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Article: Nepal's monarchy after the massacre.
- Article from:
- Contemporary Review
- Article date:
- November 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Contemporary Review Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE massacre of the Nepalese royal family has cast a dark shadow over Nepal. The murder of King Birendra, venerated by his subjects as the reincarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and his wife, Queen Aishwarya, by their eldest son, Crown Prince Dipendra, plunged this small Himalayan kingdom into turmoil. Succession in Nepal is through the male line. The bloodbath at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace in Kathmandu not only wiped out the royal family but almost all other future claimants to the throne. 'We have, in short' the Kathmandu Post wrote, 'lost a visionary monarch who ably guided his nation through thick and thin. It will no doubt be difficult to replace such a leader who ...