Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu to celebrate the end of the monarchy. King Gyanendra has to vacate his palace and Nepal will become a republic after 240 years of the Shah dynasty.
It is difficult to conceive that Gyanendra, the seemingly imperturbable sovereign, is going. During his coronation in 2001, the people called him a murderer. He was applauded in 2004 when he assumed absolute power, promising to end the civil war with Maoist rebels. However, he tasted final defeat in the wake of mass protests in 2006.
Rumours
Then, he was said to be giving money to armed groups to fan ethnic violence, especially in southern Nepal. Then..he was going to emigrate and live in a country house in France.
Then..he would go to India, where the faithful would honour him as the world's only Hindu sovereign. Another idea was that he was going to remain in Nepal and resume his former career as a businessman.
Jokes
Jokes also did the rounds. The Nepali Times suggested "making Gyanendra's palace into a museum with the king a living wax model sitting at his desk". The reason for all this commotion was his unruffled performance.
Just last week, he visited a temple where he offered the sacrifice of five animals. Organisations such as Animal Nepal protested,the palace has always been infamous for its cruel animal sacrifices usually made in public.
Most Nepalese people are relieved that he has gone. Despite the fact that nearly 50 percent of the population favoured keeping the monarchy, King Gyanendra was not liked and his playboy son, Paras, was even more unpopular. People were also worried about the prospect of more clashes if he remained.
Palace massacre
The monarchy has been no stranger to violence and, in 2001, a tragedy was played out in the palace. The much loved king, Birendra, was shot dead together with ten members of his family by (so the official version goes) a machine gun-toting crown prince Dipendra, who went on to kill himself.
Only the king's brother, Gyanendra, and his family survived the attack. People were quick to draw the conclusion that the palace massacre had been orchestrated by Gyanendra, but he still went on to be crowned king the very same week.
In 2004, the World Hindu Federation dubbed Gyanendra the world's only Hindu king, with Vishva Hindu Parishad President Ashok Singhal saying:
"It is the duty of the world's 900 million Hindus to protect the Hindu King. God has created him to protect our religion."
Maoists
Over the last week, there has been fevered discussion on various websites. "The king is the only patriot. If he goes, the Maoists will sell the country to India," writes one visitor. "God almighty, are there still people writing about Gyanendra? God bless the Maoists for bringing about his fall," writes another.
The debate mirrors the differences between ‘Old Nepal' and the ‘New Nepal' of the successful Maoist election-campaign slogan. The huge respect traditional Hindus have for the Nepalese royal family is matched by the popularity of the Maoist leader Prachanda among former rebels and the hundreds of thousands of people who voted for him.
Exciting times
Women make up 33 percent of the new Nepalese parliament, where all religions and almost all ethnic groups and castes are represented. An exciting process of transformation is beginning. I sense Prachanda is right: Whatever happens, history is being made in Nepal.
*RNW translation (mw)
Tags: King Birendra, King Gyanendra, Maoist rebels, President Ashok Singhal