Taksaris of Sikkim
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| Taksaris | |
|---|---|
| Current region | Sikkim |
| Place of origin | Kingdom of Sikkim |
| Distinctions | Aristocracy, Rai Sahib |
Taksaris of Sikkim (also known as Taksari Newars) were owners of minting houses, traders, landed class and their families in the former Kingdom of Sikkim. There were six families – mostly Newars – minting coins for the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom.[1][2] In the period of British influence, Chogyal of Sikkim gave these families large land estates as Thikadars, a system of hereditary leesee landlords with judicial and administrative power over their respective estates.[3][4][5]
After contact with the British, the agrarian Sikkimese society witnessed a drastic change in land use and settlement pattern. The British encouraged migration of Nepalese to Sikkim mainly for agriculture and labour. The two Newar trade families of Lachhimidas Pradhan and Chandrabir Maskey from princely estates of Kathmandu were given land as a contract or ‘’thika’’. These new landlords hence came to be known as Newar Thikadars. They could mint coins as ‘’Taksaris’’, engage labourers to clear forests for agriculture and encourage human settlements in their estates.[6]
In 1867, Newar trader Lachhimidas Pradhan was the first Nepalese to be given territories in East and South Sikkim by Khangsa Dewan and Phudong Lama under British influence by issuing a “Sanad”(ordinance) establishing a hereditary feudal estates. Lachhimidas and his brother Chandrabir Pradhan divided the areas into number of estates to be distributed within the members of the family. During this period another Newar family led by Chandrabir Maskey settled in Sadam, South Sikkim. In the same year an agreement was reached between the two families where Chandrabir Maskey was given the Pendam, Temi, Regu, Pakyong and Chotta Pathing estates. Lachhimidas Pradhan and his family took control of the estate bordering Majitar to Kaleej khola and Barmick in South Sikkim. His brother Chandrabir Pradhan(Kasaju) Chandrabir (Kasaju} was given Rhenock, Mamring, Pache Khani, and Taja along with a joint supervision of Dilding and parts of Pendam. “Ilakhas” or estates of Sadam, Pachekhani, Dikling and parts of Pendam were put under joint supervision of both the families.[7][8]
Thikadars who were granted lessee landlordships were mostly from the Nepali Newars and enjoyed a position just below the Kazis. Later, Kazis and Thikadars were more or less given equal status as the institution evolved in Sikkim. British granted noble titles like Rai Sahib to many Kazis and Thikadars[9]