नागरिक पोष्ट News

Expansion of Gorkha kindgdom

King Prithvi Narayan Shah‘s reign began with an immediate military defeat; his invasion of Nuwakot in 1743 CE failed. Conquering Nuwakot was essential for the unification, as it lay between Kathmandu and the Gorkha District, making it a vital trading route to Tibet. However, he successfully conquered Nuwakot in a subsequent attack in 1744 CE. After capturing Nuwakot, he took possession of the strategic locations in the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley. The valley was completely cut off from the outside world and was controlled solely by Shah. He also occupied the Kuti Pass in c.1756 CE, halting all trade through the pass and preventing communication with Tibet.

He was determined in his quest to extend his territory and he did not consider any type of relations seriously rather used them solely for the fulfillment of the purpose. No matter how cruel or strict Prithvi Narayan Shah was, it was this cruelty as well as his courage that made him able to fulfill his wish to unite the small kingdoms and create a greater Nepal. He was also responsible for developing the feeling of unity in diversity among the people of Nepal as he considered Nepal as the garden of four caste and 36 sub-castes. If it wasn’t for him, we might not have been able to feel proud to call ourselves Nepali. It was his courage that kept Nepal free from British invasion and also brought unity in diversity among the people of Nepal.

Nepalese of my generation associate the end of the 104 years old Rana oligarchy with a garlanded king in Nepalese mayelposh suruwal dress waving his right hand to acknowledge the multitude that thronged the Kathmandu airport to see him arrive from India after a short exile. He was a powerless, dethroned king returning now as a sovereign Head of State. For most of us the iconic imagery heralded the advent of a new open democratic Nepal and the king – Tribhuvan – instantly became the Shah king most revered and recognizable after the founder of the dynasty and his ancestor King Prithivi Narayan Shah. That day has been marked in the Nepalese calendar and imprinted in our consciousness as Democracy Day, the 7th day of the Nepalese month of Falgun, 2007 B.S. Although I was born 4 years later, I cannot yet erase the memory from my mind.

King Mahendra Nepal died today after suffering a heart attack yesterday the Government announced. He was 51 years old and had been king since May 1956.

Adhered to Nonalignment

The crown prince had been anointed with Himalayan mountain mud for wisdom, with horse‐stable mud for speed and with elephant‐pen mud for muscle.

After all the preparations had been completed, and at 10:43 A.M. on May 2, 1956, the time selected by the royal astronomers as most propitious the plumed and jeweled $2million crown of the King ofNepal was set upon the head of 36‐year‐old Mahendra.

He became in a moment the King of Kings, Five Times Godly, Valorous Warrior Divine Emperor and the reincarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god.

United States will know how to cooperate with His Majesty in integrating their educational philosophy with the cultural aspirations of his people. It is in a spirit of deep admiration for his noble part in the liberation and elevation of his people that in the name of the University of Detroit I present, Reverend President, His Majesty,Mehendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva, for the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws. Commencement, University of Detroit, May 23, 1960.

ing his father King Birendra and other family members before shooting himself, a love-crazed prince exposes Nepal to emotions it never knew and uncertainy it never wanted. The story of heavenly love turned to hellish fury.

courtship of Devyani. The prince’s mother was bitterly critical of her son’s choice.

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth was the most evocative tale of a king being killed by his host. But Duncan and Macbeth were king and vassal, not father and son.

On Friday, June 1, when King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal – by local legend, the living incarnation of Vishnu – chose Tribhuvan Sadan within Kathmandu’s Narayanhity Palace complex for the regular Friday family dinner, little did he suspect that a convivial evening would have a grisly conclusion.

Here are top 5 quotes of King Birendra:

“The people ask us for hygienic drinking water, roads, schools, and hospitals, not for democracy.”– Birendra

“She (America) is also regarded as a nation committed to respecting a man and his dignity”- King Birendra

“Nepal has always sought understanding and co-operation from our friends and neighbors.” – King Birendra

“I have sought that the minimum of basic needs must not be denied peopling anywhere in the world.” –king Birendra

“Modern Technology has reduced distance and joined us all in a family of nations”- king Birendra

Former Nepalese King Gyanendra, the world’s last Hindu monarch, was forced from the throne on May 28th after Nepal’s newly elected Constituent Assembly voted to abolish the country’s 239-year-old royal dynasty. The assembly was the culmination of a peace process that ended Nepal’s decade-long Maoist insurgency, during which Gyanendra alienated both sides by abruptly claiming power for himself and dissolving the government in 2005. After the vote, Nepalese officials presented Gyanendra with an eviction notice of sorts, giving him 15 days to vacate the palace.

Tainted figures

Those who demand only the revival of the Hindu state (and not the monarchy) believe that due to the tainted image of King Gyanendra and his son Paras Shah, common people will not accept them as their king. (Many Nepalis suspect the two had a hand in the 2001 royal massacre, and Paras has a long history of waywardness.) “Gyanendra is a major cause of the monarchy’s abolition. Had there been another figure, the institution would probably have survived. Gyanendra and his son Paras are still the main stumbling blocks to the monarchy’s revival,” says a top politician of a pro-monarchy party who has closely worked with the former king. “The then Indian foreign minister Natwar Singh and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had also given their nod to ‘a baby king’, but it did not materialize due to Gyanendra’s opposition,” he adds. Even the elder statesman and leader of the 2006 ‘people’s uprising’ Girija Prasad Koirala had repeatedly floated the proposal of ‘a baby king’.

Some say the king wants direct talks with the Maoists. Others say he is planning a new offensive against them. If he fails, what happened this week could turn out to be academic. Unless someone finds a way to stop their advance, it may be the Maoists, not Gyanendra, who decide the fate of Nepal.