Nepal has ordered its monarch, long revered by Hindu Nepalese as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, to vacate his palace.
The country has voted to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic, removing King Gyanendra’s image from bank notes and references to the king from the national anthem and the army. The monarchy lost its allure to Nepalese in 2001 after a palace massacre in which King Birendra and eight other royals were murdered by then Crown Prince Dipendra, who then killed himself. The palace is to proposed to be converted into a museum |