Rare photos on display of Naygyal dynasty's 333 years history

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Gangtok, July 23 (UNI) A photo exhibition showcasing some rare events of the Namgyal dynasty, which ruled this former kingdom for more than three centuries, is on display at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (NIT).

The Namgyal dynasty which traces its origin from Guru Tashi, a prince of Kham Minayak in the eastern Tibet region, ruled this erstwhile Himalayan kingdom exactly 333 years from 1642 till its merger with Indian Union in 1975.

NIT Director Tashi Densapa said the exhibition was an attempt to document the history of the Namgyal dynasty.

The show was inaugurated by Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling recently would continue for some months.

NIT sources said that each of the 65 photographs displayed were collected from several private and public sources from the country and abroad to present a comprehensive insight into some glorious moments of history of the royal regime.

The exhibition is the second in the series of an ongoing project launched by the institute's photo wing to collect, digitize and preserve the old photographs of historical importance in the digital image bank for the benefit of the coming generations.

The show covers the last four kings of the Namgyal dynasty which ruled Sikkim for twelve generations and featured some ''never seen'' before moments of the dynasty.

One photograph tells about the untimely death of crown prince Kunzang Palzor Namgyal, the eldest son of Sir Tashi Namgyal. The crown prince, a pilot officer of the Royal Indian Air Force, was killed in 1941 at the age of 20 after he crash-landed near Peshwar during a reconnaissance flight.

Another photograph depicting the coronation of Tashi Namgyal, who ascended the throne in 1914, also attracted the attention of the visitors.

A photograph taken in 1904-05 showing Tashi Namgyal with his two sisters arose a lot of interest among the historians.

Mr Densapa hoped that the exhbition would go a long way in recreating the Namgyal era of Sikkim's history and give people a multi-dimensional sense of their own history.

UNI BD PC PP KN1017

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