King's divine rule ends in declaration of secular status
The divine rule of the world's last Hindu monarch, Nepal's King Gyanendra, came to an abrupt end yesterday after Parliament declared the nation secular and stripped him of control of the army.
Revered by devout Hindus as a reincarnation of the god Vishnu, the god of protection, the monarch's status took a severe battering in Thursday's proclamation.
King Gyanendra looks set to be the last of his line to directly rule the impoverished Himalayan nation. His ancestor started the dynasty when he conquered the Kathmandu valley in the mid-18th century.
He was forced to relinquish his direct control of the nation last month, after weeks of pro-democracy protests crippled the nation and left 19 protesters dead.
The newly reinstated Parliament has matched a rebel Maoist ceasefire, and agreed to a key demand, the election of a body to change Nepal's constitution.
Yesterday's sweeping proclamation declared that the royal family will have to pay tax just like any other citizen.