The national flag of Sikkim

Sikkim

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

consisted of a Buddhist khorlo

Khorlo

Khorlo means: 'wheel', 'round', 'mandala', 'chakra', 'samsara'. Khorlo is the lexical item commonly used to denote 'chakra' in Tibetan literature...

prayer wheel

Prayer wheel

A prayer wheel is a cylindrical "wheel" on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather or coarse cotton. Traditionally, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in Sanskrit on the outside of the wheel. Also sometimes depicted are Dakinis, Protectors and very often the 8 auspicious symbols...

 with the gankyil

Gankyil

The Gankyil[Tibetan:དགའ་འཁྱིལ་] is a symbol and ritual tool in Tibetan Buddhism, Bön, Himalayan Shamanism and Korean Buddhism. In Bön and Nyingma Dzogchen lineages, the Gankyil is the principal symbol and teaching tool: it is symbolic of primordial energy and represents the central unity and...

as the central element.

Until 1967, the previous flag showed a very complex design with a fanciful border and religious pictograms

Ashtamangala

Ashtamangala or Zhaxi Daggyai are a sacred suite of Eight Auspicious Signs endemic to a number of Dharmic Traditions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The symbols or 'symbolic attributes' are yidam and teaching tools...

 surrounding the khorlo.

A more simple design was adopted in 1967 because of the difficulty in duplication of the complex flag. The border became solid red, the pictograms were removed and the wheel was redesigned.

With the annexation

Annexation

Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...

 of Sikkim to 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...

, and with the abolition of the monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

, the flag was also abolished. In 1994, the nationalist party Sikkim Democratic Front

Sikkim Democratic Front

Sikkim Democratic Front is a political party in the Indian state of Sikkim. The party was founded by Pawan Kumar Chamling in 1993. It has ruled the state since 1994 with Pawan Kumar Chamling as the chief minister. The party consolidated its position sweeping the 1999 and 2004 state elections. It...

 came into power, and predominantly ethnic Nepalese have used its party flag like a national symbol since then.

External links

• http://www.flaggenlexikon.de/fsikkim.htm