Origin of name

Sikkim (or Sikhim) means crested land in Nepali. The term, which was coined by the invading Gorkhas, is derived from the Sanskrit word Shikhim which means “crested”, and is the most widely accepted origin. Sikkim would thus owe its name to its almost entirely mountainous terrain.

An alternative etymology suggests that the name originates in the Limbu words Su, which means “new”, and Khyim, which means “palace”. Hence the term Sikkim may also mean “New Palace”, in reference to the palace built by the state’s first ruler, Panchen Namgyal. The Tibetan name for Sikkim is ‘Bras mo ljongs, which means the “valley of rice”.