Birendra of Nepal

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
Birendra c. 1967
King of Nepal
Reign31 January 1972 – 1 June 2001
Coronation24 February 1975
PredecessorMahendra
SuccessorDipendra
Born(1945-12-28)28 December 1945
Narayanhiti Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal
Died1 June 2001(2001-06-01) (aged 55)
Narayanhiti Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal
Cause of deathAssassination (gunshot wounds)
Spouse
IssueKing Dipendra
Princess Shruti
Prince Nirajan
Regnal name
Shree Paanch Sarkar Badamaharajadhiraj Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (श्री ५ बडामहाराजधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव)
DynastyShah
FatherMahendra
MotherIndra Rajya Lakshmi Devi
ReligionHinduism

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (Nepali: श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव), (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth King of Nepal from 1972 until his assassination in 2001. He was the eldest son of King Mahendra.

Early life and education

Birendra was born at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace in Kathmandu as the eldest son of the then Crown Prince Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and his first wife, Crown Princess Indra Rajya Lakshmi Devi.[1][2]

Birendra spent eight years studying at

Jesuit school in Darjeeling, with his brother Gyanendra. On 13 March 1955, their grandfather King Tribhuvan died and their father succeeded the Nepalese throne. With his father's ascension, Birendra became the crown prince
of Nepal.

In 1959, Birendra was enrolled at Eton College in the United Kingdom. After studying at Eton until 1964, he returned to Nepal where he began to explore the country by traveling on foot to the remote parts of the country where he lived humbly with what was available in the villages.[1] He later completed his education by spending some time at the University of Tokyo, before studying political theory at Harvard University from 1967 to 1968.[3] Birendra enjoyed travelling in his youth, and went on trips to Canada, Latin America, Africa, many parts of India, and a number of other Asian countries. He was also an art collector and supporter of Nepalese craftspeople and artists and learned to fly helicopters.[4]

Birendra was married to Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi from the Rana family, his second cousin, on 27 February 1970.[5] The wedding, which was billed as one of the most lavish Hindu nuptial ceremonies in history, cost $9.5 million to stage.[6]

Birendra was diagnosed to have coronary artery disease and had undergone angioplasty in United Kingdom as per reports in late 90s.

Early reign

Birendra ascended to the Nepalese throne on 31 January 1972, at the age of 27, after the death of his father, King Mahendra. However, his coronation was delayed until 24 February 1975, when he was 29, since the first year was considered to be a mourning period for death of king's father and the second year was deemed to be inauspicious by religious astrologers.[7] As a Hindu monarch, he had to follow Nepalese tradition.[8]

Panchayat era

1972–1980

On his ascension to the throne, Birendra was effectively an

absolute monarch, as he inherited a country where political parties were banned and he ruled through a system of local and regional councils known as panchayats.[4]

1980–1990

In an attempt to maintain the

Nepali Congress Party were arrested frequently.[4] During the 1980s the restraints that had been imposed on political organizations were eased, and liberal student-led groups started to demand constitutional change in Nepal.[3][9] Because of the growing pro-democracy movement Birendra announced that a referendum to decide between a party-less or a multi-party system would be held. During, referendum options were given for a multi-party system or a Panchayati system. The referendum was held in May 1980 with the party-less system winning by a margin of 55% to 45%.[10] The result of the election led the king to make mass restructuring of country both economically and politically. After the national referendum, he divided the nation into 5 development regions in order to create balanced development and visited each division once a year; the visits were discontinued after his status as a constitutional monarchy in 1990.[11]

Democratic era

Birendra shaking hands with Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

In 1990, a series of strikes and pro-democracy riots broke out in Nepal. Due to the riots, Birendra lifted the ban on political parties and agreed to become a

constitutional monarch in April 1990. He appointed an independent Constitution Recommendation Commission to represent the main opposition factions and to prepare a new constitution to accommodate their demands for political reform.[12] The commission presented him with the draft of the proposed constitution on 10 September 1990. The new constitution would make Birendra head of state of a constitutional monarchy with a system of multiparty democracy. The draft constitution was approved by the Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and his cabinet and so, on 9 November 1990, Birendra promulgated the new constitution transformed Nepal into a constitutional monarchy.[13] As a constitutional monarchy, Birendra became more popular than he was as a autocratic ruler attributing to his democratic views and behaviors as well as the inability of the political parties.[14] Birendra, however, could not prevent the Nepalese Civil War, a conflict between Maoist rebels and government forces, which lasted from 1996 until 2006.[15]

Notable works and improvements

Diplomatic campaign

President Ronald Reagan with King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev

He managed to maintain Nepal's independence despite encroaching influences by India, China, and the Soviet Union. His first trips abroad as king were to India in October 1973 and China two months later.[16] He prevented the breaking up of Mustang from Nepal and Tibet from China during the Mustang revolution.[17][18] The disarmament of Khampas rebellions working against China brought Nepal-China relations to a new height.[19][20] His compatriots remember him for his extensive campaign and contribution for the establishment of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and South Asian food reserve. During his reign, he was also able to set up the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu.[21] He was able to establish diplomatic relations with additional 46 countries taking the total number of countries for diplomatic relations from 49 to 96. He further strengthened Nepal's policy of neutrality by promoting Nepal as zone of Peace in the UN.[22] He believed that Nepal, sandwiched between the two Asian powers, should have good relationship with both.[10]

Promotion of peace

He proposed Nepal to be declared a zone of Peace in the United Nations meeting, taking into consideration Nepal's historic peace status, birth of Gautam Buddha and its historical policy of Non-alignment to any foreign powers.

King Birendra was successful in peacefully disarming the Khampas rebellions, settled in the northern Himalayan region, by giving land, money and citizenship to those who surrendered their arms, and by confiscating weapons as well. Thus who did not surrender would be prohibited from moving toward the Tibetan region.[19][25] Birendra is also credited with blocking the use of the army for suppressing the Maoist revolution in the country, which would've further aggravated the situation and disturbed the peace in the nation.[15][26]

Environmental protection

A Tibetan snowcock at Sagarmatha National Park

King Birendra was regarded as a lover of nature and a great supporter of nature conservation. The trend of nature conservation from the government started during his reign. The dramatic decline of the rhinoceros population due to massive Terai migration and the extent of poaching prompted the government to institute the Rhino Patrol force (Nepali: गैडा गस्ती ) of 130 armed men and a network of guard posts all over Chitwan. To prevent the extinction of rhinos through a legal system, National park law was introduced which gazetted the Chitwan National Park in December 1970, with borders delineated the following year and established in 1973.[27][28]

An Indian rhinoceros at Chitwan National Park

For the purpose of conservation of Tigers in the nation, an area of 368 km2 was gazetted as Royal Karnali Wildlife Reserve in 1976 which was later proclaimed as

Sindhulpalchok.[30] He also gazetted another wildlife reserve in 1976 as Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. In the same year, he also established Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in the Terai region of far-western province which was later enlarged and converted to national park in the late 1980s.[31][32] Also, another protected area, Rara National Park was established in the same year in order to protect the unique flora and fauna of Humla, Mugu and Jumla regions and to fulfil his father, King Mahendra's dream of creating a pristine nature reserve with a reserved area of 106 km2 in the Mugu and Jumla districts which also includes the famous Rara Lake.[30][33] The last National Park to be established as part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape in the same year was Sagarmatha National Park in with reservation of area of 1,148 km2 in the Solukhumbu District.[34]

In 1984, a 225 km2 area of

Far-Western Region, Nepal and was named Khaptad National Park. In the same year, he also established Parsa Wildlife Reserve which was later extended to a National Park. Similarly, the nation's only trans-Himalayan national park, Shey Phoksundo National Park, was established in 1984 with an area of 3,555 square Kilometers in the districts of Dolpa and Mugu in the Karnali Province which also included the famous Phoksundo Lake.[30]

In order to preserve the royal tradition of hunting as a hobby, but also to prevent the depleting wild life resource he established

King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation as a memorial to his father, with the then prince Gyanendra as the chairman, was also established in 1990. With the establishment of Mahendra trust, he declared Annapurna Conservation Area[35]

Moreover, with his efforts, Nepal was able to enlist Sagarmatha National Park in 1979[36] and Chitwan National Park in 1984[37] into the UNESCO World heritage sites. Similarly, monument zones such as the Durbar squares of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur and religious sites such as Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath Temple and Changu Narayan was also enlisted in 1979.[38]

Economic reforms

One of the blocks of Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital, the oldest teaching hospital in Nepal.

Focusing on sustainability and environmental conservation, on 28 December 1975 (1975-12-28), trolley bus system was established in Nepal from the aid of

People's Republic of China. He followed in the path of his father to establish industrial estates by establishing Nepalgunj Industrial Area(1973), Pokhara Industrial Area(1974), Butwal Industrial Area(1976), Bhaktapur Industrial Area(1979), Dhankuta Industrial Area(1980), Birendranagar Industrial Area(1981), Gajendranarayan Industrial Area(1986) respectively.[39]

Birendra is initially credited for devising the plan of Melamchi water project to Kathmandu.

Nepal-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission
bringing in significant foreign investments in the country.

A 60 Megawatt hydropower project at Kulekhani began operation in 1982 with economic aid from the World Bank, Kuwait, and Japan.[43]

TU Teaching Hospital was established in 1982 with the economic support from Japan International Cooperation Agency.[44]
Nardevi Ayurvedic Hospital was established in 1974. Nepal Police Hospital was established by the king on the 27th of Chaitra, 2040 BS with an intention to provide free health services to in- service policemen and, their families.

He established Securities Exchange Center Ltd in 1976 to manage, promote and support the growth of trade of stocks and capitals in the nation. This center was later developed to what we know today as Nepal Stock Exchange.[45]

He is also credited for establishing the first television channel of Nepal Nepal Television in 1984 which started its first channel in 1985 with French aid. Due to these economic reforms, by 1986, there were 2,054 industrial establishments employing about 125 thousand workers in the nation. By 1990, reach of people for television meant that video rental services and satellite dishes were commonly available.

King Birendra in the advice and consent of Rastriya Panchayat in 1986 established Mahendra Sanskrit University to manage Sanskrit education in Nepal in Dang which at the time of its commencement was the second university of the country .[46]

Roads and transportation

Various Studies in 1972 showed that building road connectivity in hilly and rural areas were more expensive than air connectivity.

Suketar Airport, Jiri Airport and Phaplu Airport and Bajhang Airport was built in 1976.[48] Rolpa Airport in 1980, Manang Airport in 1981, Bajura airport in 1984 and Darchula Airport in 1986.[49]

Similarly, The Lamosangu-Jiri road leading to Solukhumbu was commissioned in 1985 with Swiss government aid.[50][51]

Promotion of agriculture

The government, during Birendra's reign, focused highly on agriculture promotion. As a result, almost 90% of the population was directly or indirectly involved in agriculture by 1990. Bhrikuti Pulp and Paper was established in 1985 under the Companies Act 2021 (

Illam and many other places of eastern Nepal.[55][56][57] Similarly. establishment of agriculture based industries such as Bhrikuti Pulp and Paper, Hetauda Textile and huge number of carpet and garment industry were established to convert raw agricultural produce which contributed greatly to the economy.[58]

Political achievements

Administrative division of Nepal with 5 development regions

During the reign of King Birendra, referendum was held in 2037 BS for democracy wherein options were a multi-party system or a Panchayati system. During the Panchayat era and after the national referendum, he divided the nation into 5 development regions in order to create balanced development, and visited each division once a year; the visits were discontinued after 1990 democracy movement.[11]

Despite previously being an autocratic rule and constant pressure from the supporters and royal members, the king always played the role of constitutional monarch by the book and never overstepped his boundaries. King Birendra was always there when there was some political crisis in the nation. Mid-term elections, 2051 and General Election, 2056 can be attributed to his good governance. The King regularly asked the Supreme Court for its advice on any political matters that could concern the constitution so that he would never overstep the boundaries of the constitution. He created a culture where the king and prime minister would meet every Thursday at his palace to discuss matters of state.[59]

Social reforms

Recognizing low literacy levels as the main hindrance to national progress, King Birendra made development of education system his national priority. The five year plan starting from 1971 was mainly focused in building new educational institutions and upgrading the efficiency of the current education system. On the auspicious occasion of his coronation, King Birendra declared primary education to be free for all Nepalese citizens.

Mahendra Sanskrit University in 1986 to preserve the language and culture in the region. Dowry system was criminalized in Nepal in 1976 under the Social Practices Reform Act (2033 B.S). Under the five year plan, King Birendra started the policy of National Service which required the post-graduate students to contribute their one-year of service to the development works in the rural areas. He initiated the process of preserving the history by establishing Natural History Museum in 1975.On 22 September 1976 he enacted Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 prohibiting the trade, smuggling or any kind of drug trafficking in the country.[62][63]

Development policy

Birendra took the policy of road development according to the population and daily road traffic and connecting the rural areas with airports. He restructured many governmental organization for the purpose of achieving developmental goals. He stressed roadbuilding, sanitation and scientific as well as technical trainings.[64] A comprehensive study performed regarding the central planning agency triggered the restructuring of the National Planning Commission in 1972 and minor changes in 1987.[47] The government policy focused mainly on environment conservation, agriculture and education.

Criticism

Stagnant economy

Though King Birendra is remembered as a development-friendly king, he is also criticized for his inability to drive the country towards rapid development efforts like his father King Mahendra. He had the political will but simply not the skill through which development efforts could be rapidly gained. His policy of sustainable development, shown by his nature conservation efforts, culture, and history became hindrances for economic development. The Panchayat regime created a stagnant economy during his reign as an autocratic ruler.[11]

Administrative failure

Historians point out that the Panchayat Regime under King Birendra was a failure. He was not able to bring in much direct foreign investment during his reign, and all the programs he brought, or all the reforms he made were the continuation of his father's legacy. He restructured various organization previously established by his father, and implemented various development plan envisioned by his father.[65] However, he was not able to bring about radical change in the country. Moreover, some historians also claim that making cannabis trade illegal, implemented during this era, created mass unemployment which eventually became one of the causes of the Maoist revolution.[66][67]

Failed development efforts

Birendra restructured various organization and brought many development plans, but his development efforts were mostly a failure; which hindered any radical change in the country. Many airports and roads built during his era were rarely used, and eventually had to be closed down. Moreover, the reason the newly-built roads were rarely used was due to very low vehicle ownership or access to vehicles; so rarely contributing to economic development.[47]

Fall of the Panchayat system

Some historians and anti-democrats blame Birendra solely for the fall of Panchayat regime. During the 1980s, the restraints that he had eased against political organizations provided a breeding ground for political parties which had previously been powerless and virtually non-existent until then.[3]

Personality

From a very young age, Birendra was described by his Eton teachers as a kind prince.[68] He was remembered by his Eton classmates as a "very, very nice bloke who was embarrassed when his full title was read out at the school assembly."[69] Very famous Nepalese media personality, Neer Shah describe Birendra as kind and development loving king.[70] Royalist around the king and various scholars define him as a simple king who was able to listen to others view.[71][72] They also criticize him for his weakness of not being able to deny the requests of people around him and his habit to act like a clerk and work himself rather than order others.[71]

Birendra allowed the 2036 B.S. Janmat Sangraha (1980

People's Movement I that resulted in few hundred deaths, he established a constitutional monarchy in Nepal.[74]

Some historians have speculated that Birendra's democratic views and simple nature may have led to the success of the People's Movement I (1990).

SAARC
in Asia in order to strengthen the foreign relations of Nepal with the other South Asian countries.

Memorial

Many structures, institutions and honors have been built in the memory of King Birendra. Monuments erected in his name were renamed after the restoration of the parliament in 2063 BS and the end of the monarchy in 2065 BS. After the political changes of 2063 BS, an attempt was made to rename the highway built in the name of the king as Lok Marg.

King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya Statue

Statues

  1. Birendra statue, Dhamboji Chowk, (Nepalgunj)[76]
  2. Birendra statue (Dang)[77]
  3. Birendra statue, Birendranagar (Surkhet)[78]
  4. Birendra statue, Swargapuri (Shivapuri)
  5. Birendra statue, Jawalakhel (Lalitpur)
  6. Birendra statue, Bindhyabasini Temple (Pokhara)
  7. Birendra statue, Pashupatinath Temple (Kathmandu)

School

  1. Shree Birendra Higher Secondary School, Bhadrapur, Jhapa
  2. Shree Birendra Higher Secondary School, Charghare, Nuwakot
  3. Shree Birendra Sarwajanik Higher Secondary School, Morang
  4. Shree Birendra secondary school, Lakhantari, Morang
  5. Shree Birendra secondary school, Belbari, Morang
  6. Shree Birendra Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, Jhorahat, Morang
  7. Birendra Secondary School, Katahari, Morang
  8. Birendra Secondary School, Argakhanchi
  9. Birendra Secondary School, Dasharathchanda, Baitadi
  10. Birendra secondary school, Badikedar , Doti
  11. Birendra Secondary School, Syangja
  12. Birendra Secondary School, Nuwakot
  13. Birendra Secondary School, Parbat
  14. Birendra Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya, Bhaktapur
  15. Birendra jyoti Secondary School, Solukhumbu Sotang

College

  1. Birendara Bidhya Mandir Campus, Tikapur, Kailali[79]
  2. Birendra Multiple Campus, Bharatpur
  3. Birendra Memorial College , Dharan[80]
  4. Birendra Multiple Campus

Location

  1. Birendranagar, Surkhet
  2. Birendranagar, Chitwan
  3. Birendra Chowk , (Birendranagar)
  4. Birendra chowk, Kageshwari-Manohara Municipality
  5. Birendra chowk , Phungling Municipality
  6. Birendra Chowk, Dharan
  7. Birendra Chowk, Tulsipur, (Dang)
  8. Birendra Chowk , (Nepalgunj)
  9. Birendra Chowk , (Itahari)
  10. Birendra Lake (Birendra Tal), Gorkha
  11. Birendra Aishwarya Park, Dhangadi
  12. Birendra Aishwarya Park, Baglung

Structure

  1. Birendra Museum, Kathmandu Durbar Square
  2. Birendra Army Hospital
  3. Birendranagar Airport

Others

  1. Birendra Beer, Zürich[81]
  2. Birendra Memorial Cup
  3. Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre
  4. Birendranagar Jaycees
    Narayanhiti Palace where the Nepalese royal massacre
    occurred.

Murder

Birendra and his whole family were killed that night and the killer is still unknown.[82] Almost all of the royal family were killed in the massacre except Gyanendra Shah, Birendra's younger brother. Dipendra was proclaimed King but could not be crowned since he was in a coma in hospital, resulting from self-inflicted gunshot wounds sustained in the massacre. He died a few days later.[83] Consequently, Gyanendra was made the king.[84]

Honours

National orders
Foreign orders
Association honours

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "King Birendra of Nepal". Daily Telegraph. 23 August 2001. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  2. ^ "The Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah – Childhood Picture". Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Birendra: Nepal's monarch of change". BBC. 2 June 2001. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Crossette, Barbara (3 June 2001). "Birendra, 55, Ruler of Nepal's the Hindu Kingdom". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  5. .
  6. ^ "Marriage of Convenience". Time. 9 March 1970. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  7. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 August 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 August 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  9. ^ "King Birendra Credentials". Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b Malhotra, Inder (4 June 2001). "King Birendra of Nepal". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  11. ^
    JSTOR 2645224
    .
  12. ^ "The Constitution of 1990". Country Studies. Retrieved 21 July 2008. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  13. ^ Malhotra, Inder (4 June 2001). "King Birendra of Nepal A ruler much loved by his people, he bowed to popular will and surrendered absolute power". The Guardian.
  14. ^ VIEWPOINT (2 June 2022). "13 Reasons Why Former King Birendra Shah Is the Most Loved Monarch of Nepal". NEPWAVE. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  15. ^ a b Sharma, S. (2019). The Nepal Nexus: An Inside Account of the Maoists, the Durbar and New Delhi. Penguin Random House India Private Limited.
  16. ^ "King Birendra's Historic China Visit". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  17. ^ "खम्पा काण्ड : नेपालबाट मुस्ताङलाई टुक्य्राएर तिब्बत कब्जा गर्न विदेशीले गराएको विद्रोह !". Swadesh Nepal. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  18. ^ देवकी विष्ट. "खम्पा विद्रोह' मा लिपुलेक नजिक लडाईं लडेका एक प्रहरीको संस्मरण". Breaknlinks (in Nepali). Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  19. ^ a b Basnyat, Prem Singh. "A forgotten history". My Republica. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  20. .
  21. ^ a b "Diplomatic achievements of King Birendra: From Peace Zone Proposal to expansion of foreign relations". Nepal Press. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  22. ^ "NRC0015 – Nepali foreign policy and Zone of Peace: an attempt at neutrality? – NIPoRe". Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  23. ^ Magazine, New Spolight. "Late King Birendra And His Demand For "Peace Zone"Status For Nepal". SpotlightNepal. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  24. ^ "BPOTC | वीरेन्द्र शान्ति कार्य तालिम केन्दर". bpotc.nepalarmy.mil.np. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  25. ^ Saxena, Shobhan (30 March 2008). "The legion of Betrayed Warriors". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  26. ^ Nepal Insight, Why didn't birendra use the army against Maoist? | Nepal History (in Nepali), retrieved 17 July 2022
  27. ^ Gurung, K. K. (1983). Heart of the Jungle: the Wildlife of Chitwan, Nepal. André Deutsch, London.
  28. ^ Adhikari, T. R. (2002). The curse of success. Habitat Himalaya – A Resources Himalaya Factfile, Volume IX, Number 3.
  29. ^ .
  30. .
  31. ^ Basnet, H.; Thakuri, D.C.; Bhetwal, K.; Joshi, D. & Poudyal, L.P. (2019). "Recent records of threatened birds in the Sukilaphanta Grassland, Suklaphanta National Park, Nepal, with particular focus on White-throated Bushchat Saxicola insignis and Finn's Weaver Ploceus megarhynchus". Birding Asia (32): 93–96.
  32. ^ "Nepali Times | The Brief » Blog Archive » Remembering Rara". Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  33. .
  34. ^ Croes, K. D. (2006). Conserving the king: Inverting the origin story of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project of Nepal. HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, 26(1), 6.
  35. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Sagarmatha National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  36. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Chitwan National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  37. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Kathmandu Valley". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  38. ^ Khatri, M. B. (2018). Industrial development in Nepal: Problems and prospects. Economic Journal of Nepal, 41(3-4), 25-40.
  39. ^ Magazine, New Spolight. "MELAMCHI PROJECT Water At The Tap". SpotlightNepal. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  40. ^ "RAOnline Reports on Nepal – The Royal Tragedy". www.raonline.ch. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  41. ^ "Govt making efforts to revive Nepal Orind Magnesite". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  42. ^ "Nepal | History, Population, Flag, Language, Map, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  43. ^ "About – Institute of Medicine". Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  44. ^ "Nepal Stock Exchange". www.nepalstock.com.np. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  45. ^ Nepal Sanskrit University Act, 2043 English. Law Commission Nepal. 1986.
  46. ^ a b c d Yang, Eunmo (2007). "Modernization of Nepal under the Shah Dynasty, 1951–1991". www.zum.de. Korean Minjok Leadership Academy International Program. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  47. ^ "Timeline of Nepal Aviation, glimpse from 1949 to 2020". Aviation Nepal. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  48. ^ Adventures, Third Rock. "Airports in Nepal – 50 Places That Connect the Country to the World". Third Rock Adventures. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  49. ^ SHRESTHA, PRAGYA (2005). "The great green road". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  50. ^ "Switzerland – Nepal: A close partnership lasting more than 50 years – Nepal | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  51. ^ Chitrakar, Tara Devi (2012). "Performance of Bhrikuti Paper and Pulp Limited: Before and After Privatization". PYC Nepal Journal of Management. 5: 44–54 – via Public Youth Campus.
  52. ^ "Largest Paper Mill in Nepal Closing". Global Paper Money. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  53. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  54. ^ "Rubber industry readied for operation in Jhapa". Khabarhub. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  55. ^ Poudel, M., Adhikari, P., Dhungana, S., Paudel, S., Thapa, K., Bidari, A., & Manandhar, R. (2020). Economics of rubber production in Jhapa, Nepal. Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 3(1), 198-208.
  56. ^ BHANDARI, TILAK (1 March 2021). "Saving Rubber Industries and Save Environment in Nepal". TILAK.
  57. ^ Kharel, K. R., & Upadhyaya, Y. M. (2021). Contribution of Cottage and Small Scale Industries for Boosting Nepalese Economy. Tribhuvan University Journal, 36(01), 45-57.
  58. ^ "King Birendra's 30-year reign- Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  59. ^ "Thirty years of King Birendra's reign- Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  60. JSTOR 45242336
    .
  61. ^ diwakar (25 May 2021). "Narcotics law in Nepal: Everything you need to know about – OnlineKhabar English News". Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  62. ^ Mahat, Sunny. "How the ban came about andhow long it will stay in place". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  63. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  64. ^ Bhattarai, Kamal Dev. "Six decades of American aid". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  65. ^ Sharma, Sarthak Mani (3 September 2015). "High time to lift ban". nepalitimes. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  66. ^ Can WATER Change Nepal's FUTURE? - VisualPolitik EN, retrieved 23 July 2022
  67. ^ "A king who could do no wrong- Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  68. ^ Malhotra, Inder (4 June 2001). "Obituary: King Birendra of Nepal". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  69. ^ "Investigation into royal massacre was designedly flawed: Neer Shah (With video)". Reporters Nepal. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  70. ^ a b Khanal, Rewati Raman (2016). अनिभूति र अभिव्यक्ति (आत्म कथा) (in Nepali) (First ed.). Kathmandu: Pradipta Printing and Publishing.
  71. ^ "Swiss author pens Nepali classic". SWI swissinfo.ch. 20 September 2001. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  72. ^ "Political Events from 2036 to 2046 B.S." Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  73. ^ "Nepal's King Gives Way to Multiparty Democracy". The New York Times. 11 November 1990.
  74. ISBN 978-9937874076.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  75. ^ Republica. "Tension in Dhamboji after late king Birendra's monument erected". My Republica. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  76. ^ "KING BIRENDRA | Elizabeth Dalziel". www.elizabethdalziel.com. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  77. ^ TV, Danfe (30 December 2021). "A statue of King Birendra was placed in Surkhet". Danfe TV- English. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  78. ^ "Institutional Overview". Birendra Bidhya Mandir Campus. 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  79. ^ "About us". Birendra Memorial College. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  80. ^ swissinfo.ch (26 April 2018). "Swiss brewery defends choice of Nepalese monarch on beer bottle". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  81. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  82. ^ Hinduism Today (1 September 2001). "Tragedy in Nepal Royal Family Massacred". Hinduism Today. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  83. ^ West, Julian (2 June 2001). "Nepal's royal killer is named King as his parents are cremated". Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  84. ^ "Bilateral relations". La France au Népal. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  85. ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF). Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  86. ^ Khan, Sami (27 May 2019). "How many Foreign Personalities got Nishan-e-Pakistan?". PakMcqs. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Crown Prince
of Nepal

1955–1972
Succeeded by
King of Nepal
1972–2001