of Sikkim established in 1642 AD by Phuntsog Namgyal, the first Chogyal of Sikkim. The coronation site of the first monarch of Sikkim is known as the "Throne of Norbugang". Yuksom is home to the Norbugang Chorten, the place Namgyal was crowned. The dynastic rule of the Chogyal lasted for 333 years.

The Chogyal established the first monastery at Yuksom in Sikkim known as the Dubdi Monastery in 1701, which is part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit involving the Norbugang Chorten, Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, the Khecheopalri Lake, and the Tashiding Monastery.

For the Bhutia community of Sikkim, Yuksom has special religious and cultural significance. It has a number of famous Buddhist monasteries and historical monuments as well as ancient Gurkha villages. Being at the head of the Khangchendzonga National Park and as the base camp for trekking to Mt. Khangchendzonga, it has a large influx of mountaineers from all parts of the world.

Etymology

Yuksom literally means the "meeting place of the three learned monks" as three monks who came from Tibet selected Phuntsog Namgyal as the first King of Sikkim and gave him the title Chogyal. 'Chogyal' means "Religious King" or "the king who rules with righteousness". Yuksom is also one of the sacred landscape "Demazong" (meaning a valley of rice) of four religious sites blessed by Guru Padmasambhava, which are considered to be the four plexuses of the human body, and Yuksom symbolically represents the 'third eye'.

History

Buddhism was introduced to the state from Tibet as early as the 9th century. In Tibet, the struggle for power between the "Yellow hats" and the "Red hats" led to the latter migrating to Sikkim and converting the mild mannered local Lepchas to Buddhism. In the 13th century, relations between Sikkim and Tibet were cemented by a "Brotherhood treaty" signed between the Lepcha chief Thekong Thek and Tibetan prince Khe-Bhumsa at Kavi, in north Sikkim.

In 1641, Lama Lutsum Chembo (Lhatsun Chenpo) travelled from Tibet to Drejong (meaning hidden country) now known as Sikkim to propagate the Buddhist religion. He was then joined by two other lamas, Sempa Chembo and Rinzing Chembo. The trinity of Lamas came from the Kham (Thangut Kingdom) in Tibet. Their primary aim was to perpetuate Tibetan hold on Sikkim and to propagate Buddhism in Sikkim. They assembled from different directions at Norbugang, which later came to be known as Yuksom. The area in the Rathong chu Valley at Narbugong was considered as blessed by the 9th century Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche). In 1642 the Lamas went in pursuit of the fourth person, as the current three lamas represented three directions of North, South and West and Padmasambhava's vision had predicted the requirement for a fourth person from the east.

thumb|Throne of Norbugang

Near present-day Gangtok, they found a man churning milk. He offered them some refreshments and gave them shelter. So impressed were they by his deeds that they realised that he was a chosen one. They also identified Phunstsog Namgyal's ancestral royal links with Tibet and decided that he was the right person to become the temporal and religious head of the region so brought him to Yuksom. They then crowned him at Norbugang near Yuksom as the temporal and religious king of Sikkim, with the title "Chogyal". The crowning took place at Norbugang on a pedestal set in stones, in a pine-covered hill, and he was anointed by sprinkling water from a sacred urn. At that time he was 38 years of age. He was a fifth generation descendant of Guru Tashi, a 13th-century prince from the Mi-nyak House in Kham in Eastern Tibet. The stone throne on which the coronation took place still stands and is known as the Throne of Norbugang.

thumb|right|Countryside en route to Yuksom from [[Gangtok]]

The natural environmental setting of the town, ensconced amidst rich forests is further accentuated by its history, architecture and Buddhist legacy that evolved from the 17th century with Yuksom's establishment as the first capital of Sikkim.

Administration

right|thumb|The main street in Yuksom

The first act that Phuntsog initiated after becoming the King was the conversion of the local Lepcha tribes to Buddhism and set about expanding his kingdom up to the Chumbi Valley in Tibet, parts of modern-day Darjeeling in the south, and parts of eastern Nepal. In this effort the three lamas also lent full support to him.

Culture

Biodiversity festival

thumb|Dubdi Monastery

As a sequel to the above efforts by the local community, a biodiversity festival was held at Yuksom for one day, the first of its kind to be held in Sikkim, by KCC and the Forest Department of Government of Sikkim. The objective of the festival was to create awareness among the people of the villages to conserve cultural and natural heritage. This festival was attended by 200 villagers and also some foreign tourists. The focus of the festival was on pictorial exhibitions of the natural biodiversity setting and cultural heritage of the Rathong Chuu valley, the steps taken to preserve and conserve the biosphere, interest of ecotourism in the valley along the trek route Yuksom Dzongri through the Khangchendzonga National Park, diverse exhibits relating to medicine, and Khecheopalri Lake pollution and actions for its preservation, effects of deforestation and need to preserve forest wealth.

A Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Dubdi Monastery, is located in the area and with the smaller Mallu Monastery. Established in 1701, the Dubdi Monastery is the oldest monastery in Sikkim and is located at the top of a hill about an hour's walk from Yuksom. It was also known as the Hermit's Cell after its reclusive founder Lhatsun Namkha Jigme.

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File:Yuksom Dubdi Gompa.jpg|Kartok Monastery

File:Ngadak Chenpo chorling gumpa – Yuksam.jpg|Ngadak Chenpo Chorling Gompa

File:Kartok gumpa - yuksam.jpg|Kartok Gompa

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References

Films

  • Singalila in the Himalaya
  • Goecha La: In Search of Kangchenjunga by George Thengummoottil http://www.theindia.info/Goecha_La:_In_Search_of_Kangchenjunga Film speaks about Yuksum and Goecha La trekking in Sikkim