Yuksom

Yuksom, in the wooded mountains of western Sikkim, is remembered as the meeting place of three Tibetan lamas and the first capital of the Sikkimese kingdom. At Norbugang a stone throne marks the place where Phuntsog Namgyal was consecrated as the first Chogyal, or religious king. Above the settlement stands Dubdi monastery, among the oldest monastic foundations in Sikkim.

In 1642 the three lamas gathered at Yuksom and crowned Phuntsog Namgyal, establishing a dynasty closely tied to Tibetan Buddhist religious authority. Tradition connects the name Yuksom with their meeting. The Chogyal appointed ministers and divided his kingdom into districts, giving a political structure to the new realm. Dubdi was established above Yuksom soon after the founding of the kingdom, preserving the religious importance of the site even as the royal seat later moved elsewhere.