Sikkim (also Sikhim) (DevanÄgarÄ«: सिकà¥à¤•à¤¿à¤® ) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India, and the second smallest in area after Goa. Sikkim was an independent state ruled by the Namgyal monarchy until 1975, when a referendum was held and the population voted to join India as its twenty-second state.