The Chogyal were the monarchs of the former kingdoms of Sikkim

Sikkim

Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...

 and Ladakh

Ladakh

Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...

, which were ruled by separate branches of the Namgyal

Namgyal dynasty

The Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh was founded by Bhagan, a Basgo king, who reunited Ladakh by overthrowing the king of Leh. He took the surname Namgyal and founded a new dynasty which still survives today. King Tashi Namgyal successfully managed to repel most Central Asian raiders, and built a royal...

 family. The Chogyal, or divine ruler, was the absolute potentate of Sikkim from 1642 to 1975, when its monarchy was abrogated and its people voted to make Sikkim India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

's 22nd state

States and territories of India

India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

.

However, Chogyal meaning "Dharma Raja" or "Religious King" is a title which was also conferred upon a special class of temporal and spiritual rulers.

In Bhutan the Chogyal were also known as the Dharmaraja

Dharmaraja

Dharmaraja refers to several things in Buddhism and Hinduism:* Dharmaraja, the original Sanskrit term for Chogyal, which may refer to a secular ruler of Sikkim or Bhutan, or a higher-ranking monk in Tibetan Buddhism...

, or Kings of Dharma, and Shabdrung

Shabdrung

Shabdrung , was a title used when referring to or addressing great lamas in Tibet, particularly those who held a hereditary lineage...

. In this context, the Chogyal was a recognized reincarnation (or succession of reincarnations) of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the 17th Century Tibetan-born founder of Bhutan. A position of supreme importance, the Bhutanese Chogyal was above both the highest monastic authority, the Je Khenpo

Je Khenpo

The Je Khenpo , formerly called the Dharma Raj by orientalists, is the title given to the senior religious hierarch of Bhutan. His primary duty is to lead the Dratshang Lhentshog of Bhutan, which oversees the Central Monastic Body, and to arbitrate on matters of doctrine, assisted by lopons...

, and the highest temporal ruler, the Deb Raja or Druk Desi

Druk Desi

The Druk Desi ;The original title is Dzongkha: སྡེ་སྲིད་ཕྱག་མཛོད་; Wylie: sde-srid phyag-mdzod. was the title of the secular rulers of Bhutan under the dual system of government between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries...

. The Tibetan Dzogchen teacher Namkhai Norbu holds this title as a recognized reincarnation of Ngawang Namgyel, and there is also a line of claimed reincarnations in Bhutan and India. The remainder of this article deals with the Chogyal of Sikkim. For Bhutan, see Shabdrung

Shabdrung

Shabdrung , was a title used when referring to or addressing great lamas in Tibet, particularly those who held a hereditary lineage...

.

From 1642 to 1975, Sikkim was ruled by the Namgyal Monarchy (also called the Chogyal Monarchy), founded by the fifth-generation descendants of Guru Tashi

Guru Tashi

Guru Tashi was a 13th century prince from the Minyak House of the Kham region of Eastern Tibet. According to legend, he had a divine revelation one night instructing him to travel south to seek his fortunes....

, a prince of the Minyak

Western Xia

The Western Xia Dynasty or the Tangut Empire, was known to the Tanguts and the Tibetans as Minyak.The state existed from 1038 to 1227 AD in what are now the northwestern Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, southwest Inner Mongolia, and...

 House who came to Sikkim from the Kham district of Tibet. Chogyal means 'righteous ruler,' and was the title conferred upon Sikkim's Buddhist kings during the reign of the Namgyal Monarchy.

The reign of the Chogyal was foretold by the patron saint of Sikkim, Guru Rinpoche. The 8th century saint had predicted the rule of the kings when he arrived in the state. In 1642, Chogyal Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned as Sikkim's first ruler in Yuksom

Yuksom

Yuksom is a historical town in Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district in the Northeast Indian state of Sikkim. It was the first capital of Sikkim established in 1642 AD by Phuntsog Namgyal who was the first Chogyal of Sikkim. The coronation site of the first monarch of Sikkim is known as the...

. The crowning of the king was a great event and he was crowned by three revered lama

Lama

Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...

s who arrived there from three different directions, namely the north, west and south.

Chogyals of Sikkim

#	Reign	Ruler	Events during reign
1	1642–1670	Phuntsog Namgyal Phuntsog Namgyal Phuntsog Namgyal was the first chogyal of Sikkim, now an Indian state. He consecrated in 1642 at the age of 38. Phuntsog was a fifth generation descendant of Guru Tashi, a 13th century prince from the Mi-nyak House in Kham in Eastern Tibet.According to legend, Guru Rinpoche, a 9th century...	Ascended the throne and was consecrated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim. Made the capital Yuksom Yuksom Yuksom is a historical town in Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district in the Northeast Indian state of Sikkim. It was the first capital of Sikkim established in 1642 AD by Phuntsog Namgyal who was the first Chogyal of Sikkim. The coronation site of the first monarch of Sikkim is known as the... .
2	1670–1700	Tensung Namgyal Tensung Namgyal Tensung Namgyal was the second chogyal of Sikkim. He succeeded his father Phuntsog Namgyal in 1670. He moved the capital from Yuksom to Rabdentse near Geyzing in 1670. He had three wives and was succeeded by his son Chakdor Namgyal, borne by his second wife in 1700.-References:...	Shifted capital to Rabdentse Rabdentse Rabdentse was the second capital of the former kingdom of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814. The capital city was destroyed by the invading Nepalese army and only the ruins of the palace and the chortens are seen here now...  from Yuksom
3	1700–1717	Chakdor Namgyal Chakdor Namgyal Chakdor Namgyal was the third Chogyal of Sikkim. He succeeded Tensung Namgyal in 1700 and was succeeded himself by Gyurmed Namgyal in 1717....	His half-sister Pendiongmu tried to dethrone Chakdor, who fled to Lhasa Lhasa Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world... , but was reinstated as king with the help of Tibetans.
4	1717–1733	Gyurmed Namgyal Gyurmed Namgyal Gyurmed Namgyal was the fourth Chogyal of Sikkim. He succeeded Chakdor Namgyal in 1717 and was succeeded himself by Phuntsog Namgyal II in 1733.During his reign Sikkim was attacked by Nepal....	Sikkim was attacked by Nepalese Nepali people Nepali people can refer to:*People of Nepal*Ethnic Nepalis of Indian citizenry residing in Gorkhaland area of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and other parts of India.* Indian Gorkhas*Lhotshampas of Bhutan.*Nepali diaspora the world over.... .
5	1733–1780	Phuntsog Namgyal II Phuntsog Namgyal II Phuntsog Namgyal II was the fifth Chogyal of Sikkim. He succeeded Gyurmed Namgyal in 1733 and was succeeded himself by Tenzing Namgyal in 1780.During his reign the Nepalese raided Rabdentse, the then capital of Sikkim...	Nepalese raided Rabdentse, the then capital of Sikkim
6	1780–1793	Tenzing Namgyal Tenzing Namgyal Tenzing Namgyal was the sixth Chogyal of Sikkim. He succeeded Phuntsog Namgyal II in 1780 and was succeeded himself by Tsugphud Namgyal in 1793.During his reign Chogyal fled to Tibet, and later died there in exile....	Chogyal fled to Tibet, and later died there in exile.
7	1793–1863	Tshudpud Namgyal Tshudpud Namgyal Tshudpud Namgyal was king of Sikkim from 1793–1863. He gained independence from Nepal in 1815 and ruled under a British protectorate from 1861....	Shifted the capital from Rabdentse to Tumlong Tumlong Tumlong was the former capital of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is located in North Sikkim district.-History:In 1894, Thutob Namgyal, the chogyal shifted the capital from Tumlong to the current Gangtok. Tumlong was the third capital of Sikkim. The first was Yuksom, which was followed by Rabdentse... . Treaty of Titalia Treaty of Titalia The Treaty of Titalia was signed between the Chogyal of Sikkim and the British East India Company. The treaty, which was negotiated by Captain Barre Latter in February 1817, guaranteed security of Sikkim by the British and returned Sikkimese land annexed by the Nepalese over the centuries. It...  in 1817 between Sikkim and British India was signed in which territories lost to Nepal were appropriated to Sikkim. Darjeeling was gifted to British India in 1835. Two Britons United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... , Dr. Arthur Campbell Arthur Campbell (British East India Company) Archibald Campbell of the Bengal Medical Service was the first superintendent of the sanitarium of Darjeeling town in India. Sources differ regarding his first name. While some say that the "A" in "Dr A...  and Dr. Joseph Dalton Hooker Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...  were captured by the Sikkimese in 1849. Hostilities between British India and Sikkim continued and led to a treaty signed, in which Darjeeling was ceded to British India.
8	1863–1874	Sidkeong Namgyal Sidkeong Namgyal Sidkeong Namgyal was king of Sikkim from 1863 to 1874. He was son of Tsugphud Namgyal and was succeeded by his half-brother Thutob Namgyal.-External links:*...
9	1874–1914	Thutob Namgyal Thutob Namgyal Thutob Namgyal was the ruling chogyal of Sikkim between 1874 and 1914. Thutob ascended to the throne succeeding his half-brother Sidkeong Namgyal who died issueless. Differences between the Nepalese settlers and the indigenous population during his reign led to the direct intervention of the...	Claude White appointed as the first political officer of Sikkim in 1889. Capital shifted from Tumlong to Gangtok Gangtok Gangtok is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. Gangtok is located in the Shivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range, at an altitude of . The town, with a population of thirty thousand belonging to different ethnicities such as Nepalis, Lepchas and Bhutia, is administered...  in 1894.
10	1914	Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal was the ruling Maharaja and Chogyal of Sikkim for a brief period in 1914, from 10 February to 5 December. He was the eldest son and heir of Maharaja Sri Panch Sir Thutob Namgyal, and was educated at St. Paul's School, Darjeeling and at Pembroke College, Oxford. A polyglot,...
11	1914–1963	Tashi Namgyal Tashi Namgyal Tashi Namgyal was the ruling Chogyal of Sikkim from 1914 to 1963...	Treaty between India and Sikkim was signed in 1950 giving India suzerainty Suzerainty Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...  over Sikkim.
12	1963–1975	Palden Thondup Namgyal Palden Thondup Namgyal Palden Thondup Namgyal was the 12th and last Chogyal of Sikkim.At six, Namgyal became a student at St. Joseph's Convent in Kalimpong, but had to terminate his studies due to attacks of malaria...	Forced to abdicate after illness and a plebiscite. Married Hope Cooke Hope Cooke Hope Cooke is an American socialite who was the "Gyalmo" of the 12th Chogyal of Sikkim. But Palden was to be the last king of Sikkim as a protectorate state under India. By 1973, the country and their marriage was crumbling; soon Sikkim was annexed by India. Cooke returned to New York City... , a US United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  citizen. Died in 1982.

The son from the first marriage of Palden Thondup Namgyal

Palden Thondup Namgyal

Palden Thondup Namgyal was the 12th and last Chogyal of Sikkim.At six, Namgyal became a student at St. Joseph's Convent in Kalimpong, but had to terminate his studies due to attacks of malaria...

, Wangchuk Namgyal

Wangchuk Namgyal

Chogyal Wangchuk Tenzing Namgyal is the second son of Palden Thondup Namgyal, the last sovereign king of Sikkim. Educated at Harrow, he is also the present heir of the Namgyal dynasty and claimant to the Sikkim throne....

, was named the 13th Chogyal after his father's death on 29 January 1982, but the position no longer confers any official authority.