SIKKIM GIVES GRAND FAREWELL TO PRINCE JIGDAL TSEWANG NAMGYAL ON HIS LAST JOURNEY
The kuburof Late Denjong Gyalsey Kusho, Prince Jigdal Tshewang Namgyal of Sikkim, the youngest and the only surviving son of Maharaja Sir Tashi Namgyal (KCSI, KCIE -1914-1963), the 11th Chogyal of Sikkim, bearing the Sikkim national flag, passes through (Nov 5, 2014) three prominent power-points in the former Kingdom: White Hall, Nehru’s Bust, and Mintokgang, Chief Minister’s official residence.
White Hall was built in the memory of John Claude White, British India’s first Political Officer (1889-1908) in Sikkim, during whose rule Sikkim gradually came under British domination, paving way for the kingdom’s ultimate absorption into the Indian Union in 1975.
While the bust of India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was placed on this route after Sikkim’s ‘merger’ in 1975, Mintokgang was used as the official residence of the Indian Chief Executive, who wielded more power in Sikkim than the Chogyal during the Indian takeover in early 1970s. The Palace, situated in the same location across the Ridge Park, is about 300 metres south of Mintokgang.
The funeral day was declared a State holiday by the Chamling Government. The old business community, while declaring the Chogyals’ rule Sikkim’s ‘golden era’, closed down all business establishments in Gangtok and elsewhere in the State as a mark of respect to the departed soul. Prominent members of Sikkim’s political-administrative setup, including Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, Ministers, Chief Secretary R. Ongmu, were present during the funeral.
Prince Jigdal Tsewang Namgyal may have lived a quiet life; his death, however, brought him back to limelight and reminded us of who we are, what happened to us and our uncertain future.
