| Gyalshing district | |
|---|---|
|
[[File:|250x250px|frameless|center]] | |
| Settlement type | District |
| Country | India |
| State | |
| District | |
| Subdivision | |
Gyalshing district or Geyzing district[1] is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its headquarter is Geyzing, also known as Gyalshing. The district is a favourite among trekkers due to the high elevations. Other important towns include Pelling and Yuksom. Local people also call it as Pallo-Sikkim and Sano-Sikkim commonly.
History
Gyalshing district is the site of the ancient state capital Yuksom. It served as Sikkim's capital beginning in 1642 for almost 50 years until it was shifted to Rabdentse. The district was under the occupation of the Nepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. After Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), the district was returned to Sikkim.
Geography
Gyalshing district covers an area of Template:Convert. Attractions include the Khecheopalri Lake, where, according to legend, not a leaf is allowed to fall on the surface of the lake and the Dubdi Monastery, the first monastery of the state.
Assembly constituencies
The district was previously divided into 5 assembly constituencies.
National protected area
Economy
The economy is mainly agrarian, despite most of the land being unfit for cultivation owing to the precipitous and rocky slopes.
Transport
Roads are in poor condition owing to the frequent landslides.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Gyalshing district has a population of 136,435,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Grenada.[3] This gives it a ranking of 608th in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of Template:Convert .[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 10.58%.[2] It has a sex ratio of 941 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 78.69%.[2]
After bifurcation the district had a population of 71,675. 5.60% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 3,391 (4.73%) and 31,847 (44.43%) of the population respectively.[2]Template:Rp
The people are mainly of Limbu descent. Other ethnic groups include the Lepcha and Bhutia communities. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in the district.
Religion
Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the district. Buddhism followed by a considerable population. [4]
The Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple, a major Hindu pilgrimage centre in Sikkim, is situated in Legship in the district. [5]
Languages
Template:Pie chart At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 51.85% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 22.61% Limbu, 8.68% Lepcha, 7.05% Bhotia, 2.69% Sherpa, 1.55% Rai and 1.48% Hindi as their first language.[6]
Flora and fauna
Gyalshing district houses a great diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are used by Indigenous and local communities.[7] Since most of the district is hilly it enjoys a temperate climate. Above 3,800 m (12,000 ft) the slopes are full of rhododendron forests.
In 1977, the district became home to Khangchendzonga National Park, which has an area of Template:Convert.[8] It shares the park with North Sikkim district.[9]
Divisions
Administrative divisions
Template:Multiple image
Gyalshing district is divided into two sub-divisions:[10]
Template:West Sikkim image map
| Name | Headquarters | Number of villages[11] | Location |
| Gyalshing | Gyalshing | ||
| Soreng | Soreng |
References
- ↑ thetelegraph.com. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 District Census Hand Book – Sikkim. Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ↑ Country Comparison:Population. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ↑ Table C-01 Population by Religion: Sikkim. censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India(2011).
- ↑ Some of the Religious Places of Sikkim. Government of Sikkim. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
- ↑ Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Sikkim. censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ↑ Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine({Template:Date).
- ↑ Sikkim claims India's first mixed-criteria UNESCO World Heritage Site. Current Science({Template:Date).
- ↑ Protected areas: Sikkim. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ↑ Template:Cite map
- ↑ MDDS e-Governance Code (Sikkim Rural). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 15 October 2011.