Forty years ago on May 16, 1975, when India annexed Sikkim, few had not seen it coming. India had already converted the tiny kingdom on its northern borders into an associate state in 1974, after almost 30 years of considering it a protectorate state with the same semi-independent rights the British had granted it before Independence.

Chogyal Tashi Namgyal, the old ruler died in 1963. His son Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal ruled after him. In the 1970s, the Sikkim State Congress Party began to agitate for democratic rule. Finally in 1975, India held a referendum with over half of Sikkim’s residents, almost all of whom voted to join the Indian republic. Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal remained under house arrest. He died of throat cancer in New York in 1982.

Today, that referendum is compared to Russia’s intentions with Crimea, but at the time, only China took strong objection to Sikkim’s absorption. As The Diplomat points out, it was one of the few annexations in recent history that has not been reversed.

In 1965, however, as unrest was only beginning to spread across the country, American photographer Alice Kandell made the first of several visits to Sikkim.

Kandell was a close college friend of Hope Cooke, the American wife of the new Chogyal. Namgyal wanted to document how Sikkim was developing its businesses and education – an effort that did not help him to retain his kingdom. On their invitation, Kandell made several visits to the kingdom until the early 1970s that would result in 15,000 photographs of Sikkimese culture before it was absorbed into India.

Here are some of Kandell's images, sourced from the US Library of Congress:


Palden Thondup Namgyal, King of Sikkim, and Hope Cooke, Queen of Sikkim, in brocaded dress, walking to the palace temple during the King's birthday celebration, May 1971.



Young girl, Kimu, carrying a birthday cake through the Lachung Monastery, Sikkim, February 1969.



Holiest reincarnate in Sikkim with teacher, Mt. Khangchondzonga [in] background, 1969.



Queen and Prince of Sikkim playing outdoors, Sikkim



Family of sick girl with Poh, a shaman, during a religious ritual to heal the child, 1971.



Rai Bahadur Sonam Tobden, (Athingla), a Sikkimese nobleman, sitting with his family, Sikkim, 1971.



Black Hat Lama throwing religious sacrifice into fire to destroy evil for the New Year, Sikkim, 1969.



Schoolchildren in classroom, Sikkim, 1969.



A young girl swinging on a handcrafted swing, Sikkim, 1969.



A young girl, Kimu, praying in front of a giant Buddha statue at the Lachung Monastery in northern Sikkim, 1969.



Masked clowns entertaining crowd at the New Year's ceremony, Gangtok, Sikkim, 1969.



Shinglay Lama and grandchildren sit in haystack near Singhik, Sikkim, 1969.


Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Chogyal Tashi Namgyal died in 1973, not 1963. His son Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal was kept under house arrest by Indian forces after being deposed. He died in New York in 1982.