Narayanhiti Palace

The Narayanhity Royal Palace in Kathmandu, Nepal

The Narayanhity Royal Palace or Narayanhity Durbar is a palace in Nepal which long served as a primary residence to that country's monarchs. The palace was constructed under order of the Shah dynasty in the 18th century. On June 1, 2001, it was the site of the Nepalese royal massacre, where King Birendra of Nepal and Queen Aiswarya were allegedly shot to death by Crown Prince Dipendra along with 6 others before Dipendra turned his weapon on himself.

Abolition of the monarchy

Narayanhiti Palace was nationalized by the Nepalese government in August 2007 but the king was allowed to remain there until the pending Constituent Assembly elections. King Gyanendra left Narayanhiti for Nagarjuna Palace one day after the decision, but later returned to the palace.

In spring 2008 Narayanhiti owed the state nearly NRS75 million (over $1 million) over their electricity, water and phone bills. The palace stopped paying its electricity dues in 2005, the year the king seized absolute power.

After the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won a plurality in the Nepalese Constituent Assembly election held on April 10, 2008, a senior Maoist leader, CP Gajurel, stated that the King was informed through his relatives that he should leave the Narayanhiti Palace as soon as possible. The Maoist Minister for Physical Planning and Works, Hisila Yami, made it clear that the royal palace would be soon converted into a museum.

In spite of this the king celebrated his 37th wedding anniversary by throwing a lavish feast in Narayanhiti on May 1, 2008.

The monarchy was abolished in Nepal on May 28, 2008, at the opening of the Constituent Assembly; Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave the palace. On 29 May, the royal standard was removed from the palace and replaced with the national flag. The Constituent Assembly also decided that the palace would become a museum or would be used for the national interest in some way as decided by the government. The government warned that Gyanendra could be forcibly removed from the palace if he did not leave during the allotted time. As he was required to depart Narayanhity, he asked the government to make arrangements for his new residence on June 1, and on June 4 the government decided to give another palace, the Nagarjuna Palace, to Gyanendra.

The ex-king and his wife left Narayanhity Palace on June 11, 2008 after a press conference. Gyanendra gave his royal crown jewels to the new Nepalese government. He also left behind most of the furniture, along with gifts he received in his capacity as the country's head of state. His stepmother Queen Mother Ratna and his grandfather's 94 year old concubine Sarala Gorkhali were allowed to live on in their homes within the compound of the palace, in a fenced-off area. On June 15, a ceremony took place at Narayanhity at which the national flag was raised and the palace became a museum. According to Home Minister Krishna Situala, the palace museum was planned to be opened to the public in about three months.

Narayanhity Museum

The historical palace turned into a public museum immediately after the country was a republic. It is open to national and international visitors on weekdays. The very valuable throne and the crown is not yet publicly available due to security reasons.