Thutob Namgyal
Thutob Namgyal was the
chogyal (monarch) of
Sikkim between 1874 and 1914. Thutob ascended to the throne succeeding his half-brother
Sidekong Namgyal who died issueless. Differences between the Nepalese settlers and the indigenous population during his reign led to the direct intervention of the
British, who were the de-facto rulers of the Himalayan nation. The British ruled in favour of the Nepalese much to the discontentment of the chogyal, who then retreated to the
Chumbi Valley and allied himself with the
Tibetans.
After a series of skirmishes between the Tibetans and the British near
Jelepla, the Tibetans were pushed back and the chogyal was put under the supervision of
Claude White, the appointed political officer in 1889. In 1894, he shifted the capital from
Tumlong to the present location,
Gangtok.
Thutob died in 1914 and was succeeded by his son,
Sidekong Tulku. The
Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial (STNM) Hospital in Gangtok was built in memory of him in 1917.
