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Gyanendra of Nepal
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Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (; Jñanendra Vira Bikrama Sah) (born 7 July 1947) was the last King of Nepal. He is the only king in Nepal who is throned as a king in his life twice. He reigned as "King Gyanendra" from his accession in 2001 until the dissolution of the monarchy in 2008, when he became a private citizen and was stripped of his royal titles and status. His reign is considered to have been a disaster for the monarchist cause in Nepal; in particular, his decision to impose direct rule resulted in the Maoist insurgency and the moderate, democratic political parties to unite in opposition to his absolute rule, an alliance which under any other circumstances would have been extraordinarily unlikely.
He succeeded to the throne upon the death of his nephew Dipendra, who was King for only three days while in a coma, following the massacre of the preceding king (Gyanendra's brother, Birendra) and other members of the royal family.
In February 2005 King Gyanendra took complete control of the government, dismissing the elected parliament.
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Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (; Jñanendra Vira Bikrama Sah) (born 7 July 1947) was the last King of Nepal. He is the only king in Nepal who is throned as a king in his life twice. He reigned as "King Gyanendra" from his accession in 2001 until the dissolution of the monarchy in 2008, when he became a private citizen and was stripped of his royal titles and status. His reign is considered to have been a disaster for the monarchist cause in Nepal; in particular, his decision to impose direct rule resulted in the Maoist insurgency and the moderate, democratic political parties to unite in opposition to his absolute rule, an alliance which under any other circumstances would have been extraordinarily unlikely.
He succeeded to the throne upon the death of his nephew Dipendra, who was King for only three days while in a coma, following the massacre of the preceding king (Gyanendra's brother, Birendra) and other members of the royal family.
In February 2005 King Gyanendra took complete control of the government, dismissing the elected parliament. Following opposition to his direct rule he was forced to return power to parliament in April 2006, which in turn reduced the king's status to that of a ceremonial monarch. He continued as such until 28 May 2008 when he was peacefully deposed and Nepal became a federal republic.
Early life and first reign
Gyanendra was born in KulekhaniKathmandu as the second son of Crown Prince Mahendra and his wife Crown Princess Indra. After his birth, his father was told by a court astrologer not to look at his newborn son because it would bring him bad luck, so Gyanendra was sent to live with his grandmother.
In November 1950, during a political plot, both his father and his grandfather King Tribhuvan along with other royals fled to India, leaving the young Gyanendra as the only male member of the Royal Family in Nepal. He was brought back to the capital Kathmandu by the Prime Minister Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, who had him declared king on 7 November 1950. Small Gyanendra was not only crowned but even coins were issued in his name. The Rana PM used to provide three hundred thousand rupee annual budget as a expenditure of the king. After opposition to the hereditary rule of the Rana Prime Ministers from India, a deal was reached in January 1951, and his grandfather King Tribhuvan returned to Nepal and resumed the throne. The actions of Rana regime to depose his grandfather and place him on the throne was not internationally recognized.
He studied with his elder brother King Birendra in St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling, India; in 1969, he graduated from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.
King Gyanendra served as chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Coronation of his brother Birendra in 1975. He is also a keen conservationist and served as Chairman of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation from 1982 until his ascension of the throne in 2001.
Gyanendra married Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah on 1 May 1970 in Kathmandu; they have two children
- Prince Parash Shah of Nepal (born 30 December 1990)
- Princess Prerana Malla of Nepal (born 20 February 1978).
Succession
The events surrounding the Royal Massacre on 1 June 2001 have proved very controversial in the country. Some still believe that King Gyanendra is the mastermind behind the royal massacre, because all other royal family members were killed during the incident whilst Gyanendra's immediate family members were spared. This theory is held among some sections of the population, mainly due to the fact that Gyanendra succeeded the massacred royals to the throne. A two-man investigation team appointed by Gyanendra, and made up of Keshav Prasad Upadhaya, then Supreme Court Chief Justice, and Taranath Ranabhat, then speaker of the House of Representatives, carried out a week-long investigation. After interviewing more than 100 people — including eyewitnesses, palace officials, guards, and staff — they found that Dipendra had carried out the massacre, but did not draw any further conclusions. As his nephew lay in a coma, Gyanendra was named regent; but following Dipendra's death on 4 June 2001, Gyanendra ascended the throne. Recently, a Nepali writer, Ashutosh Shrivastav, alleged that Indian and Nepali political parties were complicit in this crime , as part of an Indian expansionist policy towards Nepal that the author alleges exists.
Early reign
During his early years on the throne, Gyanendra sought to exercise full control over the government because of the failure of all parties. In May 2002 he supported the popularly elected Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba when he dismissed the parliament elected in 1999. In October 2002 he dismissed Deuba and consolidated his power for the first time. During the years 2002 to 2005 he chose and subsequently dismissed three prime ministers, finally dismissing Deuba for the second time and taking over as absolute ruler on 1 February 2005.
His brother King Birendra had negotiated a constitutional monarchy during his rule in a delicate manner in which he, as King, played a minor role in government, so King Gyanendra's confrontational approach with the established political parties was met with widespread censure.
When King Gyanendra took complete control for the second time on 1 February 2005, he accused prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's government of failing to make arrangements for parliamentary elections and of being unable to restore peace in the country, then in the midst of a civil war led by Maoist insurgents.
King Gyanendra promised that "peace and effective democracy" would be restored within three years,
but the period of direct rule was accompanied by repression of dissent. International organizations expressed grave concerns about the safety of journalists, following the king's decision to restrict civil liberties, including freedom of the press, the constitutional protection against censorship and the right against preventive detention
Gyanendra countered, saying that "democracy and progress contradict one another" as a necessary step in restoring peace to the country.
In April 2006 the constitutionalists staged protests and strikes in Kathmandu against King Gyanendra's direct rule. The royal government responded by declaring a curfew, which was enforced with live firearms and tear gas. The government's response drew condemnation from other countries including India and the United States. On 21 April 2006 King Gyanendra announced that he would yield executive authority to a new prime minister chosen by the political parties to oversee the return of democracy. Several party leaders rejected the offer and again demanded that the king call a council to determine the monarchy's future role in politics. On 24 April 2006 King Gyanendra reinstated the previous parliament in a televised address to the nation.
End of direct rule
On 10 June 2006, the parliament scrapped the major powers of the king, including his right to veto laws. This ended the idea of a "King in Parliament," and he was reduced to a figurehead, though for a time he continued to offer felicitations and to receive diplomats. According to Article 167 of the constitution, all executive powers as well as those enjoyed by the king in the previous Constitution are now vested in the prime minister. All powers of the 239-year-old monarchy were stripped, making King Gyanendra a civilian king under the interim constitution.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who previously supported the continuation of the monarchy, said in March, 2007 that he thought the king should step down. In June, Koirala repeated his call for King Gyanendra to abdicate in favour of his grandson Prince Hridayendra.
On 23 August 2007 Nepal's transitional government nationalised all the properties King Gyanendra inherited from his brother including the Narayanhity Royal Palace. The move did not affect the properties he owned before his ascension to throne.
Being stoned at the temple
On the occasion of the Maha shivaratri, the king was there at the Pashupatinath temple for worshipping lord Shiva. The cars escorting the car of Gyanendra were stoned by unknown persons at the temple area. After having worshipped, the king returned back from the western gate on foot. While he was about to enter into his car, some stone were thrown at the king at the temple from the northern part of the religious area. After the car proceeded, more of the stone were thrown at the car of the king which was driven by the king himself.
The thrown stone got into the cars escorting the king’s car and the car of the king as well. After the incident, hundreds of armed forces creating a circular chain of security led the king’s car forward to Gaushala. While the king was entering the temple, the people protested against monarchy and the king. Because of the protest and traffic obstruction, the king returned almost forty five minutes late to the palace.
The security personnel tried to clear out the mass protesting against the king and monarchy with foul language. The situation worsened after the same mass protested while the king was about to return to the palace. To control the agitating mass, Nepal army and armed police force as well as the Nepal police was allocated in a huge number. In the darkness, the king was being stoned from the north region. The queue of people waiting for worshipping became impatient as the king took a long time inside the temple and supported the protestors protesting against the king.
The home minister of the then government said that the incident which happened was very sad and that there is no reason to stone the king who has a purpose of worshipping and nothing more than that. He also said that the incident wouldn’t occur again and also stated that the deed was of those who want no peace and stability in the country. This was the first time in the history of Nepal that a king was being stoned at. King Gyanendra who was ‘unpopular’ among the people faced such an incident during such a long history of the Shah dynasty.
Boycotting the king's birthday
The 60th birthday of king Gyanendra was boycotted by the government officials including the ambassadors for Nepal who were invited for the king’s birthday. The royal palace requested security forces for the birthday party but the government refused the proposal stating that there were enough security arrangements made already and no need of extra forces. On the other hand, the palace insisted that the security situation in the country had worsened and so the party needed more security. About eight hundred people were invited but only about hundred and fifteen people were present at the party.
According to one of the royal members only few ministers of the Panchayat regime, royal members, about ten Major generals who were to get retirement in the near future and some former army officials were present in the party of the king. Former prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Marichman Singh and the ministers during Gyanendra’s regime were present during the occasion. The ambassadors of the member countries of the European Union weren’t present at the party of the royal palace according to their former decision.
The Prime Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the parliament, ministers and other high ranking officials weren’t present at the night party organized at the royal palace. The prime minister, the government officials including the foreign ambassadors had already decided not to participate at the king’s party. The invitation was given to all in the name of queen Komal.
The army chief, Rukmangat Katuwal also remained absent at the function but at the earlier birthday of the king, the army chief was present. The royal activists according to their scheduled plan performed a rally marking the auspicious occasion of the king’s birthday. The student organization of the seven party alliance and the Maoist activists released a press statement that they would obstruct the gathering of the royal activists. There was a clash between the group of the students and the royal activists in which few persons were injured.
The government of Nepal in the earlier birthday of the king, decided not to participate at the king’s birthday but send a written felicitations of well wishes and congratulations to him. King Gyanendra appealed everyone to work for peace and democracy in the country on the occasion of his 60th birthday known as ‘Hirak Janmahotsav’. He made this appeal to those who came to wish him for his birthday at the royal palace.
The third day of the birthday party was organized by Prince Paras Shah. The party members of Rastriya Prajatantra party were present during the feast. The king refused speaking to media persons at the party. According to some people present at the party, people meeting the king asked him to save the country and preserve its integrity and nationality.
Transition to republic
King Gyanendra, in an interview with foreign reporters, expressed dissatisfaction over the decision made by the Interim Parliament to abolish monarchy after the April 10 Constituent Assembly elections. The interview was published in Japan's leading newspaper Daily Yomiuri. Speaking to a selected group of Japanese correspondents at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace on February 4, King Gyanendra said, "(The decision) doesn't reflect the majority view of the people. This isn't democracy." He, however, conceded that the people do have the right to choose the fate of monarchy.
The king also said the law and order situation of the country was deteriorating, questioning the Interim Government's ability to govern the country even after he had accepted the roadmap of the seven-party alliance. Citing the recent survey which showed 49 percent of respondents favored the continuation of the monarchy in some form, King Gyanendra claimed, "A majority of the people find great meaning in the institution of the monarchy. In all clouds, there is a silver lining. Let us hope."
Gyanendra had broken his closely guarded silence in an interview with a Nepali pro-monarchist weekly paper in which he said he remained silent to "let the peace process succeed."
The King said, "Nepalese people themselves should speak out on where the nation is heading, on the direction it is taking and on why it is becoming chaotic." He claimed that his attempt on 1 February, 2005 was for a good purpose of restoring peace and stability in the country. He said that his attempt wasn’t a success and so the countrymen are suffering at present.
In an interview taken with the king’s ‘advisor’, Bharat Keshar Singh, he claimed that the bill passed from the parliament was a bluff. Replying to the question raised regarding the king’s silence even after the bill was passed declaring the state a republic, he said that there was nothing for which the king had to respond. He claimed that the parliament which declared a republic was reinstated by the king himself and has no authority to dethrone the same king. He claimed that the King was examining the activities of the government and the parliament and was waiting for a suitable time frame for responding them. He said that no people would accept the ‘bill’ unless decided by a referendum or elected members in the constituent assembly.
On January 15, 2007, the Interim Parliament was set up with CPN-M included, and on April, 1, 2007, the Interim Government joined by CPN-M was formed. On December 28, 2007, the Nepali Interim Parliament approved a bill for the amendment to the Interim Constitution promulgated on January 15, 2007, with clause reading Nepal will turn into a federal democratic republic, which is to be implemented by the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly.
Abolition of the monarchy
It was announced on 24 December 2007, that the monarchy would probably be abolished in 2008, following the approval, as part of a peace deal with former Maoist rebels, of the Nepalese Parliament in favor of a bill that would see the constitution amended so as to make Nepal a republic.
On 27 May 2008, the meeting decided to give the king fifteen days to vacate the palace, and decided that the first meeting would be held the next day at 11AM (but was delayed due to the indecision among the leading parties on power-sharing and the nomination of 26 members of the Constituent Assembly) which was widely believed to abolish the monarchy.
On 28 May 2008, the monarchy was officially abolished and replaced with a secular federal republic by an overwhelming vote (560-4) of the Constituent Assembly. Gyanendra accepted the decision in the following days. As he was required to depart Narayahiti, he asked the government to make arrangements for his residence on 1 June, and on 4 June the government decided to give another palace, the Nagarjuna Palace, to Gyanendra.
Gyanendra departed the Narayanhiti palace in Kathmandu on 11 June 2008 moving into the Nagarjuna Palace. His new residence consists of 10 buildings including the royal residence Hemanta Bas, 3 guest houses (Barsha Bas, Sharad Bas and Grishma Bas), one office secretariat and one staff quarters. Gyanendra and his family moved into the 2-storey Hemanta Bas. Following his departure the Narayanhiti palace was turned into a museum, while Gyanendra's diamond and ruby-encrusted crown and royal scepter along with all the other crown jewels and royal assets, became government property. The Royal family's departure from the palace was reported as being a “major symbolic moment in the fall of the Shah dynasty, which unified Nepal in the 1760s.”
Walking away from the palace
The king organized a press conference in the Kaski Hall of the royal palace before he departed. After finishing his twenty minutes long speech, the king thanked all media personnel for attending the conference. During his speech, the king rejected the accusation made against him for the royal massacre, and denied that he had accumulated illegal money during his regime. He also denied other charges, such as that he transferred the riches of his brother Birendra, Dhirendra, and other members of the royal family into his own name.
He clarified that there was no changes in the monetary status of the royal member during his period, neither increased nor decreased. He said that his intimacy towards a sovereign Nepal will remain despite his constitutional position or status. He said that he would not leave Nepal and wanted to devote more in the process of making a new Nepal. He stated that he wanted to contribute to the peace process staying in Nepal itself.
He said that the parliament was reinstated for the cost of peace and democracy in Nepal. He stated that he played a role in implementing the verdict of the government putting ahead the people’s mandate and wish. The king controlled his emotions during the departure but Queen Komal was unable to control her emotions during the departure time. The queen had asked the king to request the government for the Trishul Sadan or any other palace besides the main palace but King Gyanendra refused it. But according to the king’s request the government of Nepal provided a place for his mother Ratna, and his grandmother Sarala Shah inside the Narayanhiti Palace itself.
King Gyanendra also demanded Nagarjuna palace as a proposal for the creative ending of the monarchy. The protesters protested against the monarchy while the car of the King departed from the gate of the royal palace. While the other groups were shouting in favor of the king and monarchy asking the king not to leave the palace.
Autobiography
Gyanendra has reportedly started writing his autobiography. Leading a low-key life in virtual exile, his autobiography in English is to have five segments.
It starts with his turbulent childhood, when he was crowned king as a toddler and his life was in jeopardy after his grandfather Tribhuvan and father Mahendra fled to India seeking asylum, taking his elder brother Birendra with them but abandoning him. The momentous incident is believed to have affected the boy profoundly, triggering a latent desire for power and two years ago, moving him to stage a coup.
When he quit the Narayanhity royal palace on June 11, the deposed king referred to the childhood crowning, saying fate had taken a hand in making him king. The other parts of the autobiography deal with his experience of working as the chairman of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, a role that was taken away after his regime fell, his days on the throne as the unexpected king of Nepal after Birendra and his entire family perished in a midnight massacre in the palace, the fall of monarchy and conclusion.
First public appearance after ousting
In his first public appearance since the declaration of Republic, former King Gyanendra visited a shrine of a Hindu religious sect in Bhaktapur on 2 October 2008. Speaking briefly to journalists after visiting Shyama Shyam Dhama in Thimi, Bhaktapur, the ex-King said he wanted peace in the country. He also wished for a peaceful festival (Dashain) for Nepali people."Let there be peace and every Nepali must be able to live in peace and prosperity," the cheerful former monarch said. He, however, dodged political questions.
He stayed there for nearly an hour when he met Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, the leader of the Hindu sect. It was not known what transpired during the meeting, but the ex-King is known to have gone there to receive blessings from the Indian god-man.
He had left Nargarjuna 'palace', his new home in the middle of a forest in the northwestern suburb of Kathmandu, at 11am, without security escort.
Gyanendra has lived a reclusive life ever since he moved to Nagarjuna palace on June 11 after the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic on May 28 2008
Dashain Tika
The former king offered 'Tika' on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, one of the most important festival of the Nepalese people. The arrangements was made by the secretariat of the former king. In the past, as the head of the state, the king used to offer 'Tika' and 'jamara' to the people during the dashain festival. President Ram Baran Yadav was doing the same at his residence at Shital Niwas.
Increasing popularity ratings
In a poll conducted on October 2008 Gyanendra's rock-bottom popularity ratings were reported to be slowly increasing.
King Gyanendra recently made his first trip outside of Nepal since the country became a republic in 2008. The King and Queen Komal travelled to India for a three week visit in order to attend a family wedding. News media has reported that members of the ruling Maoist party have expressed concerns over the ex-king's visit and have suggested that the true purpose of the trip was to gain support for the restoration of the Shah monarchy with his young grandson Prince Hridayendra as a child king.
Titles and honours
- Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange (The Netherlands), 1967
- Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (Thailand), 1979
- Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (France), 1983
- Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (United Kingdom), 1986
- Grand Cross of Order of Isabel la Católica (Spain), 1987
- His Holy Majesty, King of the Lands of the Nepalese People and Knight of the Holy and Most Majestic Order of the Rose of Jordan (2001-2008)
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