To strategically preserve the political, social, and cultural ties with Tibet, the Chogyals of Sikkim took their wives from the ranks of the Tibetan aristocracy. (Sikkimese princesses were often sent for marriage to Tibetan nobility, as well.) Here, the Tibetan wedding party of Princess Sangey Deki Samdo Phodrang arrives in Sikkim’s capital of Gangtok, ahead of her wedding to Crown Prince Palden Thondup Namgyal in August 1950.

Three years after annexation, in 1978, the Crown Prince Tenzing Kunzang Jigme Namgyal died when his car went over the edge on one of Gangtok’s narrow, steep roads. Here, schoolchildren pay respects to the Crown Prince, who was 26 at his death, during his funeral procession in 1978.

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi walks with Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal on Lal Bazaar in Gangtok during a visit in 1968.

Sikkim Guards exercise on the Guards’ Ground in 1970.

Sikkimese men practice archery, the kingdom’s national sport, in 1940.

The Sikkim Guards, a small fighting force of less than 300, exercise outside the old Palace in 1914.

Sir Tashi Namgyal succeeded his brother to become Sikkim’s 11th rule in 1914. His reign was characterized by socio-economic reforms, including the separation of executive and judicial powers, and the abolition of unpaid labor. Here, people sit for his coronation luncheon in 1914.

Buddhist monks play ceremonial instruments at the Tsuklakhang in 1973.

In 1953, Crown Prince Palden Thondup Namgyal was appointed as President of the Mahabodhi Society of India, a South Asian Buddhist organization. Here, the Crown Prince addresses a crowd in Bodhgaya, India, during the 1956 celebrations for Buddha Jayanti, which marks Buddha’s birthday.

Buddhist monks play ceremonial instruments in the funeral procession for the Crown Prince Tenzing as it winds its way up to Lukshyama, the royal cremation ground, in 1978.

A Buddhist monk, followed by Prince Wangchuk, lead the funeral procession of the late Crown Prince’s to Lukshyama, the royal cremation ground, in 1978.

People walk along the main artery, renamed Mahatma Gandhi Marg, in Gangtok in 1973. Gangtok, a quaint hill town with barely 15,000 inhabitants at the time, has now become a bustling tourist destination with a population of over 100,000.