The Mandala Kingdom, A Political History of Sikkim, by Alex McKay

Spanning over the centuries, The Mandala Kingdom lays bare the story of Sikkim and its making. Drawing upon numerous sources, historian Alex McKay forensically traces the circles of political influence which shaped Sikkim.

Erudite, painstaking and thoroughly accessible,
The Mandala Kingdom is essential reading, for scholars of   history and for those curious about Sikkim—an erstwhile,    ancient kingdom and the last addition to the Indian union.

Alex McKay is a historian specialising in the Indo-Tibetan world, where he has spent many years, travelling and working. Originally from New Zealand, he has a B.A.(Hons.) in Religious Studies and History and a Ph.D. in South Asian History from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, London University). A retired lecturer and research fellow at SOAS and the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden (The Netherlands), he has authored or edited a number of books and over forty articles on Indo-Tibetan history and culture.