Pakyong District | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 27°23′N88°59′E / 27.383°N 88.983°E | |
Country | India |
Headquarters | Pakyong |
Government | |
• District magistrate | Mr. Tashi Chopel [1] [2] |
• Lok Sabha constituencies | Sikkim Constituency |
• Vidhan Sabha constituencies | |
Area | |
• Total | 404 km2 (156 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,120 m (3,670 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 74,583 |
• Density | 180/km2 (480/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
ISO 3166 code | IN-SK |
Vehicle registration | SK-07 |
Major Highways | |
Longest Bridge | |
Largest Stadium | |
Largest Wildlife Sanctuary |
Pakyongdistrict is a district in the Indian state of Sikkim, administered from Pakyong. [3] The district was formed in 2021 from three former subdivisions of the East Sikkim district, viz., Pakyong Subdivision, Rangpo Subdivision and Rongli Subdivision. [4] The remaining Gangtok Subdivision of the former district was named as the Gangtok district, which now bounds the Pakyong district in the northwest. In addition, the district is now bounded by the Kalimpong district of West Bengal, Bhutan, China and the Namchi district of Sikkim.
Pakyong District has the total area of 404 km2 (156 sq mi). The total population as per 2011 census is 74,583. [5]
The major highways in Pakyong District are as follows:
The under construction Sivok–Rangpo railway line will end in Pakyong District at the town of Rangpo. It is planned later to be prolonged to Gangtok.
Pakyong Greenfield Airport the only airport of Sikkim, lies on Pakyong District at the district Headquarter-Pakyong.
Assembly Constituencies falling under Pakyong District are as follows:
The major towns and cities of Pakyong District are
Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Pakyong District. It is connected to Neora Valley National Park of Kalimpong district of North Bengal via thick forest cover in Aritar Mulkharka Rachela region. Sumin Reserve Forest and Saramsa Garden also lies in Pakyong District which is rich in varieties of floral plants and fauna.
Variety of plants and wildlife are found in Pakyong District. The important ones are red panda the state animal, blood pheasant the state bird Dendrobium nobile the state flower and Rhododendron the state tree are found in the wildlife sanctuaries of Pakyong District.
Other important wild animals include Snow Leopard, Himalayan black bear, Clouded leopard, Large Indian civet etc. [8] Forest Department, Government of Sikkim has also confirmed the presence of Royal Bengal Tiger in the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary of Pakyong District in January 2019. [9]
River Teesta, the largest river of state flows in Pakyong district from Singtam to Rangpo.
Rangpo River the third largest river of Sikkim originates from Lake Menmecho at Rongli Subdivision of Pakyong District and flows through Pakyong Subdivision and Rongli Subdivision villages and towns of Pakyong District before meeting river Teesta at Rangpo Town.
River Jaldhaka which originates near Dzuluk in Pakyong District and flows towards Bhutan, West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Other major rivers of Pakyong District are Richu Khola, Rongli Khola, Pachey Khola, Reshi Khola etc.
Important lakes of Pakyong District are :
Mining Cricket Stadium located at Rangpo, Pakyong district is the largest cricket stadium of entire Sikkim. The stadium belongs to Sikkim Cricket Association and hosts important cricket tournaments like Ranji Trophy, CK Nayudu Trophy, Cooch Behar Trophy, Vijay Merchant Trophy etc.It is the home ground of Sikkim cricket team. [10] [11] Other major sports grounds of Pakyong district are St. Xavier's Football ground - Pakyong, Rongli Mela Ground, Rhenock SSS Ground, Chujachen SSS Ground, Central Pendam SSS Ground etc.
Pakyong District has many educational institutions. Some important ones among them are as follows:
Teesta River is a 414 km (257 mi) long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal and subsequently enters Bangladesh through Rangpur division. In Bangladesh, it falls into Brahmaputra River which after meeting some other major rivers of Bengal delta finally falls into the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of 12,540 km2 (4,840 sq mi). In India, it flows through Mangan District, Gangtok District, Pakyong District, Kalimpong district, Darjeeling District, Jalpaiguri District, Cooch Behar districts and the cities of Rangpo, Jalpaiguri and Mekhliganj. In Bangladesh, it flows through Lalmonirhat District, Rangpur District, Kurigram District and Gaibandha District. It joins the Brahmaputra River at Phulchhari Upazila in Bangladesh. 305 km (190 mi) of the river lies in India and 109 km (68 mi) in Bangladesh. Teesta is the largest river of Sikkim and second largest river of West Bengal after the Ganges.
Gangtok District, is an administrative district of the Indian state of Sikkim. It was renamed in 2021 as a result of administrative reorganisation of the state, which also saw three subdivisions of the East Sikkim district spawned off as a separate Pakyong district.
Rangpo is a Municipal town in Pakyong district in the Indian state of Sikkim. The town borders West Bengal's Kalimpong district and is situated along the Teesta river and Rangpo River. It is the first town of Sikkim lying on National Highway 10 that links Siliguri to Gangtok. It is about 300 m above sea level with a sub-tropical climate. It is the 'Gateway to Sikkim' and all vehicles entering Sikkim have to stop at the Rangpo Police check-post. Foreign tourists require documents to enter Sikkim state and have to show them at the police check post.
River Rangpo is a river in the Indian state of Sikkim. A tributary of the Teesta River, it originates from Menmecho Lake near Dzuluk and flows through Rongli and Pakyong subdivision villages in Pakyong District towards Rorathang, Kumrek and Rangpo. The river demarcates the border between Pakyong District of Sikkim and Kalimpong district of West Bengal from Rorathang to Rangpo. At the town of Rangpo the river joins river Teesta. River Rangpo is the third largest river of Sikkim after Teesta and Rangeet. Atal Setu Bridge the longest roadway bridge of sikkim lies over River Rangpo.
Singtam is a town which lies mostly in Gangtok District and partly in Pakyong District in the Indian state of Sikkim about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the state capital Gangtok. The town lies on the banking of the rivers Teesta and Ranikhola, which join together just below the town. NH10 and NH510 meet in Singtam. The Indreni Bridge and Sherwani Bridge over the river Teesta are in the town. Singtam District Hospital, the district hospital of Pakyong District, lies at Golitar, Singtam.
Aritar is a region in the Pakyong District under Rongli Sub-Division of the Indian state of Sikkim.
Pakyong is a city and district headquarters of Pakyong district in the Indian state of Sikkim, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. Pakyong Airport is the only airport of Sikkim. The "National Research Centre for Orchids" is also located here.
Rhenock is a town in the Pakyong District in Sikkim, India, located on the border with the Kalimpong district of West Bengal. It lies 63 kilometres east of Gangtok, and 47 kilometres north of Kalimpong on the way to Jelepla Pass at an altitude of 1,040 metres. The word Rhe-nock means Black Hill. Situated in the extreme east of Sikkim, Rhenock witnessed the establishment of the first police outpost in the state.
Ranipool is a small suburban town located in the bank of river Ranikhola at the junction of National Highway 10 and National Highway 717A in Gangtok District of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is 12 km before from Gangtok main town. It has three roads which lead to Singtam, Pakyong and Gangtok. It falls under the Gangtok Municipal Corporation. It is named after the Bridge which Connects the National highway to Gangtok and holds quite a significant role in traffic communications.
Rorathang is a town situated in the bank of Rangpo River on National Highway-717A, in Pakyong District of Sikkim, India.
Tareythang is a village located in Pakyong sub division at the Pakyong District of Sikkim state in India. This village is about 1250 m above sea level with a sub-tropical climate. It is around 11 kilometers away from district headquarter Pakyong. In electoral roll of 2011, Tareythang comes under the Assembly Constituency of Chujachen.
Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife reserve in the Pakyong District of the state of Sikkim in India. It is about 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Rorathang and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) by road from Rangpo city. The total notified area of the park is around 124 square kilometres (48 sq mi) while inside the wildlife sanctuary there are a few hamlets: Aritar, Dakline Lingtam, Phadamchen, Dzuluk, Gnathang Monastery Kupup. This wildlife sanctuary is linked to the forests of Neora Valley National Park of West Bengal as well as forests of Samtse, Bhutan and Haa district Bhutan. The area that comes under this biosphere has been declared in 1999 as a wildlife sanctuary under biogeographic province category 2C.
National Highway 10 is a national highway in North East India that connects Indo/Bangladesh border via Siliguri to Gangtok. It passes through the Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim.The highway is being maintained by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) from Rangpo to Ranipool in the state of Sikkim.
Rongli or Rangli is a town in the Pakyong District of the Indian state of Sikkim. It lies on the banks of Rangpo River around 69 kilometres (43 mi) by road south of the state capital Gangtok. Rongli is also the headquarter of Rongli Subdivision of Pakyong District. Rongli is one of the oldest market of Sikkim that lies on the trade route between Kalimpong and Tibet.
Government College, Rhenock, Pakyong district, Sikkim (GCR) is affiliated to Sikkim University. The college caters to the educational needs of students from the nearby areas of Rhenock, such as Rongli, Chujachen, Aritar, Rorathang, Tareythang, Pakyong, Pacheykhani, Mamring, Reshi and Rangpo, and also to the students from other districts of Sikkim as well as neighbouring towns of Kalimpong district of West Bengal. The Government College, Rhenock came into existence in the year 2005 and the college was established by the Government of Sikkim.
Kalimpong district is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. Originally known as Dalingkot tehsil, the region was alternatively under the control of Sikkim and Bhutan. In 1865, it was annexed from Bhutan by British India under the Treaty of Sinchula, and administered as a subdivision of the Darjeeling district from 1916 to 2017. In 2017, it was carved out as a separate district to become the 21st district of West Bengal.
State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) is a state owned banking institution headquartered at Gangtok, Sikkim, India. The Bank operates within the jurisdiction of the State of Sikkim and in addition to banking services, State Bank of Sikkim handles treasury functions of State Government of Sikkim.
Dzuluk or Zuluk or Jhuluk or Jaluk is a small hamlet located at a height of 9,400 feet (2,900 m) on the rugged terrain of the lower Himalayas in Rongli Subdivision of Pakyong District, which lies in the Indian state Sikkim. This place is relatively an emerging and offbeat destination in Sikkim. Today it is a tourist destination for the view of the eastern Himalayan mountain range including the Kanchenjunga.
National Highway 717A, commonly referred to as NH 717A is a National Highway in India which is a part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India. NH 717-A starts from National Highway 17 at Bagrakote and ends in Gangtok. NH-717A traverses the states of West Bengal and Sikkim in India. It runs through two districts of West Bengal namely Jalpaiguri district, Kalimpong district and two districts of Sikkim, which are Pakyong District and Gangtok District. The highway is being constructed and maintained by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
Taksaris of Sikkim were owners of minting houses, traders, landed class and their families in the former Kingdom of Sikkim. There were six families - mostly Newars - minting coins for the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom. In the period of British influence, Chogyal of Sikkim gave these families large land estates as Thikadars, a system of hereditary leesee landlords with judicial and administrative power over their respective estates.