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Buddhist monks of Tengboche Monastery perform mask dance at the monastery at Tengboche, on the trail to Mount Everest in Nepal. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)
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INDEPTH: NEPAL
Nepal: Kingdom in the clouds
CBC News Online | Updated April 20, 2006
Modern Nepal was established in the mid-18th century, when Prithvi Narayan Shah, the leader of one of the smaller principalities, conquered Kathmandu and unified many of the surrounding states. Further attempts at Nepalese expansion were halted in conflicts with Tibet, China and British India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The Shahs ruled in Nepal for much of the first half of the 19th century. That ended in 1846 in a bloody coup. Jung Bahadur, an army commander, ordered his troops to kill hundreds of Nepal's most powerful men, who had been assembled in the palace armoury. Bahadur gave himself the title "Rana" and declared himself prime minister for life. He later declared that the title would be passed down his own family line.
The isolationist Rana regime remained in place for over a century. During that time, the royal family was reduced to figurehead status. When the British left India in 1947, the Ranas lost much of their support, leaving the door opening for an anti-Rana revolution. King Tribhuvan, a descendant of the original Shahs, left Nepal for India and, with diplomatic support from New Delhi, put the monarchy back into power.
New government by cabinet
In 1951, the first of Nepal's post-Rana constitutions was proclaimed. It established a multiparty system and a government of Ranas and members of the new Nepali Congress party. It also established an elected constituent assembly, but those elections were never held. The next constitution came in 1959. It established the House of Representatives and the National Assembly, but much of the governing power remained with the king.
Three years later, another constitution established the "no party" system of government, called the panchayat, in which the prime minister, cabinet and much of the assembly were named by the king. Political parties and organizations were outlawed under the new system. In 1980, the citizens of Nepal voted against returning to a multiparty system. An amendment to the constitution shortly after the referendum allowed for direct elections to the panchayat.
By the end of the '80s, however, a people's movement had grown strong enough to topple the panchayat system. Hundreds of people died in the ensuing conflict and King Birendra dissolved Nepal's cabinet. The Nepali Congress formed an interim government and proclaimed a new constitution, one that allowed for a multiparty, democratic system of government.
However, even these reforms included concessions to traditional ways. The 1990 constitution did not, for example, establish a secular state as recommended by the country's left wing and non-Hindus. As well, some of the constitution's fundamental rights, such as equality of all Nepalese citizens, have not been fully implemented.
A Maoist insurgency began in 1996 with the goal of overthrowing the constitutional monarchy and establishing a communist state in its place. At least 20,000 people have been killed in civil violence since then.
Throne room massacre
In June 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra shot and killed 10 members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, and then turned the gun on himself. At first, Nepalese officials called the shootings an accident and declared Dipendra king, while he was still on life support from his self-inflicted wounds. When Dipendra died, the country's State Council crowned Prince Gyandendra, the slain king's brother, the new king of Nepal.
In June 2002, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba dissolved parliament after a split in the ruling Nepali Congress party and called for early elections. Elections were set for November 2002, but were disrupted by the Maoist rebels. In October 2002, King Gyandendra dismissed Deuba and his cabinet for incompetence and later appointed a cabinet of his own.
Peace talks between the government and the rebels broke down in 2003 and the violence has only escalated since then.
In early 2005, King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency and dissolved Nepal's parliament. It was the second time in three years the king had taken control of the country. He accused the politicians of failing to stop the violence between the government on Maoist rebels. Gyanendra said he would form a new cabinet and restore peace and democracy within three years.
In April 2006, a shoot-on-sight curfew was imposed in Kathmandu to stop a mass rally called by the opposition parties sidelined when King Gyanendra took over the country's administration.
At least a dozen people were injured when Nepalese police fired on demonstrators.
Security forces also fired on demonstrators in Pokhara killing one person and injuring at least two others. Protesters were throwing stones when the soldiers shot at them, witnesses said.
Political parties said about 1,500 people have been detained.
The U.S. and other Western nations urged the king to begin dialogue with Nepal's political parties, saying it is the best way to deal with both the political unrest and the Maoist rebellion.
On May 18, 2006, Nepal's parliament voted unanimously to strip King Gyanendra of his powers and transform the kingdom into a secular constitutional monarchy.
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Population: 27,070,666 (July 2004 estimate)
Capital: Kathmandu
Currency: Rupee
Major languages: Nepali is the official language and is spoken by 90 per cent of the population.
Major religions: 86 per cent Hindu, 8 per cent Buddhist.
Location: Southern Asia.
Area total: 140,800 sq. km, slightly larger than Newfoundland.
Border countries: India and China.
Natural resources: Quartz, water, timber, hydropower.
Government: Constitutional monarchy, parliament consisting of a national council and a house of representatives.
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