This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2018) |
Total population | |
---|---|
60,300 (2001)[1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Sikkim | 41,889[2] |
Nepal | 10,087 |
Bhutan | 6000 |
West Bengal | 4293 |
Languages | |
Sikkimese, Nepali, Dzongkha, Tibetan | |
Religion | |
Buddhism, Bön | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Tibetan, Sherpa, Tamang, Yolmo, Other Tibeto-Burman people |
The Bhutias (exonym; Nepali: भुटिया, "People from Tibet") or Drejongpas (endonym; Tibetan: འབྲས་ལྗོངས་པ་, Wylie: Bras-ljongs-pa, THL: dre jong pa, "People of the Rice Valley") are a Tibetan ethnic group native to the Indian state of Sikkim who speak Drejongke, a Tibetic language which descends from old Tibetan. In addition to the majority of them living in the state of Sikkim, significant numbers of them also reside in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of northern West Bengal as well as in countries such as Nepal and Bhutan.