KATHMANDU, NEPAL -- International and domestic visitors jostle and shove to buy the tickets. They stand in serpentine queues for hours in the heart of Nepal's capital city, Kathmandu.
They are waiting to visit the museum that was once the Royal Narayanhiti Palace, where five generations of Shah Dynasty kings lived and ruled for 240 years until the Maoist-led government overthrew the monarchy in 2008. The Maoist-led government turned the once secret palace into a tourist attraction last year. Visitors say they are drawn here out of curiosity, to see how the royals once lived. The thousands of visitors who come daily say they are reminded of both the 2001 assassination and the current uncertainty of the government here. After two-decades of civil war, Nepal’s new government has worked in fits and starts since 2008. The most recent turmoil came when the Prime Minister stepped down in July.
The remarkable transformation of Narayanhiti Palace, complete with its flashy interior and extravagant architectural elements (it’s made of pink granite), has left some Nepalis longing for the structure of the monarchy and many others grateful that the royal reign is over. As the secular republic continues to flounder, former King Gyanendra made some of his first public appearances last month during the holy Dashain festival – his first since he was ousted in June of 2008. Above all, touring the palace is a reminder of the mass assassination that occurred here in 2001. But most visitors interviewed on exiting the museum said they enjoyed the sights and only wished the crowned jewels had been on display.
A History Revealed
The Narayanhiti Palace was built between 1963 and 1969. It used to be guarded by more than 1,500-armed troops around the clock. People were forced to walk more than 100-feet away from the palace, which is located less than 10 minutes from the popular tourist area, Thamel. The bustling streets were cleared of cars and pedestrians when any member of the royal family would enter or exist the grounds. But those days are over.
Today, the exotic art, idols and statues of various Hindu gods and goddesses have become the entrance to Kathmandu’s most popular tourist attraction. The door to the main entrance is named after on of Nepal's tallest mountains -- Mt. Gauri Shankar – and the wooden doors bear beautiful carved images of flowers. The palace itself is a massive structure built of pink granite. With 52 rooms and spanning more than 41,000 square feet, the palace features several rare art collections, gold carpets, and silver-framed photos of famous people including the Kennedys.
Assassination Site is Most Popular Attraction
The major attraction of the palace is the spot where the royal massacre of 2001 took place.
Though King Gyanendra, who came to power just after the assassination and was deposed in 2008, had the room, called the Tribhuvan Sadan -- where the beloved King Birendra Shah, Queen Aishwarya, Prince Nirajan, Princess Shruti and 17 other members of the royal family were assassinated on June 1, 2001 during a family dinner -- demolished, the layout of the palace remains the same so visitors can visit the exact location of the murders.
Malati Paudel, 40, came from the Arghakhanchi district, some 300 miles away from Kathmandu, just to see the Tribhuvan Sadan. “I felt so sorry for the death of Birendra and his family by seeing the massacre site,” he says. “Apart from it, I was amazed by seeing all those valuable things in the museum. Now I realized that we also have many precious things.”
Unlike King Birendra who was widely beloved and politically popular, his successor, Gyanendra was not. After 4 short years in power, all during an escalating civil war, Gyanendra dissolved the parliament and assumed full power until he was removed in 2008.
Maya Devi KC, 52, of Syangja, a district neighboring tourist city of Pokhara, says she cried for the whole day when she heard the news about royal massacre back in 2001. “I came here to fulfill my dream to step inside the former palace," she says.
The increasing popularity of the palace museum comes at an interesting time – the current democratic government is in turmoil and the former king has made no secret of his wish to return to power. In April, former King Gyanendra, who has rarely spoken in public, told a local television station he did not believe Nepal’s monarchy was over. “I don’t think it has ended,” he said. “When you turn the pages of history of the nation, such coming and going has been consistent.” In the two and half years since he has been gone, Gyanendra says ordinary people have suffered everything from power outages to increased poverty and violent strikes at the hand of the new government.
But for many visitors to the museum, the focus of their visit is simply on the symbols of the old monarchy.
Crowned Jewels Remain Off Limits
Ganga Thapa, 29, and her parents traveled more than 200 miles to see the palace-turned-museum. "We really saw rare treats,” says Thapa, who said she studied history as a student. Thapa says she approached Jai Krishna Maharjan, chief of the Narayanhiti Palace Museum, and told him she wanted to see the crown and throne, but was told those items were not available for public view.
"I felt like my tour to the palace was incomplete as I couldn't have a glimpse of the main thing," says Thapa.
Of the sprawling 52 rooms, just 19 are open to the public. Maharjan admits that many visitors, like Thapa, ask to see the jeweled ornamental headdresses and golden thrones – the two symbols of the monarchy. The diamond and emerald studded crown and scepter, and the gold-and-silver crafted throne that the kings used for important royal ceremonies and to deliver national addresses are not on public display.
The king’s crown is under the guard of the Nepal Army and is kept inside a private room in the museum. Maharjan says the museum has petitioned the government to provide 20 million rupees $289,000 USD, to secure the crown for public display. Maharjan says the Maoist-led government wasn't willing to display the crown previously, but has now agreed to do so, though no time frame has been agreed upon.
Antique Vehicle Collection is Popular, One Mercedes Gifted by Hitler
Among the most popular attractions here is the garage filled with antique vehicles. Just to the left of the entrance, the garage is filled with vintage cars, one of controversial acquisition.
A 1939 Mercedes Benz has become a main attraction here. According to museum chief Maharjan, the Mercedes was given to King Tribhuvan in 1940 by Adolf Hitler. “This is very important and antique vehicle. Everyone who comes to museum takes a fancy to this vehicle,” says Maharjan of the now rusty car. “Due to the lack of budget we are not able to fix this antique car,” he admits.
Several years ago, the German government offered King Gyanendra a new Mercedes in exchange for returning the collectable 1940s gift from Hitler. Gyanendra refused. “Gyanendra’s grandfather used this car and Gyanendra rode this car when he was a kid. He had sentimental values in this car so he refused the offer and did not return this Mercedes Benz,” Maharjan says.
Mohammad Gul, a tourist from Bangladesh, says he learned a lot about Nepal from his visit to the palace. “Visiting this museum helps one learn and understand about Nepal,” he says.
Even children, like Indira Bhusal a sixth grader at a public school in Kathmandu, says she has longed to see the inside of the former palace.
“I used to wonder how the inside looked whenever a car used to enter or come out of the palace gates,” says Rameshwor Yadav, a student from central Nepal who pursuing higher education in Kathmandu. “The museum is the symbol of the victory of people over autocratic monarchy," she says.
Admission to the palace museum is currently generating an average of 100,000 rupees per day, $1,400 USD. Maharjan says as many as 3,000 people visit here daily. "The number is increasing day in, day out," he says.
Despite the popularity of the new museum, the political future of Nepal remains uncertain. Civil rights activist and former minister Devendra Pandey says there is still a tough political road ahead -- “It was easy to transform palace into a museum, but it will be more difficult to sustain the republic.”