By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Undeterred by the Maoists’ opposition to his public appearances at Kathmandu’s main temples, King Gyanendra plans to go ahead with the monarch’s traditional rituals during Dashain, Nepal’s biggest Hindu festival, just as he did in the past.
The king is from a dunasty where all monarchs were once revered as reincarnations of a Hindu deity. But King Gyanendra saw his political and military powers ebb away last year after he tried to impose absolute rule with an army-backed coup.
However, though the new multi-party government took away his privileges as head of state, the king is steadfastly resisting pressure to end his religio-cultural relevance.
On Saturday, when the kingdom celebrates the ninth day of Dashain with devotees worshipping at the temples of Navadurga, the nine goddesses of power, the king plans to make yet another public appearance to offer tributes at the temple of Taleju Bhavani, the deity regarded as the protector of the royal family.
When the festival starts winding up Sunday with the tika ceremony — when elders put vermilion on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them — the palace doors will be opened to admit members of the public who want the king’s blessings.
In the past, the prime minister, his cabinet and heads of constitutional bodies used to assemble at the palace on the day of Vijaya Dashami to receive tika from the king.
Though last year the king lost his power due to a public uprising, loyal followers still continue to make their way to the palace, defying the wrath of the Maoists, who have been trying to abolish the 238-year-old institution of monarchy.
Since his exit from power, the king has had to face unpleasant scenes when he has gone to worship at public temples.
On Thursday, Maoist cadres raised anti-monarchy slogans and waved black flags. An earlier worship at the temple of Kumari, Nepal’s Living Goddess, enraged Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who regarded it as a challenge to his authority and ordered the number of royal guards deployed in the palace to be halved.
However, Nepali journalist Babita Basnet says the king is well within his cultural rights to continue his public prayers.
“There is a close link between the king and Hindu culture in Nepal,” Basnet said. “In the past, all kings were heads of state and were empowered to attend all Hindu religious ceremonies.
“Now Nepal is a secular country and the prime minister has become the head of state. However, he can’t be the king.
“Tomorrow, we could have a Muslim, Christian or Buddhist head of state. But they would not be an integral part of Hindu ceremonies like the king is.”
C.K. Lal, a prominent writer and analyst, feels that by continuing his religious rituals, the king is trying to create a cultural space for himself.
“His political role has been curbed,” Lal said. “However, his cultural relevance remains. Some still see the presence of monarchy as giving continuation to history. The king doesn’t want to lose that. It could be useful to him in the long run.”
The king’s bete noir, the Maoists, who waged a 10-year war to overthrow the crown, say they do not object to the king worshipping publicly as a commoner.
“It’s his personal belief,” said Janardan Sharma, deputy commander of the Maoists’ once-underground People’s Liberation Army. He is now an MP.
“We have no quarrel with that. However, we object to visits where he tries to usurp the role of the head of state.”