<img width="640" height="694" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceef49c7e80680e09ae5cjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Twenty years ago on 1 June, 2001, Nepal witnessed an unimaginably shocking tragedy. King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and eight other members of the royal family were killed during regular monthly family dinner at the Naryanhiti Palace.People at the centre of Kathmandu all heard the sound of automatic gunfire at 8:45pm, and feared that the Maoists were attacking the palace. It turned out that Prince Dipendra had killed his father, mother, brother, sister, an uncle, aunts, and other relatives before killing himself.The massacre shocked not just Nepal, but the world — a regicide, patricide, matricide, fratricide, sororicide, multiple homicides and a suicide -- all within minutes.Nepal was in the midst of the Maoist insurrection which had the aim of abolishing the monarchy, and the monarchy itself had imploded. Within five months, the rebels attacked the Royal Nepal Army bases, intensifying the conflict which was to drag on for another five years with much loss of life. Dipendra was in a coma for four days, and proclaimed king. After he died, his uncle Gyanendra became king. Nepal had three kings in four days. On Tuesday, it will be exactly 20 years since that fateful Friday night. Many who knew King Birendra still mourn him, and say that perhaps Nepal would still be a constitutional monarchy today if he had not died. <figure><img width="574" height="713" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceef79c7e80680e09ae5djpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>For some, he was “Maharaj Sarkar”, to others their beloved “Biren Dai”, Birendra was the perfect gentleman king, and for many Nepalis he was also an incarnation of Vishnu. From palace colleagues to civil servants, relatives to politicians most have nothing but nice things to say about the man. Since he was a child, Birendra was always known for his calm demeanour, mild manners, and a soft-spoken kind hearted personality. Educated in Darjeeling, Eton, Harvard and Tokyo, Birendra was never comfortable being an absolute monarch. So, when the first People’s Movement of 1990 took place, he relinquished powers to be a constitutional king despite misgivings from hardliners in the palace, including his own family.He was devoted to his country, and wanted to make things better. His leadership skills differed from all the preceding kings as well as his brother who succeeded him to the throne. A man of frugal tastes, he wanted nothing but peace and development for his country. But critics say he was not assertive enough to follow through, and get things done. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa was Nepal’s ambassador to India when the massacre took place. He found out from breaking news on television at the Barakhamba Road embassy residence in New Delhi. In interviews with the media the next day, he broke into tears.Even after two decades, Thapa’s voice falters when he remembers the king who appointed him to be Nepal’s youngest ever Finance Minister. He remembers how deftly Birendra defused the crisis of the People’s Movement in 1990, and his state visit to India on Republic Day in 2001 when it was clear that he was a man without airs or arrogance. "He had made peace with the idea of taking a back seat,” Thapa recalls. “King Birendra hated war and violence, and knowing that the Maoist insurgency was on the rise, he was keen on finding a peaceful solution. He was actually working on a peace plan when the massacre happened.”   <figure><img width="640" height="993" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceef99c7e80680e09ae5ejpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>King Mahendra instructed Thapa, whom he had brought back from college in the United States to become the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, to have weekly sessions with Crown Prince Birendra to instruct him about the country’s economy and development.“One of the most memorable things he said to me once was, ‘You know, I am not like my father, I have my own vision for my country’. That sentence still rings in my ears till today,” Thapa recalls. As crown prince, and after returning from abroad, Birendra travelled all over Nepal in disguise to understand the socio-economic situation of his people. Thapa says, “In his mind, he knew that there was Nepal beyond Kathmandu and his love and devotion for his people showed in his deep sense of patriotism.” Vivek Shah worked with Birendra as his military secretary for more than 27 years, and has similar memories of the king. He remembers King Birendra as being very calm, someone who did not get flustered in a crisis.  <figure><img width="960" height="640" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceefb9c7e80680e09ae5fjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“He did not speak much, but when he did, it was deep and considered opinion, and he showed great compassion to people around him,” Shah recalls. “He loved and admired the Nepali people and worried constantly about the country’s resource limitation in moving forward.”Shah remembers King Birendra always had a strategy in handling any grave situation, and he regarded the Nepali people as his family. So much so that he perhaps did not devote as much time to his own family.Shah says, “If King Birendra was alive today, Nepal would still be a monarchy and he would have devoted all his time and energy to confront a challenge like the Covid-19 pandemic.” Ketaki Chester, first cousin"I have never met a more genuine person than King Birendra. As a person, he was a wonderful, good human being.  He was kind to everybody. I seldom heard his voice raised in anger. There was a stage in our lives, when we climbed in the garden and we got into a lot of trouble for it. As a young boy, he was quite naughty. We have two-and-a-half years of difference. He was very friendly with all of us cousins.  <img width="400" height="300" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceefe9c7e80680e09ae60jpeg.jpg" alt="">Once he had become the reigning monarch, he was a very popular person who everyone loved, and I am sure the country would have been in much better hands today had he still been around. I was wounded in the massacre and even 20 years on, I have to live with the terrible memory. I was hit in the shoulder. It seems like a bad dream. I was hit in the shoulder. I have not forgotten even the tiniest detail of that night." Rajni Singh, first cousin"King Birendra and I have roughly 10 to 12 years of age difference. He was either in school or college when I was growing up. Of whatever I can recollect of him, he was a very calm and good-hearted person. During those days, we had a trend of collecting autographs, and I remember how sweetly he signed an autograph for me and drew my sketch. Not everyone knows that he was a very good artist, too. He often took us for drives when I was a child. He didn’t talk much, but was a good listener. We used to be on the same flight to school in Darjeeling as well. <img width="640" height="592" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceeff9c7e80680e09ae61jpeg.jpg" alt="">He always made sure that he came along for dinner and movie sessions with our grannies and whenever he returned from his trip abroad, he always brought presents for the whole family. I was lucky to receive a few presents. He was a very thoughtful person and quite different from the rest of the family."Bhekh Bahadur Thapa Former minister and diplomat. "He was an excellent human being. A nationalist and a decent gentleman. His approach to people and country was of a very high order. When he asked me to be his Cabinet Minister, I politely refused the offer but suggested that he wanted someone with a specialisation in economics and finance to help him. It was then I got to know him, and when I was in the Planning Commission, King Mahendra asked me to have sessions with him. So, I started getting in touch with him on a weekly basis. During those meetings, he once mentioned  ‘My father has his own vision and I have my own’. I developed a strong sense of respect for him after that, and it is still very fresh in my mind. <img width="400" height="263" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636cef029c7e80680e09ae62jpeg.jpg" alt="">King Birendra was devoted to the national interest, and was very mild-mannered, and he must have been under pressure from his family and society. His mild manners meant that some in his family and core advisers may not have taken him as seriously as they should have. The moment he succeeded his father, he started the process to know people and the Nepali landscape. He believed in seeing things for himself rather than relying on others. Instead of listening to experts, he started listening directly to the people."Vivek Shah, King Birendra's military secretary"If the tragic massacre had not happened, perhaps Nepal could still be a constitutional monarchy and the state of the country would have been far different from what it is now. I worked with him for over 27 years and he was so down to earth, simple and kind-hearted. Working with him for so long, there is one thing that he always abided by: "Whatever it is, I have to do everything in my capacity to be there for my people." Nepal was not just his homeland, it was his whole reason for being. He often worried about the lack of resources to develop the country, and the political turmoil and insurgency. Violence and war really troubled him. <img width="175" height="251" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636cef039c7e80680e09ae63jpeg.jpg" alt="">After the 1990’s movement, King Birendra was very well aware that things were not going too well, but he wanted to do the best he could to bring peace. The only goal he had in mind was to end the conflict with a political resolution. He was always looking for solutions, he wanted to bring change to the country and for that he knew the country needed to be at peace.Towards the end, he had a lot of things in mind. He was under a lot of stress, but he was always working towards his end goal. As a person King Birendra was a devoted family man, but he regarded all Nepalis as his family. And perhaps he did not give as much time to his own family that he wanted to. I remember during the People's Movement of 1990 how violence had gone beyond control, and how difficult it was for him to handle it all. He wanted a truce, and later when the conflict started he worked tirelessly to bring about a peaceful resolution."

original

610x380

500x500

400x266

400x240

400x203

301x200

If Birendra was alive, Nepal could still be a monarchy

<img width="640" height="694" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86ee9c7e80680e06787fjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Twenty years ago on 1 June, 2001, Nepal witnessed an unimaginably shocking tragedy. King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and eight other members of the royal family were killed during regular monthly family dinner at the Naryanhiti Palace.People at the centre of Kathmandu all heard the sound of automatic gunfire at 8:45pm, and feared that the Maoists were attacking the palace. It turned out that Prince Dipendra had killed his father, mother, brother, sister, an uncle, aunts, and other relatives before killing himself.The massacre shocked not just Nepal, but the world — a regicide, patricide, matricide, fratricide, sororicide, multiple homicides and a suicide -- all within minutes.Nepal was in the midst of the Maoist insurrection which had the aim of abolishing the monarchy, and the monarchy itself had imploded. Within five months, the rebels attacked the Royal Nepal Army bases, intensifying the conflict which was to drag on for another five years with much loss of life. Dipendra was in a coma for four days, and proclaimed king. After he died, his uncle Gyanendra became king. Nepal had three kings in four days. On Tuesday, it will be exactly 20 years since that fateful Friday night. Many who knew King Birendra still mourn him, and say that perhaps Nepal would still be a constitutional monarchy today if he had not died. <figure><img width="574" height="713" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86f19c7e80680e067880jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>For some, he was “Maharaj Sarkar”, to others their beloved “Biren Dai”, Birendra was the perfect gentleman king, and for many Nepalis he was also an incarnation of Vishnu. From palace colleagues to civil servants, relatives to politicians most have nothing but nice things to say about the man. Since he was a child, Birendra was always known for his calm demeanour, mild manners, and a soft-spoken kind hearted personality. Educated in Darjeeling, Eton, Harvard and Tokyo, Birendra was never comfortable being an absolute monarch. So, when the first People’s Movement of 1990 took place, he relinquished powers to be a constitutional king despite misgivings from hardliners in the palace, including his own family.He was devoted to his country, and wanted to make things better. His leadership skills differed from all the preceding kings as well as his brother who succeeded him to the throne. A man of frugal tastes, he wanted nothing but peace and development for his country. But critics say he was not assertive enough to follow through, and get things done. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa was Nepal’s ambassador to India when the massacre took place. He found out from breaking news on television at the Barakhamba Road embassy residence in New Delhi. In interviews with the media the next day, he broke into tears.Even after two decades, Thapa’s voice falters when he remembers the king who appointed him to be Nepal’s youngest ever Finance Minister. He remembers how deftly Birendra defused the crisis of the People’s Movement in 1990, and his state visit to India on Republic Day in 2001 when it was clear that he was a man without airs or arrogance. "He had made peace with the idea of taking a back seat,” Thapa recalls. “King Birendra hated war and violence, and knowing that the Maoist insurgency was on the rise, he was keen on finding a peaceful solution. He was actually working on a peace plan when the massacre happened.”   <figure><img width="640" height="993" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86f39c7e80680e067881jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>King Mahendra instructed Thapa, whom he had brought back from college in the United States to become the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, to have weekly sessions with Crown Prince Birendra to instruct him about the country’s economy and development.“One of the most memorable things he said to me once was, ‘You know, I am not like my father, I have my own vision for my country’. That sentence still rings in my ears till today,” Thapa recalls. As crown prince, and after returning from abroad, Birendra travelled all over Nepal in disguise to understand the socio-economic situation of his people. Thapa says, “In his mind, he knew that there was Nepal beyond Kathmandu and his love and devotion for his people showed in his deep sense of patriotism.” Vivek Shah worked with Birendra as his military secretary for more than 27 years, and has similar memories of the king. He remembers King Birendra as being very calm, someone who did not get flustered in a crisis.  <figure><img width="960" height="640" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86f69c7e80680e067882jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“He did not speak much, but when he did, it was deep and considered opinion, and he showed great compassion to people around him,” Shah recalls. “He loved and admired the Nepali people and worried constantly about the country’s resource limitation in moving forward.”Shah remembers King Birendra always had a strategy in handling any grave situation, and he regarded the Nepali people as his family. So much so that he perhaps did not devote as much time to his own family.Shah says, “If King Birendra was alive today, Nepal would still be a monarchy and he would have devoted all his time and energy to confront a challenge like the Covid-19 pandemic.” Ketaki Chester, first cousin"I have never met a more genuine person than King Birendra. As a person, he was a wonderful, good human being.  He was kind to everybody. I seldom heard his voice raised in anger. There was a stage in our lives, when we climbed in the garden and we got into a lot of trouble for it. As a young boy, he was quite naughty. We have two-and-a-half years of difference. He was very friendly with all of us cousins.  <img width="400" height="300" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86f99c7e80680e067883jpeg.jpg" alt="">Once he had become the reigning monarch, he was a very popular person who everyone loved, and I am sure the country would have been in much better hands today had he still been around. I was wounded in the massacre and even 20 years on, I have to live with the terrible memory. I was hit in the shoulder. It seems like a bad dream. I was hit in the shoulder. I have not forgotten even the tiniest detail of that night." Rajni Singh, first cousin"King Birendra and I have roughly 10 to 12 years of age difference. He was either in school or college when I was growing up. Of whatever I can recollect of him, he was a very calm and good-hearted person. During those days, we had a trend of collecting autographs, and I remember how sweetly he signed an autograph for me and drew my sketch. Not everyone knows that he was a very good artist, too. He often took us for drives when I was a child. He didn’t talk much, but was a good listener. We used to be on the same flight to school in Darjeeling as well. <img width="640" height="592" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86fa9c7e80680e067884jpeg.jpg" alt="">He always made sure that he came along for dinner and movie sessions with our grannies and whenever he returned from his trip abroad, he always brought presents for the whole family. I was lucky to receive a few presents. He was a very thoughtful person and quite different from the rest of the family."Bhekh Bahadur Thapa Former minister and diplomat. "He was an excellent human being. A nationalist and a decent gentleman. His approach to people and country was of a very high order. When he asked me to be his Cabinet Minister, I politely refused the offer but suggested that he wanted someone with a specialisation in economics and finance to help him. It was then I got to know him, and when I was in the Planning Commission, King Mahendra asked me to have sessions with him. So, I started getting in touch with him on a weekly basis. During those meetings, he once mentioned  ‘My father has his own vision and I have my own’. I developed a strong sense of respect for him after that, and it is still very fresh in my mind. <img width="400" height="263" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86fd9c7e80680e067885jpeg.jpg" alt="">King Birendra was devoted to the national interest, and was very mild-mannered, and he must have been under pressure from his family and society. His mild manners meant that some in his family and core advisers may not have taken him as seriously as they should have. The moment he succeeded his father, he started the process to know people and the Nepali landscape. He believed in seeing things for himself rather than relying on others. Instead of listening to experts, he started listening directly to the people."Vivek Shah, King Birendra's military secretary"If the tragic massacre had not happened, perhaps Nepal could still be a constitutional monarchy and the state of the country would have been far different from what it is now. I worked with him for over 27 years and he was so down to earth, simple and kind-hearted. Working with him for so long, there is one thing that he always abided by: "Whatever it is, I have to do everything in my capacity to be there for my people." Nepal was not just his homeland, it was his whole reason for being. He often worried about the lack of resources to develop the country, and the political turmoil and insurgency. Violence and war really troubled him. <img width="175" height="251" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86ff9c7e80680e067886jpeg.jpg" alt="">After the 1990’s movement, King Birendra was very well aware that things were not going too well, but he wanted to do the best he could to bring peace. The only goal he had in mind was to end the conflict with a political resolution. He was always looking for solutions, he wanted to bring change to the country and for that he knew the country needed to be at peace.Towards the end, he had a lot of things in mind. He was under a lot of stress, but he was always working towards his end goal. As a person King Birendra was a devoted family man, but he regarded all Nepalis as his family. And perhaps he did not give as much time to his own family that he wanted to. I remember during the People's Movement of 1990 how violence had gone beyond control, and how difficult it was for him to handle it all. He wanted a truce, and later when the conflict started he worked tirelessly to bring about a peaceful resolution."

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4e59c7e80680e073690jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1125" height="844"/><figcaption>King Birendra designed this three-storey cottage named Shree Sadan for his family when he was Crown Prince. It will soon be open to the public, and has preserved the rooms exactly like it was when the entire royal family was killed in a massacre in 2001.</figcaption></figure>When <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18278#.XyvRz4gzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18278%23.XyvRz4gzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEMDOjs0Q__r5yzqk3y4KnEOM3DbQ">Narayanhiti Palace</a> was opened to the public in 2009 soon after Nepal was declared a <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFzk-FZmp9_uF7TZbIDq9ksZbxx5Q">republic</a>, Nepalis flocked in to see what daily life of the royals looked like. They were not impressed.Many thought they would also see Tribhuvan Sadan, the building where the 2001 family massacre took place in which<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18246#.XyvKMYgzbIW" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18246%23.XyvKMYgzbIW&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEqs-7ecqRU__rrDrjApuAv6iFXXw"> ten members of the royal family were killed</a>, and which was later demolished.The pink pagoda shaped building with a tower designed by American architect Benjamin Polk was a ceremonial structure for official functions, and there was not much to see there about the private life of royals.Now, the Narayanhiti Palace Museum is set to open Shree Sadan, King Birendra’s private family residence, which has been kept intact since the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8338#.XyvJuYgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8338%23.XyvJuYgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEOCPm9GlBmc0iJNiguhP4cCLSrZw">massacre at 8:45 PM on Friday, 1 June 2001</a>.Nepali Times got an exclusive sneak preview of Shree Sadan this week, and it is like a time capsule – <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10777#.XyvMSIgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D10777%23.XyvMSIgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGvrL28ueQ0BKNZpuFCX6fQ8gIBeQ">Prince Nirajan</a>’s room still has his class timetable stuck to the wall, the alcove bar has King Birendra’s favourite brandy, and in the bedroom is a small cot where the king’s beloved German Shepherd, Jit, used to sleep.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4e89c7e80680e073691jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720">“Everything is the same as it was 20 years ago, we wanted it to be as it was, a place where our king, queen, princes and princesses walked, this place holds attachment, and tampering with the memories would be a disservice to Nepal’s history,” says Buddhi Bahadur Gurung as he walks through the dark and slightly musty-smelling rooms.This is an emotional project for 54-year-old Gurung, who worked closely with <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8412#.XyvLKogzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8412%23.XyvLKogzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGeCUSJ9L4IT2nNkCNxYQQBL4UGPQ">King Birendra</a> ever since he was employed at the royal palace at the age of 21. He is now entrusted with sprucing up Shree Sadan so it can be added to the Narayanhiti Museum once the COVID-19 lockdown is fully lifted.Despite the coronavirus restrictions, workers have used the past four months preserving the artefacts in Shree Sadan, while taking care not to disturb anything in the rooms. The building lies  between the current museum and the Republic Memorial to the east.<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8252#.XyvM0YgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8252%23.XyvM0YgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGc1b0k3_N99uTD9MCTxraR1yAFxA">At Chhauni, 1-4 June 2001</a>, Dr Upendra DevkotaEntering the lush driveway, visitors will be reminded that this was the route King Birendra took every day as he went to and from his office with Jit. There is a deep stillness in the air, and Shree Sadan has a raw and foreboding look.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4eb9c7e80680e073692jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720">Gurung remembers King Birendra as a simple man with plain tastes, and did not want an ostentatious building: “He preferred it this way, he loved the natural charm of the brick and tiles.”<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/from-nepali-press/A-suitable-prince,2423" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/from-nepali-press/A-suitable-prince,2423&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNAjv0Qh-bv9vVdDIYVbjwsnV8Cw">Crown Prince Dipendra</a> did not live in Shree Sadan because royal tradition demanded that he stay separately from his parents once he turned 18. He had moved to Tribhuvan Sadan, where the shooting of the royal family took place in 2001 during a regular royal family dinner gathering.Birendra had also moved out of the home of his father, King Mahendra, when he turned 18. That is when he built the 3-storey and 12-room Shree Sadan for himself.The main door leads to a red carpeted hallway and a double staircase with a portrait of the extended royal family on the left. The shelf centres a painting of King Birendra’s mother, Queen Indra – her immaculate beauty captured on a crystal frame. In contrast, the hallway also has some grisly taxidermy heads of bears, deer and mountain goats along the wall, a life-size mirror reflecting them.<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue/293/Headline/11506#.XyvRLYgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue/293/Headline/11506%23.XyvRLYgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEDVIynu33aH-wFZUGVAi689ZtDTA">Cut and cleanly</a>, Kunda Dixit<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4ed9c7e80680e073693jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1250" height="1610">The ground floor has the study of King Birendra and <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue/293/Headline/11506#.XyvRLYgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue/293/Headline/11506%23.XyvRLYgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEDVIynu33aH-wFZUGVAi689ZtDTA">Queen Aishwarya</a>, which was Crown Prince Dipendra’s bedroom before he moved out in 1988.The living room has portraits of Dipendra, Princess Shruti and Prince Nirajan, and the dining hall has a large brown marble table under a blue ceiling where only the family was allowed.Off the dining area is a small alcove bar where King Birendra sometimes hosted his brothers for after-dinner drinks and a cigar. He would pour himself a brandy, and fix drinks for Prince <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8986#.XyvKzIgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8986%23.XyvKzIgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEWT3vGN0LEwDCPH13w01gNtUPADA">Gyanendra</a> and Prince <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8999#.XyvO-4gzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8999%23.XyvO-4gzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHFL_bPTVkhGRlrqRqbPAFtSR7pMQ">Dhirendra</a>.Upstairs, the first floor leads to the King and Queen’s personal chambers and the hallway has oil-on-canvas paintings of landscapes and wildlife by Princess Shruti, an accomplished artist herself.<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18278#.XyvRz4gzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18278%23.XyvRz4gzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEMDOjs0Q__r5yzqk3y4KnEOM3DbQ">Tyaha raja rani hunthyo</a>, Rabi ThapaTo the left is a common living room, with blue themed walls and furniture. There is a bulky cathode-ray Sony tv set and a stereo with cassette tapes in a corner. This area leads to Queen Aishwarya’s vanity room where there is a small dressing area with a three-sided mirror table, a partition for changing. Adjoining it is a puja kotha (prayer room).<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4f09c7e80680e073694jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="1000"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4f39c7e80680e073695jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1334">The living room, bedrooms, dining hall and even the bar alcove show the king's simple lifestyle and plain taste.To the right on the first floor is the personal room of the King and Queen which is modest, almost frugal. A 1990s National tv set faces a king-sized bed attached to a mirror that goes up to the ceiling. The side table has a dial telephone along with a framed image of Khaptad Baba. The bathrooms are simple with pink tiles, a bathtub, a small mirror and ordinary sink.Next to the door is a small cot for King Birendra’s favourite pet, Jit the German Shepherd. Jit died soon after the royal massacre. “It was depression,” Gurung says.Princess Shruti and Prince Nirajan lived on the second floor. To the right of the hallway is Nirajan’s chamber: his study room, bedroom and a small terrace with a punching bag, where he often practiced boxing. Nirajan was 23 when he was killed.The Prince’s study room had stickers of cartoon characters Goofy and Mickey Mouse. He has a collection of Laughing Buddha figures on his shelf, and picture frames on the wall. Everything is as it was 20 years ago – even Nirajan’s class schedule for Kathmandu Management College pinned to the wall and a weekly schedule printed in dot matrix: ‘Wake up at 6.30 and head to bed by 23.00. Friday wake up at 10 am and FRIDAY NIGHT from 19.00 to 23.00.’<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8339#.XyvJpogzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8339%23.XyvJpogzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHPR-EtIoIq_0AKcb1_9edSsYIErQ">If truth to be told</a>, Kunda Dixit Princess Shruti’s room is different. She was two years older than Nirajan, and it is more feminine: pink flowered closets, family portraits, single bed, study table with VCR tapes which she often shared with her brother. In the driveway below Shree Sadan are three small toy cars -- black, red and white – in which the three siblings often played when they were children.The opening of Shree Sadan has been delayed by the pandemic and bureaucratic hurdles. But Director of the Narayanhiti Palace Museum Bhesh Narayan Dahal says they are being sorted out: “Yes there were a lot of delays and mismanagement, but we don’t want to wait any further. There is much more of an <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8985#.XyvLRYgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8985%23.XyvLRYgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEyddHjnjp-HWHCTi9M4ERmYsvxCw">emotional connection</a> with the royal family in Shree Sadan and it is a searing memory of the tragedy.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4f69c7e80680e073696jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="462"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4f89c7e80680e073697jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="606" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Because of his links to the royal family, Gurung was disappointed that visitors were not happy with the ceremonial palace and its exhibits. But he is confident that Shree Sadan will be a much more intimate addition to the museum.There are other sections of the palace that are still out of bounds. Trishul Sadan to the east of the main palace has a salon, medication room, gymnasium, indoor swimming pool and private rooms of the prince and princesses. It has not been opened because it is part of the Mahendra Manjil, still the private residence of<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17847#.Xyui1IgzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D17847%23.Xyui1IgzbIU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEOb-DHNL1YqctviEnpu2KOrQykuA"> Queen Mother Ratna</a> who is now 92, and was allowed to live there after 2008.<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596794292205000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFzk-FZmp9_uF7TZbIDq9ksZbxx5Q">From royal to republic</a>, Shreejana ShresthaGurung says that although King Birendra had winter and summer palaces in Chitwan, Pokhara and Nagarjun, his favourite was always  Shree Sadan, a place where he truly felt at home and where he liked to relax while gardening and reading.Narayanhiti is named after the Malla-era water spouts near the Narayan Temple. Prime Minister Bir Shumshere Rana, who had his daughter marry King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, made a palace for the king as a dowry in the late 19th century.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4fa9c7e80680e073698jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1347" height="750"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>However, that neo-classical palace was destroyed in the 1934 earthquake and King Tribhuvan rebuilt the house called Tribhuvan Sadan -- the building where the massacre took place.Says Buddhi Bahadur Gurung: “We look forward to welcoming visitors to this museum after the COVID-19 crisis. We have put our heart and soul into it to preserve it just as it was two decades ago on the day of the tragedy.”Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/three-kings-in-four-days-nepal-massacre">Three kings in four days</a>, Kunda Dixit

674x448

1084x550

Preserving King Birendra’s family home

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101148/636b779c9c7e80680e064647jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1083"/><figcaption>Illustration: SUBHAS RAI</figcaption></figure>When the Nepali Times was preparing to launch two decades ago, many Nepalis were sad, frightened and looking for ways to leave areas affected by armed conflict, and then Nepal altogether.A few decided that the future would depend on what we did and how effectively we did it. Twenty years later, Nepal is at peace with numerous challenges, but at least it is at peace.Nepal went from <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2016/11/20/no-peace-dividend/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">war to peace</a> and from <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14803" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monarchy to republic</a>, it inducted some of the guerrillas into the national army, it held elections at all three levels of government under a new federal constitution, and the ruling party promises citizens stability and a better quality of life. The earthquake, the Indian blockade, endemic corruption and a lack of trust in government, businesses houses and political parties have slowed things down.Throughout these last 20 years, the Nepali Times team had a ringside seat to history being made. It worked hard and worked smart and issue after issue, it kept the hopes and aspirations of Nepal as high as it could with facts, data, images, animation, analysis and, yes, even humour. The colourful and elegantly designed pages of the Nepali Times became conversation pieces every Friday, raising public consciousness about critical issues and allowing people to form communities and organise for action.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=41591&amp;preview_nonce=f9ef547137&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,000 weeks of Nepali Times</a>, Mark TurinThe paper became a catalyst, and provided a medium for small and big actions around health, environment, the economy, gender and justice. Confused by day-to-day politics, many of us readers looked forward week after week to stay informed and to make personal and collective decisions based on what the Nepali Times covered, analysed and projected.But even while the Nepali Times marks this 1000th issue, the future of free press and the financial viability of publications cannot and should not be taken for granted. People in power have tried to manipulate or control the media to consolidate power and personal wealth. Media outlets that do not fall in line are under attack. The legacy media, already under financial strain because of the internet, is also facing pressure from the government. This newspaper has been made to suffer for its independence. It has been attacked by both the extreme left and the extreme right in the past 20 years.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/back-to-the-future-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Back to the future in Nepal</a>, Anil ChitrakarThese thousand issues of the Nepali Times are fully archived, and a site search of any subject will show that this archive provides a valuable window on Nepal’s recent history. Future generations of historians will find a handy narrative of how Nepal made its great transition. And perhaps a book summarising the times of Nepali Times would ensure that history is not written by the winners.As regular writers for the Nepali Times, we crave ‘shelf life’, which these archives give us. And this means remembering not to forget what we lived through in the past 20 years, so that we do not repeat the fearful times of conflict, the royal massacre, the communal riots of 2004, or the abuse of human rights in the name of revolution that has left deep scars in Nepali society.Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/half-full/nepal-between-two-tomcats,1084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The great leap</a>, Anil ChitrakarThe earthquake united the Nepali people unlike the politics that divided us. Disasters seem to bring out the best in us, and politics the worst. In the next two decades Nepal will reap what it has sown in the past.The unresolved issues in the Constitution and the challenges related to identity politics, correcting historical wrongs, growing pollution in the Kathmandu valley, corruption and fraud are what we will now be grappling with. To stay tuned, read the Nepali Times.Anil Chitrakar is President of Siddharthinc and writes this forthnightly column ‘½ Full’ for the Nepali Times.

Anil Chitrakar

Nepal’s history foretold

<img width="640" height="417" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35e09c7e80680e0482d4jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><img width="640" height="461" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35e39c7e80680e0482d5jpeg.jpg" alt="">Every Monday morning for the next few months a lot of Nepalis young and old will be up early to watch tv. No, not for the Champions League, but for the latest episode of the last season of the<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game of Thrones.</a> Our own bloody history of palace intrigue and royal feud perhaps make Nepalis familiar with the conspiracies, back-stabbing, violence, and belief in the supernatural that are staple fare of the HBO series based on the novels of <a href="http://www.georgerrmartin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George RR Martin</a>. Those who think there is too much blood-letting, gratuitous gore, or an unrealistic plot only have to look back at Nepal's own history of massacres at the Kot, Bhandarkhal and Narayanhiti to know that the stuff is all too real. The <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/three-kings-in-four-days-nepal-massacre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">royal massacre of 2001</a> is still fresh in many minds, and would have made a great tv series to beat any melodrama that  Bollywood or Hollywood could concoct. We in Nepal may be ahead of the rest of the world in real-life bloodbaths, but are still behind in their artistic representation. That must be why we from the land of the erstwhile 24 Kingdoms take vicarious pleasure in bloody feuds in the 7 Kingdoms of Westeros. And if you miss the next episode (who wants to wake up at 6:45 AM?) there are plenty of cafes in town that have started holding screenings on Monday evenings, some free and some paid, where you can join fellow GoT addicts. There is nothing earth-shattering in the first episode of Season 8, in fact it leaves the viewer distinctly underwhelmed. There are some predictable meetings that flash back to Season 1 Episode 1 almost ten years ago. Sure, Jon gets on his dragon for the first time and flies off with Danaerys to romance in a mountain, and sure, Arya faces her captor The Hound, but there is nothing extra-dramatic or memorable. Especially after a searing end to Season 7, these plot lines barely create a ripple. That was perhaps to be expected of the first episode, however, because it is only setting the scene for the finale. The episode did have its moments: one of which was that Cersei, as usual, has a new lover, but this time her brother is not by her side to save her from her foolish dalliances. The fact that she orders her beloved (pun intended) brother Jaime killed is quite a shocker, even for Cersei. Meanwhile, the other queen Danaerys, known to flirt with women when she likes to, misses it badly this time, as she comes across a battle-hardened Sansa Stark whose looks belie her steeliness. The interaction between the two women, friendly up front but simmering with resentful sparks below, is something to behold. And this brings us to the crux of the finale, which has been plaguing fans for two blank years: what is going to happen now? You know it is the beginning of the end when the episode goes back to the very beginning, with a huge retinue marching into Winterfell. Nothing seems changed, and yet, everything has changed. The Starks are not the innocent fools they used to be, and yet, they continue to be noble fools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlR4PJn8b8IGame of Thrones is famous for decapitations galore and moral ambiguity in a plot that is like a cross between Rana sibling infighting and The Sopranos. For the past few seasons, as the story focuses on the threat of the Night King's Army of the Whitewalkers, there have been clearer heroes and anti-heroes. Everything is looking good for Jon Snow, and the much admired Danaerys Targaryen. Is the show moving towards a typical happy ending after all?Viewers will also notice that the colour palette for this season is relatively muted. Blacks, grays, and the occasional white on Danaerys, but none of the vibrant blues of Margery or the flamboyant yellows of Ellaria. The colour range owes a lot to the fact that winter has come to the wintry north. But it also befits the sombre mood as the White Walkers' Army of the undead has finally broken through the magical ice wall. The costumes are stunning as usual, and there is much to enjoy visually, even apart from the drama. The revamped title sequence, for one, includes new locations, new stories, and interiors of the castles that we previously only saw from outside.The big reveal of the episode, Jon Snow's lineage, was not a big surprise to viewers at all, who have known for quite some time who he is. But finally, something has changed, and the next episode will hopefully see more action along these lines. All along, Jon Snow knew nothing, and now, he knows something.

1250x600

Game of Thrones familiar to Nepalis

Former Norwegian ambassador to Nepal returns to see a country transformed<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5cd9c7e80680e031449jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="837"/>Even when there was a conflict going on, I always found people friendly and open during my years in Nepal from 1999-2004. Despite the warmth and hospitality, things changed somewhat as the government lost control over a large part of the countryside to Maoist rebels.Norway was supporting the education sector but visits to rural schools became difficult as teachers and students were terrified by both the Maoists and the security forces.Fourteen years later, Nepal has moved from war to peace. People can move freely, and children go to school without fear. On a recent visit, I saw no armoured vehicles on the streets of Kathmandu and no APFs checking cars at night. The police checkpoints now are looking for drunk drivers.A <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736" target="_blank" rel="noopener">palace massacre</a>, a violent insurgency, the royal takeover, new constitution, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earthquake</a> and <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/As-It-Happens/blockade-that-benefitted-no-one,660" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blockade</a>, all in a timespan of less than 15 years – it is really too much for any nation to cope with. Still, this is just what the people of Nepal have done, and they have come out more united and confident.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736" target="_blank" rel="noopener">From royal to republic</a>,  Shreejana ShresthaMy friends told me that many wounds are not healed, that the victims feel forgotten, and that there is still a big gap between the class of rulers and those being ruled. This may hopefully slowly change, the commitment of many Nepalis encouraged me.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5d09c7e80680e03144ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480"><figcaption>Maternal Waiting Ward in Okhaldhunga</figcaption></figure>I visited Okhaldhunga and saw that the earthquake too had hit the schools hard. But there was a priority on the rehabilitation of schools, many children now have safer classrooms. The people were busy building new, stronger brick houses as the government support had finally reached them.My Norwegian friends have worked at Okhaldhunga Community Hospital for 14 years. During this time, the hospital and its outreach services have grown to take particular care of mothers and children. They even offer expecting young mothers the facility to stay with relatives at the Maternal Waiting Home, ensuring that they reach the hospital in time. The relative these days is often the husband, and many of them want to be present during delivery.The other big change is that there are now roads everywhere. You can now drive fromn Kathmandu to Okhaldhunga and even to Solu Khumbu further north. In Kathmandu, of course, the increase in traffic has brought heavy <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/air-pollution-survey-kathmandu,3998" target="_blank" rel="noopener">air pollution</a>.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5d29c7e80680e03144bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption>Ingrid Ofstad and husband Rolf Ree at Poon Hill</figcaption></figure>Still, the rest of the country is as magnificent as ever. My visit to Nepal was timed to enable me to experience the spectacular sunrise view of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna from Poon Hill with the red rhododendron forests in full bloom. I was not disappointed. It is one of the most stunning views I have ever seen. Somewhat disturbing was that the new road to Ulleri and Ghandruk have partly destroyed the old walking trails. Local people want road access, but it makes sense to protect the trekking routes.Read also:  <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A month that felt like a year</a>,  Kunda DixitOne of the greater charms of trekking in Nepal is walking on paths used by local people, passing villages where farms and livestock are still the main activity. Nepal still has a living cultural landscape, which is the main draw for foreigners besides the mountain views. This may be difficult to preserve, but finding better ways to accommodate both tourism and farming needs to be explored.Nepal has changed, but is still in many ways the same. People are struggling to keep traditions alive, to preserve national identity. I was lucky to witness the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/makers-of-machhindranath,2204" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rato Machindranath chariot</a> being pulled by women, and was encouraged by the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/piece-by-piece-patan-darbar-square-reconstruction,3782" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rebuilding of the temples at Patan Durbar Square</a>.Compared to 14 years ago, there are mobile phones everywhere and there is dramatic improvement in electricity supply. There are more latrines in rural areas and I was thrilled by the spread of the Open Defecation Free Zones .I am glad to have visited Nepal at a time when there are reasons to be optimistic about the country’s future, and I hope Nepal will find its own way to make traditions and development ‘go hand in hand’.Ingrid Ofstad was Norway’s ambassador to Nepal from 2000-2004, and later served as ambassador to South Sudan and Angola.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/As-It-Happens/blockade-that-benefitted-no-one,660" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The blockade that benefitted no one except smugglers</a>,  Om Astha Rai

Back in Nepal after 14 years

Nepal’s only international aviation gateway, at Kathmandu airport, will cut night-time operation hours to allow construction of taxiways, and airlines have been told to curtail flights. This is expected to lead to more than normal chaos during the height of peak autumn and spring tourist seasons at an airport that is congested even at the best of times. The airport will close from 10PM to 8AM from 8 November-31 March 2025. The taxiways will now connect to the thresholds at both ends of the runway, making the airport more efficient in handling higher frequencies of landings and takeoffs. The parallel taxiway extension will allow international flights to land every 4 minutes instead of the current every 7 minutes. At present planes have to wait to land until a plane taking off backtracks along the runway.&nbsp; Kathmandu is Nepal’s only airport with international operations, and it has only one runway that is only one way in from the south over the mountains. With the taxiway improvement, the airport will be able to handle 42 aircraft landings and takeoffs per hour — double the current capacity.&nbsp; The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has been trying to entice international airlines to also start flying to and from the other two international airports at Pokhara and Bhairawa (Lumbini) by slashing landing and handling charges. But so far only Nepal Airlines operates a weekly flight to Bhairawa from Kuala Lumpur.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2356" height="1134" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport expansion"> <figcaption>Kathmandu Airport Expansion plan with extension of taxiways to the thresholds of runways 02 and 20 that will limit airport operations from 8 November 2024 - 31 March 2025. Areas in blue are existing structures, including the international terminal which in future will be the domestic airport, and the new international terminal near the north end of the runway,</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1353" height="1328" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport NT"> </figure>  CAAN has reportedly told international airlines to cut their flight frequency to Kathmandu citing the shorter operation hours and has told budget airlines to shift some of their flights to Pokhara or Bhairawa, or face cuts. Many airlines currently operate regular flights to and from Kathmandu between 10PM and 8AM: Air Arabia to Sharjah, Fly Dubai to Dubai, Jazeera Airways to Kuwait, Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines, several Nepal Airlines flights, and one of four daily flights by Qatar Airways to Doha. Jazeera Airways, FlyDubai, and Thai AirAsia have applied and got permission from CAAN to begin regular flights to Bhairawa’s Gautam Buddha International Airport. Starting 9 November, FlyDubai will start making a stopover in Bhairawa before flying on to Kathmandu. Immigration, customs and security are all fully functional in Bhairawa. In Kathmandu, the next phase of the airport upgrade includes converting the current international terminal for domestic operations, the construction of a new international terminal where the domestic departure area is now, as well as moving the hangars and the Nepal Army Air Wing to the eastern side of the runway. The apron area will also double its parking space for widebody jets. This is part of a Airport Capacity Enhancement Project that was initially funded through a $80 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the entire masterplan is expected to cost $800 million. This project is the latest upgrade to Nepal’s only international airport since it saw its first flight in 1949. The current international and domestic terminals are too small to handle the current annual traffic volume of 8.5 million passengers a year that is growing at 20% a year.

Kathmandu airport to cut flight hours

As Kathmandu becomes more congested and polluted, and with remote online work becoming the norm, many professional Nepalis are planning to retire in Pokhara, or move there.&nbsp; With its stunning mountain panorama, balmy winters and proximity to a profusion of wilderness areas, builders are responding to this demand with new townhouses, housing development and apartments. One such block of flats is the 10-storey <a href="https://sungavaapartment.com/">Sungava Apartment</a> located at Phulbari above the Seti River, near the point where it flows into and under Pokhara. The imposing structure near Manipal Hospital is almost complete, and on a recent visit the site was strewn with huge boulders unearthed while digging the foundation.&nbsp; The Seti brought down these boulders during a gigantic flood that geologists estimate happened 800 years ago when a chunk of Annapurna IV broke off and ploughed into the glacier below. Today, Sungava (means ‘orchid’) sits safely on a high terrace, 100m above the blue-green Seti and commands a view of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Machapuchre, Annapurna III and IV.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9" data-rendition-name="original" width="2016" height="1512" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  The soil here is conglomerate that has solidified like concrete, and the boulders were extracted by heavy earthmovers. It is intriguing to think that these metamorphic rocks as big as cars, rounded by glacial grinding, were once a part of a much higher Annapurna IV. Even for those with little interest in geology, Sungava is an ideal place to contemplate the tectonic forces that pushed these peaks into the sky to be sculpted into delicate shapes by wind, snow, earthquake and avalanche over millions of years. The view of the Himalayan panorama from Sungava’s many balconies are breathtaking when not obscured by clouds, or the haze that drifts in from across the southern border. On most days, just watching the towering pyramid of Machapuchre (Tamu name: कतासुँ क्लिको) play hide and seek with the clouds is mesmerising. There are rocks aplenty at Phulbari, and it is probably the flowers that grew along the flat terraces e that gave the place its flowery name. The boulders will hopefully be turned into a rock garden while landscaping. An nearby restaurant complex is making the best use of the stones in its design, using flat rocks as outdoor benches and tables. Sungava was designed by the husband-wife architect team of Deepak Sherchan and Jyoti Joshi of <a href="https://thedarkmermaidamarbshrestha.blogspot.com/2013/12/creative-builders-collaborative-cbc.html">Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC)</a>, which also built Heritage Plaza, Indreni Apartment and numerous other projects in Nepal. Sadbhavana retains CBC’s trademark Newari-style masonry and here it borrows from the orange brickwork of the old town of Pokhara, integrating it with modern design elements. A few of those heritage houses are still standing in Ganesh Tole and Ram Krishna Tole in Pokhara’s old quarter.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab" data-rendition-name="original" width="1362" height="595" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  About 400m from the apartment past a bend on the river, and down below three tiers of terraces in the canyon is a suspension bridge. Below it, the Seti is still swollen with post-monsoon flow as it tumbles away in a hurry to head down south.&nbsp; Back at the apartment, it is quiet, far away from the hubbub of Lakeside a 15 minute drive away, and in the lap of greenery. There are 52 units at Sungava and it already has a close-knit prospective community of professionals, including doctors, publishers, engineers, and businesspeople from the renewable energy and IT sectors.&nbsp; Some residents say they opted for a second home in Pokhara to make it a ‘base camp’ to explore the Annapurnas with its many hiking trails made newly accessible with new roads. With the NRN citizenship law, overseas Nepalis can now also buy the flats. &nbsp; The floor plans include options for north and south-facing 3-bedroom apartments with verandas, and the facility has underground parking has EV charging, heated pool, sauna and gym. There are still some unsold apartments with panoramic views of the mountains and one can imagine oneself at the kitchen with its huge window, humming a ditty while preparing breakfast: “खाना पकाउँ हिमाल हेरेर...”

High living below the Himalaya

When the United Nations held its Summit of the Future at its headquarters in New York in September, many world leaders, including Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Oli, highlighted the effect of climate breakdown in increasing the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. What did not get as much attention was the long term impact of the climate crisis on food production. In fact, heat stress, weather extremes and the consequences on rain-fed agriculture is already being felt worldwide, undermining the chances of the <a href="https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/">UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</a> being met by 2030.&nbsp; The SDG’s 17 targets commit countries like Nepal to reduce poverty and inequality, end malnutrition, protect the natural environment, and ensure that citizens all enjoy health, justice and prosperity without leaving anyone behind.&nbsp; However, besides the impact of climate breakdown on agricultural production, in Nepal the area under cultivation is impacted by urban expansion, falling productivity and the need for expensive inputs like fertiliser and pesticides.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62" data-rendition-name="original" width="999" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Kathmandu's urban sprawl is eating into its fertile cultivable lands. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  Now, a new study led by Nepali researcher Prajal Pradhan at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands looks at how urban agriculture may offer a solution to falling food production and meeting SDG targets. The researchers evaluated 1,450 publications exploring the contributions of urban agriculture with both positive and negative effects, and published their findings in the journal Cells Report Sustainability. Urban agriculture can help achieve 17 SDGs, positively influencing 81 targets. However, it could also undermine 51 goals.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-vanishing-land">The vanishing land</a>, Taylor Mason “Urban agriculture offers immense potential for sustainable development, but realising this potential depends crucially on adopting practices that minimise its adverse effects while maximising its benefits,” Pradhan explains. Urban agriculture can substantially enhance urban food security, provide employment to the urban poor, serve as ground water recharge in built-up areas, and preserve open spaces that can serve as safe havens during disasters like earthquakes. However, it also presents problems like the potential health risks from contamination and the need for expensive inputs. &nbsp; “Urban agriculture plays a definitive role in advancing the SDGs, but achieving this requires tailored, context-specific solutions that address the unique challenges of different regions,” says Yuanchao Hu of Wuhan University in China and who is a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. “But it needs equitable access and rigorous management of environmental risks.”&nbsp; Rapid urbanisation is eating into Nepal’s most fertile agricultural land, which means farming in remaining open spaces inside cities can be a viable alternative, especially as food prices rise.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>A vegetable patch in between new houses in Thimi. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  “The conversion of Nepal’s most fertile land into cities is a severe problem,” Pradhan told Nepali Times. “Crop cultivation, horticulture, agroforestry, beekeeping, livestock rearing, or aquaculture can all be farming activities within and around cities.”&nbsp; The study makes recommendations for sustainable practices that build on the positive aspects of urban agriculture while mitigating the downsides, thereby promoting more resilient cities in future. Research shows that urban agriculture has been helping many countries attain SDG targets by enhancing food security and biodiversity while helping education and preservation of open spaces.&nbsp; Indeed, many farmers from the hinterland who have settled in Kathmandu Valley or other urban areas of the country have been practicing urban agriculture, leasing neighbourhood patches or cultivating roof gardens both out of necessity because of inflation and falling income to grow their own food, and also as a fulfilling hobby. Saurav Dhakal, a sustainability advocate with Story Cycle and now research fellow at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, says there are socio-economic and environmental benefits of urban agriculture. “It provides benefits to all urban dwellers, regardless of their income status,” says Dhakal, “families get fresh food, and there are many other benefits like water retention, heat regulation and biodiversity. These are all public goods, so special government incentives may be needed.” It is not unusual to see vegetable patches and even paddy fields within inner city Kathmandu where an older generation of farmers are using available fertile land and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/rooftop-gardens-kathmandu,1415">roof gardens to produce fresh, nutritious food </a>to reduce their dependence on food items that have to be bought after being trucked in from large distances.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>An older generation of farmers are using any available fertile land to continue farming but it is getting more and more difficult. Photo: TAYLOR MASON </figcaption> </figure>  Nepal’s urban population grew rapidly from only 3.6% in 1991 to 25% today. There is large outmigration from the mountains to peri-urban areas of the Tarai, to Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara, with many young men then moving abroad for work. Kathmandu Valley’s population has swelled to nearly 3 million, and is growing at 6.5% a year. Dilip Shrestha, 71, used to work for Nepal Food Corporation, so he knew firsthand about inflation, shortages and vegetables with pesticide residue. So, when he designed his new house in Kathmandu, he built a spacious roof where he grows cucumber, ginger, garlic, coriander, onions, tomatoes, chili, beans, okra, pumpkin and lettuce. His family eats healthier, and he has reduced dependence on the market.&nbsp; The co-author of the Cell Reports Sustainability journal article, Daya Raj Subedi who is a PhD candidate at Beijing Forestry University, says urban agriculture also promotes inclusion and psycho-social wellbeing.&nbsp; He says, “A crucial finding of the study is the identification of opportunities and challenges associated with urban agriculture, it can promote sustainable transformation of society.” In Banepa, 55-year-old Bijaya Manandhar in her lifetime has watched the fertile farms of her neighbourhood that used to supply vegetables to Kathmandu, now completely built up with no open space left. The pandemic lockdown prompted her to turn to the family’s <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world">ancestral livelihood by growing food</a> not on terrace farms, but on the roof terrace. Manandhar is now a part of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world%5C%5C">कौसी खेती र करेसाबारी क्रान्ती</a> (Rooftop Farming and Garden Revolution) which has an online membership of 52,000, and awards annual prizes to women who excel in urban agriculture.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="736" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Rooftop farming is gaining popularity as a form of urban agriculture. </figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed" data-rendition-name="original" width="4000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> </figure>  Pradhan says the challenge now is to upscale such examples of successful urban agricultural practices so they support Neal’s efforts to meet SDG targets. He adds, “Crop cultivation around cities can be protected by land use plans and regulations. Promoting community-based agriculture, including rooftop gardens, requires community engagement and public-private partnerships across the food value chain.”&nbsp; Such support would accelerate the popularity of existing rooftop farming and community gardens in Kathmandu Valley, or kitchen garden initiatives in Pokhara, and building on traditional farming practices that are preserved and integrated into urban settings like in Bhaktapur and Banepa. In Lalitpur, the Women Entrepreneurship Facilitation Center promotes urban farming enhancing both sustainability and empowerment.&nbsp; Another co-author of the report, Yuanchao Hu from China says followup research of the team will aim to identify good practices in local urban agriculture practices. He adds, “There are examples of urban agriculture that optimise sustainability, ensuring that it remains a viable solution for cities globally while countries try to meet SDG targets.” Prajal Pradhan, Daya Raj Subedi, Kshitij Dahal, Yuanchao Hu, Prakriti Gurung, Sijal Pokharel, Sagar Kafle, Biplav Khatri, Sudeeksha Basyal, Monika Gurung, and Aruna Joshi. Urban Agriculture matters for sustainable development. Cell Reports Sustainability, 1:100217, 2024. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100217] Prajal Pradhan (<a href="mailto:p.pradhan@rug.nl">p.pradhan@rug.nl</a>) This article is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="103" loading="lazy" alt="SDG logo"> </figure>

Back to the land in the cities

The 700-year-old Lakshmi Narasingha temple in Bhaktapur houses a rare half-lion and half-human incarnation of Lord Vishnu carrying the Goddess Lakshmi. The temple was destroyed in the 1934 mega earthquake that killed 10,000 people and destroyed many monuments in Kathmandu Valley. It was rebuilt by a German project in the 1980s, but as a single-storey structure instead of its original two-tier pagoda design.&nbsp; With new findings from in-depth research, Bhaktapur municipality began re-restoring the temple in 2021, preserving its original architecture.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “Our temples and heritage sites hold deep meaning. It is disheartening to witness how often they lose their original elements, whether by design or accident,” explains Kumar Chawal of the Consumer Committee of Bhaktapur. “There is a need to preserve our architecture and protect its historical value for future generations. Otherwise, we risk losing a vital part of our identity.” The Laksmi Narsingha restoration is similar to the Bhai Dega temple in Patan Darbar Square which also collapsed in 1934, but was rebuilt with a Moghul-style dome by the Rana government at the time. Only two months before the 2015 earthquake, heritage conservationists had started to rebuild Bhai Dega as the original three-tier based on early photographs. But priorities shifted when four other temples in the square were brought down by the 7.8M earthquake on 25 April 2015.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  This showed how damage to monuments in Kathmandu Valley spanned from one earthquake to the next. Bhai Dega restoration remains half-complete to this day because money for its restoration ran out.&nbsp; Whereas Bhai Dega restoration was done by the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust with grants from western embassies and international foundations, in Bhaktapur it is the municipality itself that allocated the Rs30.7 million needed to restore the Lakshmi Narasingha temple. The expected date of completion is early 2025. The municipality and local communities are focusing on two main aspects: preserving the past and promoting localisation. The restoration team has designed a blueprint for the temple by using historical photographs and insights from older generations.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="560" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “At first, the Lakshmi Narasingha temple had only one entrance, but during the demolition process, we uncovered the foundations of four doors. Now, we are restoring all of them. This is an example of how our ancient structures have changed over time, often without our knowledge,” says Chawal. “Constructing temples is not like building houses. They carry historical and spiritual values, which is why they hold a special place in our hearts,” he adds. By replicating ancient design elements and rebuilding the temple as accurately as possible to its original form, the team has stayed true to Bhaktapur’s soul. But the restoration also revived ancient techniques that were in danger of being forgotten, generating employment for woodcarvers, masons, and contractors. The community of Bhaktapur’s Gahiti neighbourhood near the famous Nyatapola Temple has also set aside specific days for locals to volunteer in the reconstruction work. This has encouraged young people to take pride in ownership of their heritage. Families have also supported the effort by donating funds for bells, the temple pinnacle, and other structural features to the temple.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “I feel at peace knowing I have contributed my sweat to restoring this temple,” said one volunteer. “It is our duty to preserve our temples and heritage. The Nyatapola area will look magical once this temple is completed.” Community mobilisation is a long-standing tradition in Bhaktapur. In the past, locals have actively participated in the restoration of other temples in the city, such as Bhairav and Nyatapola fostering a strong sense of ownership. This collective engagement has not only been crucial in preserving the city's historical monuments but also in strengthening the bond between local communities and their heritage, says officials at the municipality. While securing funding is essential, and the municipality showed it values heritage conservation, the Lakshmi Narasingha restoration is proof that active involvement and sense of responsibility of the local community is as important, if not more. Local involvement also means that the monuments will be cared for into the future, When locals take ownership of these efforts, the restored monuments are not only protected in the present but are also cared for in the future.

royal-massacre

If Birendra was alive, Nepal could still be a monarchy

If Birendra was alive, Nepal could still be a monarchy

Preserving King Birendra’s family home

Nepal’s history foretold

Game of Thrones familiar to Nepalis

Back in Nepal after 14 years

Kathmandu airport to cut flight hours

High living below the Himalaya

Back to the land in the cities

In with the old in Nepal