Opening the hidden land : state formation and the construction of Sikkimese history / by Saul Mullard.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local historical narratives : Tibeto-Sikkimese origins and the establishment of the Sikkimese state -- Justifying 'state formation' : territorial expansion and the formation of law -- Religion and politics in early Sikkim : the case of Mnga' bdag phun tshogs rig 'dzin -- Lha btsun chen po and the formation of Sikkim -- Revisiting the state and political formation of early Sikkim -- Bhutan , Sikkim and British India : the arrival of 'Jigs med dpa' bo and the construction of historical narratives -- Conclusion : remarks on Sikkimese state formation and the construction of historical narratives.

In this first monograph on the history of Sikkim, the author challenges traditional Sikkimese historiography to rigourous historical enquiry by comparing it to original seventeenth and eighteenth century sources and exposes the contradictions founds within traditional narrative traditions. This book highlights, not only, how and why traditional historiography was developed but also redefines contemporary knowledge of the history of Sikkimese state formation. The book touches on key themes such as Tibetan understandings of state, kingship and the role of Buddhism in justifying political administration as well as social stratification and the economy of pre-modern Sikkim. This book will undoubtedly prove useful to those working on the development of historical traditions and state entities in Tibet and the Himalaya.