ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the politicization of select Buddhist texts in the context of economic development and the Rathongchu movement in particular. It highlights how these texts became performative actors in the context of the Rathongchu hydroelectric project (RHEP) and cannot be treated as sacred texts guiding the religious understanding of Sikkim, as their current (re)interpretation historically reflects the ongoing negotiations in multi-ethnic Sikkim. Small but beautiful, the former Buddhist kingdom of Sikkim is located in the Eastern Himalayas with Mt. Kanchenjunga as its guardian deity. Sikkim became the 22nd state of India in 1975 and a member of the North Eastern Council in 2002. The Lepchas and the Bhutias in Sikkim are followers of the Nyingmapa sect which observes the teachings of the Buddhist saint Padmasambhava. RHEP was the first independent power plant to be initiated by the state government of Sikkim. RHEP was planned as an answer to Sikkim's development needs.
