GANGTOK

town, capital of Sikkim state, northeastern India. It lies at an elevation of 5,600 feet (1,700 m). The town (the name of which means top of the hill) rises over slopes extensively terraced in corn (maize). It was the governmental seat of the kingdom of Sikkim until the monarchy was abolished (1975) and Sikkim was annexed by India (1976). The capital serves as a market centre for corn, rice, pulses, and oranges. It was an important point on the IndiaTibet trade route via Nathula (Nathu Pass), 13 miles (21 km) northeast, until the border with Tibet was closed in 1962. From Gangtok the North Sikkim Highway (1962) reaches the Tibetan border areas via Lachung and Lachen, and the National Highway runs southwest to India. Gangtok has a hospital, secondary school, and law court and some modern shops, hotels, and cinemas. The town's landscape is marked by the former royal palace and chapel, two monasteries, the open-air Lall Market, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (1958; a centre for research in Mahayana Buddhism with a library and a museum), and the Cottage Industries Institute (1957). The noted Buddhist monastery of Rumtek is 5 miles (8 km) southwest, and the royal cremation ground is at nearby Lukshiyama. In Gangtok are government-maintained nurseries for cardamoman important exportand subtropical fruits, and there is an experimental agricultural station at Tadong, to the south. The population includes Nepalese, Tibetans, Lepchas, and Indians. Pop. (1981) 36,747.