The Bhutia, a Buddhist People of Sikkim

In the eastern Himalaya, in the small state of Sikkim beneath the sacred snows of Kangchenjunga, live the Bhutia, a Buddhist people descended from Tibetan settlers who crossed the mountains centuries ago. Often called the Sikkimese Bhutia, they are the community from which sprang the kings of Sikkim, and they carry a rich Tibetan Buddhist civilisation into the valleys of Denjong, “the valley of rice.”

Heirs to the great monasteries of Pemayangtse and Rumtek, worshippers of the guardian mountain Kangchenjunga, and keepers of the sacred Cham dances and the festival of Pang Lhabsol, the Bhutia combine the culture of the Tibetan plateau with a homeland of extraordinary Himalayan beauty. This article traces their origins, language, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the story of the Buddhist kingdom they once ruled.