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World Posted On Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | Agencies
Kathmandu, Feb 9:
Almost two years after he was stripped of his crown and became a commoner, Nepal's deposed king Gyanendra himself has broken a centuries-old taboo.
The last king of Nepal, known to consult an army of astrologers before embarking on a journey or taking any major decision, hit the headlines Tuesday with reports that he had attended, for the first time in the history of Nepal's Shah dynasty, a religious fair in a town till now considered out of bounds for his family.
Escorted by bodyguards and aides, the 62-year-old ousted king drove himself to Panauti Monday, a town 35 km southeast of Kathmandu, to attend the Makar Mela, a Hindu fair held every 12 years.
In the past, legend had it that Panauti was a forbidden area for the Shah kings of Nepal since it was the domain of Hindu god Narayan and the kings of Nepal were considered incarnations of the same god.
Since Gyanendra's ancestor Prithvi Narayan Shah annexed Panauti in the 18th century, the legend sprang up and flourished, keeping the royal family away from the town.
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Sunday, August 01, 2010