Demands to restore monarchy in Nepal and declare it a Hindu Rashtra have increased

Display of placards with photographs of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath

Posters with pictures of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and former King Gyanendra Shah in Kathmandu

Kathmandu (Nepal) – Thousands of people welcomed former king Gyanendra to Kathmandu amid a rise in calls to reinstate Hindu monarchy in Nepal. The Himalayan kingdom is seeing bike rallies and surge in online posts seeking a return to monarchy. This is what is fuelling these calls in Nepal, which was the last Hindu kingdom till 2008, when it became a secular republic.

“Come back king, save the country”, “we want monarchy”, and “vacate the royal palace for the king” chants filled the air in Kathmandu as thousands of people lined up to welcome former king Gyanendra Shah on Sunday. Then there were bike rallies with hundreds of participants earlier in the week with the demand, bring back the Hindu monarchy back in Nepal.

Gyanendra was returning to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, after two months. While away, he was in Pokhara and visiting holy shrines.

Pro-monarchy individuals and handles claim almost 4 lakh people had gathered to welcome Gyanendra. An estimated number of 10,000 had pathered.

“I can feel the winds of change. Nepal’s Third People’s Movement to restore the monarchy, Hindu state and scrap federalism has begun,” posted Shyamal Krishna Shrestha, a member of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which is Hindu nationalist party striving for constitutional monarchy, on X. Nepal was the last Hindu kingdom with its king surveying the army during Maha Shivratri, and receiving the blessings of patron goddess Kumari during the festival of Indra Jatra.

There is a strong movement favouring Hindu monarchy in Nepal, where a popular movement, which many believe was backed by China, brought end to Gyanendra’s rule in 2006.Nepal had been a Hindu monarchy for 240 years. One of the reasons behind the pro- monarchy sentiment is people’s frustration with rampant corruption and economic gloom. Though the king was the centre of power and stability, Nepal has lacked that since 2008 when it voted to become a republic. Since then, Nepal has seen 13 governments.