Overview

In this first monograph on the history of Sikkim, the author challenges traditional Sikkimese historiography to rigourous historical enquiry by comparing it to original seventeenth and eighteenth century sources and exposes the contradictions founds within traditional narrative traditions. This book highlights, not only, how and why traditional historiography was developed but also redefines contemporary knowledge of the history of Sikkimese state formation. The book touches on key themes such as Tibetan understandings of state, kingship and the role of Buddhism in justifying political administration as well as social stratification and the economy of pre-modern Sikkim. This book will undoubtedly prove useful to those working on the development of historical traditions and state entities in Tibet and the Himalaya.

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9789004208957

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Reviews

'This specialized volume on the neglected Buddhist history of the small Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim is an essential addition to the growing field of Himalayan Studies and a testimony of the enduring legacy of Tibetan culture and religion in the Himalayas. It is the outcome of a fastidious documentation and study of primary sources from various public and private Tibetan collections, and of laborious fieldwork research,spanning over several years, in the Indian Himalayas of the North-East. Opening the Hidden Land is the first systematic work of its kind to introduce, translate and analyze available historical sources and raise relevant issues concerning some of the intricacies and inconsistencies in mainstream Sikkimese historiography. It will undoubtedly serve as a gratifying introduction and an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers working in this region.' Georgios T. Halkias, (Oriental Institute, Wolfson College), Religions of South Asia 6.1 (2012) 'The absence of archaeological and other physical evidence and the diversity of important dates and events within the documentary evidence exposes the book to the risk of conjecture and extrapolation. However, using multiple sources of information and the intensive research of texts, Mullard clearly and carefully steers the book away from such pitfalls thereby creating a body of work that will have extensive influence on research on Sikkim.' Mona Chettri, SOAS, Himalaya XXXII (2012)

'This specialized volume on the neglected Buddhist history of the small Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim is an essential addition to the growing field of Himalayan Studies and a testimony of the enduring legacy of Tibetan culture and religion in the Himalayas. It is the outcome of a fastidious documentation and study of primary sources from various public and private Tibetan collections, and of laborious fieldwork research,spanning over several years, in the Indian Himalayas of the North-East. Opening the Hidden Land is the first systematic work of its kind to introduce, translate and analyze available historical sources and raise relevant issues concerning some of the intricacies and inconsistencies in mainstream Sikkimese historiography. It will undoubtedly serve as a gratifying introduction and an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers working in this region.' Georgios T. Halkias, (Oriental Institute, Wolfson College), Religions of South Asia 6.1 (2012) 'The absence of archaeological and other physical evidence and the diversity of important dates and events within the documentary evidence exposes the book to the risk of conjecture and extrapolation. However, using multiple sources of information and the intensive research of texts, Mullard clearly and carefully steers the book away from such pitfalls thereby creating a body of work that will have extensive influence on research on Sikkim.' Mona Chettri, SOAS, Himalaya XXXII (2012)

Author Information

Saul Mullard, D.Phil (2009) in Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, is currently a Research Associate at The Oriental Institute, University of Oxford. He has published numerous works on the religious and political history of Sikkim including (with Hissey Wongchuk) Royal Records: The Sikkimese Palace Archive (IITB, 2010).

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