Monarchy in Nepal

The history of Nepal is inseparable with its monarchy. Monarchy is a form of government where the King is the executive head of the government with or without a people elected government to support it. The history of Nepal, since years, has revolved around the two warring dynasties namely Shahs and Ranas. The former were the one who united the nomads to form a nation that is now known as Nepal. Ranas were the one who usurped the kingdom in the later years. The bloodbath between the two dynasties and the incidents such as Kot massacre will go down as the black chapters in the history of Nepal. Later, both these dynasties came in to matrimonial alliance and buried their hatched.

This alliance is reflected on the flag of Nepal too. The two triangular portions of the flag represent the two dynasties. The most illustrious king in the history of Nepal was Tribhuwan Bir Vikram Shah. The king was said to be pro-people and pro-development and initiated many reforms for the masses. No wonder, most of the buildings in Nepal are named after the monarch. His only son Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah followed him. Mahendra Bir Bikram had modern ideas in his kitty and it was he, who first blew the wind of change.

His eldest son, Birendra Bir Vikram Shah, succeeded him to the throne. A man of principle and a visionary, Birendra Bir not only carried forward the works initiated by his father Mahendra Bir Shah, but also revolutionized the process of grass root democracy. It was widely speculated that the king would some day take Nepal to the path of full-fledged democracy with a republic system to monitor.

Sadly, the king assassinated along with his immediate family in very mysterious circumstances in the year 2001. The finer points of the royal massacre are still unclear and unanswered at the same time. His younger brother Gyanendra, who was clearly not in sync with the changing times, followed him to the throne. He scrapped democracy in the pretext of possible onslaught by the Maoist rebels in the 'Tarai' region. There were wide and violent protests, which the monarch tried to subdue with the help of his loyal and ruthless armed force. The initiative backfired and he had to succumb to the International pressure. Finally he ordered the restoration of democracy along with sizeable clippings of his own executive powers.

From people worshipping monarchs as an incarnation of Vishnu to people vying for his blood, Nepal has seen it all. The new century brings new tidings for the people of Nepal. With the Maoists on the forefront and centrists at helm, Nepal is destined to see a bright future. As for the monarchy, the future looks bleak.