Why Nepal is seeing a churn for Hindu monarchy

"Come back king, save the country", "we want monarchy", and “vacate the royal palace for the king" chants filled the air in Kathmandu as thousands of people lined up to welcome former king Gyanendra Shah on Sunday. Then there were bike rallies with hundreds of participants earlier in the week with the demand -- bring back the Hindu monarchy back in Nepal.

Gyanendra was returning to Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, after two months. While away, he was in Pokhara and visiting holy shrines.

Pro-monarchy individuals and handles claim almost 4 lakh people had gathered to welcome Gyanendra. An Associated Press report estimated the number to be 10,000.

"We are here to give the king our full support and to rally behind him all the way to reinstating him in the royal throne," 72-year-old Thir Bahadur Bhandari told the news agency.

"I can feel the winds of change. Nepal's Third People's Movement to restore the monarchy, Hindu state and scrap federalism has begun," posted Shyamal Krishna Shrestha, a member of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which is Hindu nationalist party striving for constitutional monarchy, on X.

Nepal was the last Hindu kingdom with its king surveying the army during Maha Shivratri, and receiving the blessings of patron goddess Kumari during the festival of Indra Jatra.

There is a strong movement favouring Hindu monarchy in Nepal, where a popular movement, which many believe was backed by China, brought end to Gyanendra's rule in 2006.

Nepal had been a Hindu monarchy for 240 years.

One of the reasons behind the pro-monarchy sentiment is people's frustration with rampant corruption and economic gloom. Though the king was the centre of power and stability, Nepal has lacked that since 2008 when it voted to become a republic. Since then, Nepal has seen 13 governments.

Nepal's political leaders, including Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has rejected the possibility of monarchy's return to the Himalayan kingdom.

“Some people are shouting slogans to reinstate monarchy these days, which is simply not possible,” Oli said on March 7, according to PTI.

HOW NEPAL BECAME A HINDU MONARCHY

What is now Nepal only existed as small principalities before King Prithvi Narayan Shah unified the fragmented kingdoms of the region to form the Kingdom of Nepal in 1768.

Though by 1800 the kingdom was being ruled by regents and self-appointed prime ministers, they were doing so in the name of the kings of the Shah dynasty.

It was in 1950 that Tribhuvan Shah, who held a ceremonial role like his ancestors, claimed political role. Since then, kings of Shah dynasty exerted political power in Nepal until the movement in 2006.

It was Tribhuvan Shah's son, Mahendra Shah, who not only modernised Nepal but also developed the idea of Hindu monarchy.

"He also enacted a nationalistic programme that would reshape a diverse Nepal into a single identity, around himself as the symbol of national unity. This programme was summed up by the slogan 'ek raja, ek bhesh, ek bhasa',” writes Anne T Mocko, associate professor of religion at Concordia College, in The Conversation.

After Mahendra's death, the sceptre was passed on to his eldest son, Birendra.

HOW GYANENDRA BECAME MONARCH AFTER PALACE MASSACRE

In 1990, after a series of mass protests, Birendra agreed to transition Nepal from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, sharing power with an elected Parliament.

Despite the compromise, discontent simmered among the people. The mid-90s also saw the rise of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal. One of the key leaders of that Moist movement was Pushpakamal Dahal “Prachanda”, who went on to become Nepal's Prime Minister.

King Birendra Queen Aishwarya, and eight other royal family members were killed in a palace massacre on June 1.

Crown Prince Dipendra, reportedly intoxicated and angry over his family's opposition to his choice of bride, killed his family members before turning the gun on himself.

Dipendra briefly became the king in a comatose state before dying three days later.

It was then that Gyanendra Shah became the king.

However, Gyanendra's reign as the king of Nepal was short.

Mass protests under the banner of the People's Movement (Jana Andolan) by seven political parties erupted in April 2006, demanding an end to king's direct rule.

Gyanandra had to bow to pressure, and reinstated the Parliament in 2007.

In 2008, the newly elected Constituent Assembly, dominated by former Maoist rebels, voted to abolish the monarchy. On May 28, 2008, Nepal was officially declared a federal democratic republic, and King Gyanendra vacated the Narayanhiti Palace.

Nepal, the last Hindu kingdom, became a secular republic. And the Narayanhiti Palace has turned into a museum

VACATE ROYAL PALACE FOR KING, CHANTS IN NEPAL

It is the Narayanhiti Palace that people now want Gyanandra to return to as the king.

"Narayanhiti Khali gara, hamra raja aaudai chhan," meaning 'vacate the royal palace, we are bringing our king back', was one of the calls during the bike rallies.

Political leaders say monarchy was a thing of history in Nepal now.

Former PM and chairman of the CPN-Unified Socialist Madhav Kumar Nepal had on March 7 ruled out any possibility of reinstatement of monarchy.

If former king Gyanendra did "foolish things in the name of returning monarchy, it would be costly for him", warned CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda, according to a PTI report.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), however, was organising events and rallies in several parts of Nepal the country to reinstate Hindu monarchy.

The Kathmandu Post noted an online and offline surge in support of Gyanendra from the public.

"The growing participation of the general public in recent shows of force by the RPP and supporters of pro-monarch and Hindu groups in major cities, including Kathmandu, also leaves the mainstream political parties in a dilemma -- how to contain the rallies," The Kathmandu Post reported.

What is evident is that there has been a change in opinion among people in Nepal because of the post-2008 political instability and widespread corruption.

“The worst thing that is happening to the country is massive corruption and all politicians in power are not doing anything for the country,” Kulraj Shrestha, a 50-year-old carpenter, told the Associated Press.

“I was in the protests that took away the monarchy hoping it would help the country, but I was mistaken and the nation has further plunged so I have changed my mind,” Shreshtha added.

As political parties fail to deliver on their promises in poverty-stricken Nepal, there seems to be thousands like Shreshtha who are having a change of heart. That is behind the rising call for getting Hindu monarchy back in Nepal.